Babelfish Literature Game

We haven’t done this in a long time. Put a well known quote into the Babel Translator blender a few times and see if anyone can guess what it is. Here’s an easy one:

1)It was best periods, it was worst of the periods, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of the stupidity, it was the time of the belief, it was the time of incredulity, it was the season of the light, it was the season of the darkness, it was the spring of the hope, it was at the winter to despair, us had very in front of the UNITED STATES, us did not have anything in front of the UNITED STATES, were very active for us directly with the sky, were very active direct for us towards the other shorts of way?in, the period was under the current period, that some of its noisier authorities insisted for the sound being received, the evil for good or, in superlative degree of comparison only.

This isn’t exactly literature but I like it:

2)It spreads out, that 5 things which ignite it burns and that or she thinks the seises, there is a possibility of connecting? The person where the fortune which spreads out is good also it feels you of this must demand? Well, the already punky?

  1. ** A Sale of Two Titties**

2 WTF?

Living creature comes with me and any my love, and we we want all pleasures, we is which we prove that valleys, forests, holders, and fields, wood or incomes steepy of mountain.

Dirty Harry?

Ah Ah, I know what you’re thinking, punk. You’re thinkin’, “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Now, to tell you the truth, I’ve forgot myself in all this excitement. But being as this is the .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and will blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?

Here’s a quite famous book opening. I had to take it back and forth quite a few times to get it sufficiently mangled.

Correctamundo!

You haveta add one if you guess one. You haveta. I don’t care what you’re up to with the cast of Family Ties, ya hear!

We are a firmly part to Barstow in the desert edge when the medicine started from enraciner. The memory said appreciates del to something? I feeling part is since childhood rash; Perhaps you must carry out…? And has warns urlo fearful entire us and the sky is full these enormous partially drinks as if with any, pounces upon suddenly with screeching and zambulliendo entire to the automobile, circulated on hundred mile to the inferior part with to go to their them to the hour by the cover to be more fertile than. And the sound has screaied: ? Holy Jesus! Which these animals are they should die?

Ooh, ooh, I know!

Live with me, and be my love
and we shall all the pleasures prove
that hills and valleys, dale and field
and all the craggy mountains yield
— Christopher Marlowe
This is fun… I’ll translate something a few times and post in a bit.

Ok, here’s my Babelfish translation:

To I find NO peace, and all my was is done; I fear and hope, I burn and freeze like ice. I fly above the wind yet edge I emergency arise; and naught I CUTS and all the world I sixteen one.

Wow, that rhyme is kinda nice and seems intentional. Those are largely very interesting first lines, in themselves, cromulent.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thomson

I’m going to make a wild guess here – The Great Gatsby? Even with the book open in front of me the first lines look very different from what you’ve posted – so I may be completely wrong or just underestimating the power of Babelfish grins

There are some similarities, though.

We have a winner! The Great Gatsby it is.

Babelfish would be even better if you could go from one non-English language to another, instead of back and forth with English only (except in one case, I think French-German and v.-v.)

Aha. I knew that was too good, even mangled, not to be decent poetry to start out with.

I’ll be back in a minute to post another encryption.

It’s great to watch these evolve, iddinit?

I’m not sure if I corrupted this one enough:

I haven’t participated in any of the previous threads. Do you have to answer one to post one? If so, I guess I’m gonna break a rule here because I’m clueless on masonite’s quote and this is too fun to resist.

I think I got this one sufficiently mangled. This is the first paragraph of one of my favorites. The translation chain went English->Portuguese->English->Italian->English->German->English.

I can’t figure any of these out, but I did have some fun with Babelfish:

Probably didn’t mangle it enough either, but oh well.

Ms Macphisto,
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Two - I can’t tell if they’re easy or not:

And for those of you more into movies than books:

amarinth, I think I’ve got yours.

First is the opening of Pride and Prejudice: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, is in want of a wife.”

Second one is the classic “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”, from Gone with the wind.

This one is probably easy, but I didn’t want to mangle it too far:

Amarinth - you got it! I had to leave out “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” because it’s one phrase Babelfish actually leaves unchanged no matter how many times you translate.

Another, more obscure one:

This is the beginning of a famous speech run through german, back to english, to italian, and back to english again. What is it from?

“The men, this material, than in circuit some sources do not connect around to the approximate America, that he wishes from this war, wishing the fight, are crock from the blow of the bulletin. The Americans love to fight, traditionally. All the real Americans love sting and a reunion of the battle. They are today here for three reasons. In the first place because you must defend, it loved it your houses here and one. Secondarily you are here for yours just car respect, because you would not various wish in some place the relative one. In third place you are here, because you are real men and all the real men can fight. Like if you are all of you, kidskin, you have admired completely the marble player matrix, the faster runner, the boxer more durable, the great players of the sphere of the alloy and the players allAmerican of game of soccer here. The Americans love a winner. The Americans do not allow to losing. The Americans despise Feiglinge. The Americans play, in order to gain the full time. They have been lost a outcry in hell affinchè a man does not give and have been laughed. That is why Americans never not lost still transformati in in one war at all to lose for possession; for the idea to lose he is to an American hateful.”