# Alta-vista Babelfish is fun.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 14, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086 "2004-05-14T07:01:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/1 "2004-05-14T07:01:04Z")
First, I typed in English this message.
> [@](#):
>
> I am a stupid whore and will never, ever be good enough to touch the penis of the king. I should be ashamed to even allow the words to spill from my ruby red lips.
Babelfish translated it into German.
> [@](#):
>
> ich bin eine dumme Dirne und Wille nie, ist überhaupt gut genug, den Penis des Königs zu berühren. Ich sollte beschämt sein, die Wörter meine karminroten roten Lippen überlaufen sogar zu lassen.
Hmmmmm, I thought. They could have given me any drivel and I wouldn’t have known better. How bout I test them? Ah, yes! Clever I am! So I copy and pasted the above and retranslated into English.
> [@](#):
>
> I am never a stupid Dirne and will, am at all well enough to affect the Penis of the king. I should be ashamed to overcrowded even leave the words my carmine red lips.
I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard. Why didn’t anyone tell me this was [so fun?](http://babelfish.altavista.com/)😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
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### Author:  [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/2 "2004-05-14T07:39:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard. Why didn’t anyone tell me this was so fun?
> [@](#):
>
> I laughing so eagerly I don’ You think t. Didn’ As for t why does this pleasure so inform the fact that it is to me anyone?
This is the result after being mangled through Japanese and back again. I could have sworn that the translation algorithms were a tad more sophisticated than that.
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### Author:  [@Leah\_Marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leah_Marie)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/3 "2004-05-14T07:45:05Z")
A friend of mine was reading a story that was translated into English by babelfish from either Spanish or some Asian language, and it happened that in translating a group of words for a sexual phrase of some kind, it came up with the following translation:
> [@](#):
>
> “testify my ice-cream”.
It still makes me laugh.
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### Author:  [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/4 "2004-05-14T08:06:49Z")
I still have an e-mail taped to my fridge where “Thanks, Mike” was translated to “Dankesehr. Mikrophon” 😃
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### Author:  [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/5 "2004-05-14T10:35:58Z")
> [@torie](#):
>
> I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard. Why didn’t anyone tell me this was [so fun?](http://babelfish.altavista.com/)😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
You have to go through many iterations to get real poetry. Also, with a little experience, you get to know what languages produce what kind of distortions. Here’s your phrase going through various European languages:
English - French - Greek - English - Dutch - French - English:
> [@](#):
>
> If idiotic whore is and the will never, that is to say rather well it should be said in passing treat to me never the peniskoning. He to be supposed you to it schande has to him in l’acte in words I of l inondation my red red lip authorizes.
Throwing Asian languages into the mix:
(English - Chinese - English - Japanese - English - Korean - English)
> [@](#):
>
> Assuredly, or Iss lingering
> One Dirne,
> And will,
> And basic morning emotion.
> King Gushing which is sufficient from the penis of the S.
> As age, it was congested.
> It will be made at excess amount.
> The mouth,
> Alcoholic beverage of my car
> Public opinion: red.
> Which it thinks shyly inside word of permission.
Okay, I added the line breaks, and played with the punctuation, but if that ain’t poetry I don’t know what is.
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### Author:  [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/6 "2004-05-14T10:54:39Z")
I have long enjoyed typing song lyrics into BabelFish, “translating” them into French and back, and attempting to sing the results with friends (note: this is best when done considerably after midnight, and I’d imagine drugs/alcohol wouldn’t hurt, though I wouldn’t know). From what I can tell, the English-to-French isn’t half bad as long as you don’t use idioms, but the French-to-English (or anything-to-English, for that matter) is crap in a hat. Personally, I would’ve thought it’d be the other way around – I can translate French into proper-sounding English with a lot more confidence than the other way around – but I guess not. Just as well, though; it makes for some quality entertainment.
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### Author:  [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/7 "2004-05-14T10:56:41Z")
Oh, and by the way, in the badly translated words of my namesake:
_Cry! Cry! Left any outside!
These are the things that I then to make outwards!
Let us go…I speak to you!
Advanced!_
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### Author:  [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/8 "2004-05-14T12:00:02Z")
> [@torie](#):
>
> I am a stupid whore and will never, ever be good enough to touch the penis of the king. I should be ashamed to even allow the words to spill from my ruby red lips.
Freud’s skeleton is clawing at the top of his casket in an attempt to exhume itself and psychoanaylze you.
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### Author:  [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/9 "2004-05-14T17:26:15Z")
Awwwwww, Freud, don’t exhume yourself over little ol’ ME! 😃
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alta-vista-babelfish-is-fun/245086/10 "2004-05-14T17:57:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> [As for the final episode of Frasier.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3710539.stm)
>
> as for the last episode of Frasier which is dried in the United States comedy’ which spreads enormousally; It was the broadcast 11 year of the Thursday United States which the television finishes s. Foam/home rice D which is based on the life of the Frasier crane of the psychiatry person being to start as a spin off of applause of the comedy of TV acquired record 31 エミー prize. As for that Cheers’ It continued the fact that it agrees; Operation of 11 season just of the Dallas series ties landing which has a longer spin off success. That " " which you brag; I’ M; The Kelsey Grammer aforementioned actor who does Frasier.
:dubious: