The golden age of gobbledygook is over
Feb. 18th, 2009 05:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imomusIn February 2006 I posted a Click Opera entry entitled Rinko's diary googlemangled. I was writing my Ocky Milk album, and using the inexactitude of Google translation to generate surreal poetry for my lyrics. I found the diary of Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi, hosted on the Foil website, a good source for the sort of gentle, personal, serious and sensitive phrases I wanted to put into the songs on my "friendly album" (as well as some lovely keitai snapshots from an internationally famous photographer).
In 2006, Google's machine translation between Japanese and English was so inexact as to be almost opaque, and while this didn't make it useful for any practical purposes, it did make it a great machine for creating striking poetic images. "Google translation is in its 'poetry golden age' precisely because it is inexact," I wrote. "Who knows how long this golden age will last before perfection moves in, destroying the poetry?"
Well, I thought today we might try a little test on the same phrases I rendered in 2006, and see how much more coherent they've become. Three years, after all, is a long time in the world of computing, and I've certainly been noticing a marked improvement in Google's Japanese to English translations over the past year or so, perhaps due to the introduction of wiki-style human input. A pop-up now asks readers to suggest a better translation themselves. It's as if Google has realised the limits of machine translation, and sent in the cavalry -- in the form of its millions of human users.
Foil have since taken Rinko's January 2006 diary down, but you can still read it via Wayback Machine. So I took the exact same phrases and ran them through Google's Japanese-English translation machine again. Under the cut, I've listed the 2006 translations as OLD and the 2009 translations as NEW.
My conclusion is that Google's Japanese to English translation is now about 30% clearer than it was in early 2006, but also rather more blunt and pragmatic. Some of the poetry has gone, transformed into prose. There's approximately 45% less charm -- it's the difference between a 16th century travel guide full of errors, childish maps and fantastical beasts, and a 21st century tourist handbook.
Has machine translation improved? Yes, but it depends what you're using it for. "For those of us who see every error as a potential poem or joke," I wrote in a 2006 column for Wired, "every new web service or handheld gizmo claiming to do translation strikes a chill in the heart."
The golden age of gobbledygook may be over. And I'm feeling pretty "dense, with the [illegible] of the bee" about it.
January 30th
OLD
The tremendously lovely amulet is received. It is dense, with the [illegible] of the bee.
NEW
Have a very cute charm. SUPESHIYARUBAJON in this earthy, handmade complete dispersal.
January 29th
OLD
It goes to the visit of the friend who is hospitalized. Because is not possible at all, inhaling the foot, stroking the head, it returned.
NEW
Your friend's visit to the hospital. Can not do anything, 撫DE got back from a foot rubbing my head.
January 28th
OLD
Receiving the handmade Japanese radish, it is delightful.
NEW
I am happy to receive homemade radish.
January 27th
OLD
Opening and/or closing the big cardboard, concentrating at a stroke, it categorizeeed.
NEW
And large cardboard boxes or open or closed, sorting and focused all at once.
January 26th
OLD
Somehow, however you kept wearing the kimono by yourself, in the various person.
NEW
I went out wearing my own clothes, to many, "Oh, I大島紬!" Be said.
January 25th
OLD
Joint life 4 of girls was visible, however perhaps, there is a variety, very pleasantly so.
NEW
Four girls who live together, I might have a lot, looked very happy.
January 24th
OLD
It has teaching the compilation of image, to Special Interest Group Ro.
NEW
Global system to teach them to edit the video.
January 23rd
OLD
You feel that one day passes lately quickly.
NEW
Too soon to feel the day.
January 22nd
OLD
When morning, the curtain is opened, the snowman and the eye were agreeable.
NEW
Morning, the first match and open the curtains and snowmen.
January 21st
OLD
Wearing the socks, wearing the underwear, wearing the kimono, it winds the band.
NEW
Japanese socks wearing, wearing襦袢, wearing a kimono, a wind band.
January 21st
OLD
Outside heavy snow. Doubtful by your the circumstances from the place where it is far a little it photographs with the video camera,
NEW
Outside the heavy snow. Video cameras to some distance from the looks of his dubious
January 20th
OLD
Very it was very pleasant time.
NEW
It was very very fun time.
January 19th
OLD
The camera bag and the tripod of ideal it goes to Ginza in searching.
NEW
Go to Ginza to find the perfect camera bag and tripod.
January 18th
OLD
Sometimes, with the notion that where, the Eguti male be completed it makes the store keep accompanying with everyone it probably will go to the kind of place which always it cannot go.
NEW
Once in a while that can not go on like I always have someone take me out to the store everyone's Featured Eguchi.
January 17th
OLD
Morning, real the burglar intrudes inside you looked at dream.
NEW
Morning, a real dream broke up a robbery at my home.
January 16th
OLD
After cleaning cheerfully, it went to the gym, bought the beer and the wine and the flower to the return.
NEW
Go to the gym to clean it with gusto, I bought flowers and wine and beer on the way home.
January 15th
OLD
A little, you received the telephone from the person where communication has broken off, very became delightful.
NEW
Received a call from a contact who had been cut, was very pleased.
January 14th
OLD
Rain.
NEW
Rain.
January 13th
OLD
Cold one day. The cat had died with Kawahara.
NEW
Cold day. The cat died in the river.
January 12th
OLD
Not making the change of feeling good, drag to useless mode and be troubled it may.
NEW
Things never work a lot from last month. I have to work the switch, it is not HIKIZURIKOMA mode.
January 11th
OLD
It goes to the vaccination of yellow fever in order to go to next month Brazil.
NEW
Go to the yellow fever vaccination. To go to Brazil next month.
January 10th
OLD
It is what, becoming the kind of feeling which keeps the girl small of the kindred, the various knobs remaining ones it puts out.
NEW
The feeling of being small relative to leave my little girl, get over my knob all over my leftovers.
In 2006, Google's machine translation between Japanese and English was so inexact as to be almost opaque, and while this didn't make it useful for any practical purposes, it did make it a great machine for creating striking poetic images. "Google translation is in its 'poetry golden age' precisely because it is inexact," I wrote. "Who knows how long this golden age will last before perfection moves in, destroying the poetry?"
Well, I thought today we might try a little test on the same phrases I rendered in 2006, and see how much more coherent they've become. Three years, after all, is a long time in the world of computing, and I've certainly been noticing a marked improvement in Google's Japanese to English translations over the past year or so, perhaps due to the introduction of wiki-style human input. A pop-up now asks readers to suggest a better translation themselves. It's as if Google has realised the limits of machine translation, and sent in the cavalry -- in the form of its millions of human users.
Foil have since taken Rinko's January 2006 diary down, but you can still read it via Wayback Machine. So I took the exact same phrases and ran them through Google's Japanese-English translation machine again. Under the cut, I've listed the 2006 translations as OLD and the 2009 translations as NEW.
My conclusion is that Google's Japanese to English translation is now about 30% clearer than it was in early 2006, but also rather more blunt and pragmatic. Some of the poetry has gone, transformed into prose. There's approximately 45% less charm -- it's the difference between a 16th century travel guide full of errors, childish maps and fantastical beasts, and a 21st century tourist handbook.
Has machine translation improved? Yes, but it depends what you're using it for. "For those of us who see every error as a potential poem or joke," I wrote in a 2006 column for Wired, "every new web service or handheld gizmo claiming to do translation strikes a chill in the heart."
The golden age of gobbledygook may be over. And I'm feeling pretty "dense, with the [illegible] of the bee" about it.
January 30th
OLD
The tremendously lovely amulet is received. It is dense, with the [illegible] of the bee.
NEW
Have a very cute charm. SUPESHIYARUBAJON in this earthy, handmade complete dispersal.
January 29th
OLD
It goes to the visit of the friend who is hospitalized. Because is not possible at all, inhaling the foot, stroking the head, it returned.
NEW
Your friend's visit to the hospital. Can not do anything, 撫DE got back from a foot rubbing my head.
January 28th
OLD
Receiving the handmade Japanese radish, it is delightful.
NEW
I am happy to receive homemade radish.
January 27th
OLD
Opening and/or closing the big cardboard, concentrating at a stroke, it categorizeeed.
NEW
And large cardboard boxes or open or closed, sorting and focused all at once.
January 26th
OLD
Somehow, however you kept wearing the kimono by yourself, in the various person.
NEW
I went out wearing my own clothes, to many, "Oh, I大島紬!" Be said.
January 25th
OLD
Joint life 4 of girls was visible, however perhaps, there is a variety, very pleasantly so.
NEW
Four girls who live together, I might have a lot, looked very happy.
January 24th
OLD
It has teaching the compilation of image, to Special Interest Group Ro.
NEW
Global system to teach them to edit the video.
January 23rd
OLD
You feel that one day passes lately quickly.
NEW
Too soon to feel the day.
January 22nd
OLD
When morning, the curtain is opened, the snowman and the eye were agreeable.
NEW
Morning, the first match and open the curtains and snowmen.
January 21st
OLD
Wearing the socks, wearing the underwear, wearing the kimono, it winds the band.
NEW
Japanese socks wearing, wearing襦袢, wearing a kimono, a wind band.
