I know there are web translators but they often come out wrong; I am trying to help my cleaning lady (at her request) find and enroll in an ESL class. Below is what I want to say:
And also
Thanks-
J
Google translates that as:
La Universidad de Auburn en Montgomery
Las clases van desde 100 a 399 dependiendo de la longitud
Llame entre las 2:45 pm-4: 45 pm de lunes a jueves y habrá un orador español que le puede ayudar a inscribirse
When I tell Google to put that back in English, it gives:
Auburn University at Montgomery
Classes range from 100 to 399 depending on the length
Call between 2:45 pm-4: 45 pm Monday through Thursday and will be a Spanish speaker who can help register
— So I’m guessing that their translation is pretty good!
Clases gratuitas de ESL están disponibles en las siguientes iglesias, usted no tiene que ser un miembro para asistir a las clases.
comes back as:
Free ESL classes are available at the following churches, you do not have to be a member to attend classes.
To use these translators, just go to Google’s main page, and click on “Language tools”
Sounds like it, but ever since I used one of those and apparently told her my dead mother was upstairs I’ve been a little leary.
Thanks.
Of course if you translate something on Google from English to Spanish and then back from Spanish to English, you’re going to get back the same thing you got in. That doesn’t speak to the accuracy of the translation.
Google’s Spanish translation of that is:
Por supuesto, si algo en Google traducir del Inglés al Español y luego de vuelta del Español al Inglés, usted va a volver a lo mismo que tienes in Que no se refiere a la exactitud de la traducción.
and then if Google puts that into English, it comes out as:
Of course, if something in Google translate from English into Spanish and then back from Spanish to English, you will return to the same as you in That does not concern the accuracy of the translation.
What we see from this is that if you translate something on Google from English to Spanish and then back from Spanish to English, you’re NOT necessarily going to get back the same thing you got in. Sometimes it’s just gobbledygook, and sometimes it is something very intelligible but very different than what was intended. This will be especially likely if you’ve included any idioms. I refer you back to Sampiro’s post.
My conclusion is that translating back into the original language is not foolproof, but it is a good way to tell if the translation is at least in the ballpark.
There are much better Spanish speakers than me on this board, but I question “longitud” as duration; that sounds really odd.
I’d say:
La Universidad de Auburn a Montgomery
El precio de las clases: de $100 a $399 (más dinero por una clase de más tiempo)
Llama entre 2:45 y 4:45 de la tarde, Lunes hasta Jueves, y sera alguien que hable español. Él puede ayudar Usted a inscribirse.
Hay clases de ESL a las iglesias seguientes, gratis; no necesita estar feligrés por asistirlas.
ETA: This isn’t a suggestion for what Sampiro should write, just an anecdotal point of view to counter Google while we’re waiting for a real expert to show up.
My orthography may be off, but I’d try these:
Auburn University at Montgomery
Classes range from $100 to $399 depending on length
Call between 2:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday thru Thursday and there will be a Spanish speaker who can assist you in enrolling.
Auburn University at Montgomery
Clases valen (or cuestan) entre $100 y $399, según la duracion.
Llame entra las 14.45 y 16.45 de lunes a jueves para comunicarse con un hablante de Español para ayudarle a enscribirse.
Free ESL classes are available at the following churches; you do not have to be a member to attend the classes.
Clases de ESL (that should be commonly understood) son disponibles gratis en los siguientes templos (or iglesias); no es necesario ser miembro de la iglesia para asistir.
I wouldn’t expect people to understand ESL; it’s a term I didn’t become familiar with myself until very recently. After all, ESL classes on non-English-speaking countries are not called ESL.
Universidad de Auburn en Montgomery.
Las clases cuestan de $100 a $399; el precio varía según lo que dure el curso.
Llame entre las 14:45 y las 16:45, de lunes a jueves, para que un hispanohablante le ayude a inscribirse.
Las siguientes iglesias (Los siguientes templos if any of them is not Christian) ofrecen clases de inglés: no es necesario asistir a sus servicios religiosos para poder ir a las clases.