January 21st
OLD
Outside heavy snow. Doubtful by your the circumstances from the place where it is far a little it photographs with the video camera,
NEW
Outside the heavy snow. Video cameras to some distance from the looks of his dubious
January 20th
OLD
Very it was very pleasant time.
NEW
It was very very fun time.
January 19th
OLD
The camera bag and the tripod of ideal it goes to Ginza in searching.
NEW
Go to Ginza to find the perfect camera bag and tripod.
January 18th
OLD
Sometimes, with the notion that where, the Eguti male be completed it makes the store keep accompanying with everyone it probably will go to the kind of place which always it cannot go.
NEW
Once in a while that can not go on like I always have someone take me out to the store everyone's Featured Eguchi.
January 17th
OLD
Morning, real the burglar intrudes inside you looked at dream.
NEW
Morning, a real dream broke up a robbery at my home.
January 16th
OLD
After cleaning cheerfully, it went to the gym, bought the beer and the wine and the flower to the return.
NEW
Go to the gym to clean it with gusto, I bought flowers and wine and beer on the way home.
January 15th
OLD
A little, you received the telephone from the person where communication has broken off, very became delightful.
NEW
Received a call from a contact who had been cut, was very pleased.
January 14th
OLD
Rain.
NEW
Rain.
January 13th
OLD
Cold one day. The cat had died with Kawahara.
NEW
Cold day. The cat died in the river.
January 12th
OLD
Not making the change of feeling good, drag to useless mode and be troubled it may.
NEW
Things never work a lot from last month. I have to work the switch, it is not HIKIZURIKOMA mode.
January 11th
OLD
It goes to the vaccination of yellow fever in order to go to next month Brazil.
NEW
Go to the yellow fever vaccination. To go to Brazil next month.
January 10th
OLD
It is what, becoming the kind of feeling which keeps the girl small of the kindred, the various knobs remaining ones it puts out.
NEW
The feeling of being small relative to leave my little girl, get over my knob all over my leftovers.
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Analysis (3/4)
Date: 2009-02-20 12:48 am (UTC)とてもとても楽しい時間だった。
OLD
Very it was very pleasant time.
NEW
It was very very fun time.
Hey look, NEW was able to put the two verys together.
Winner: NEW
January 19th
理想のカメラバッグと三脚を探しに銀座へ行く。
OLD
The camera bag and the tripod of ideal it goes to Ginza in searching.
NEW
Go to Ginza to find the perfect camera bag and tripod.
OK, finally an example where we went from “the golden age of gobbledygook” in OLD to accurate, coherent English in NEW. NEW actually went from broken poetry to straightforward English.
Clear winner: NEW
January 18th
たまにはいつも行けないようなところに行こうということで、江口さんおすすめのお店にみんなで連れていってもらう。
OLD
Sometimes, with the notion that where, the Eguti male be completed it makes the store keep accompanying with everyone it probably will go to the kind of place which always it cannot go.
NEW
Once in a while that can not go on like I always have someone take me out to the store everyone's Featured Eguchi.
See, though, “the golden age of gobbledygook” lives on as soon we reach the slightest hint of complexity in the sentence structure.
Winner: Unclear
January 17th
朝方、うちに強盗が押し入ってくるリアルな夢を見た。
OLD
Morning, real the burglar intrudes inside you looked at dream.
NEW
Morning, a real dream broke up a robbery at my home.
OLD is a translation of the original sentence subject to a cut-up experiment and rearranged as a poem.
NEW is a deceptive retelling of the original by a surrealist interpreter.
Winner: You decide
January 16th
いそいそと掃除をしてからジムへ行き、帰りにビールとワインと花を買ってきた。
OLD
After cleaning cheerfully, it went to the gym, bought the beer and the wine and the flower to the return.
NEW
Go to the gym to clean it with gusto, I bought flowers and wine and beer on the way home.
OLD knows something about Rinko that we don’t: She had a robot housekeeper. (Sort of correct, in this case.)
NEW offers an accurate improvement after the comma, but the first half is absolutely wrong. She went “to the gym to clean it”??? The grammar in “掃除をしてからジムへ行き” is so straightforward and clear (except the part about the subject, which, you know, could be her or it could be her robot) that this does not bode well for Google’s “progress” over the past three years...
Winner: OLD
January 15th
少し連絡が途切れていた人から電話をもらい、とても嬉しくなった。
OLD
A little, you received the telephone from the person where communication has broken off, very became delightful.
NEW
Received a call from a contact who had been cut, was very pleased.
NEW sounds like the person has been cut rather than the contact; like she’s taking delight in their injury. (Maybe so that she can visit them in the hospital and inhale their foot, too...?)
Winner: OLD, by default