# Babelfish Literature Game **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979 "2003-08-22T18:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/1 "2003-08-22T18:17:35Z")
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?** ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/2 "2003-08-22T18:40:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![luvtinayothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@luvtinayothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luvtinayothers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/3 "2003-08-22T22:13:59Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/4 "2003-08-22T22:21:04Z")
Here’s a quite famous book opening. I had to take it back and forth quite a few times to get it sufficiently mangled. > [@](#): > > And year it cuts off and and the mine which it gives to the place and in me of my youth of the sense of notification there is my father. “The total human being” it spreads out it is not it thought an advantage inside this world, “you feel” indication all time of the criticism which is possible it is my, them it talked. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/5 "2003-08-22T22:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by luvtinayothers \* > \*\*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? \*\* 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! ---
**Author:** ![luvtinayothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@luvtinayothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luvtinayothers)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/6 "2003-08-23T00:35:51Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![cromulent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@cromulent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cromulent)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/7 "2003-08-23T03:10:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > **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. \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![cromulent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@cromulent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cromulent)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/8 "2003-08-23T03:30:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/9 "2003-08-23T04:11:18Z")
Wow, that rhyme is kinda nice and seems intentional. Those are largely very interesting first lines, in themselves, **cromulent**. ---
**Author:** ![Azael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Azael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azael)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/10 "2003-08-23T04:25:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by luvtinayothers \* > \*\*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? \*\* **Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas** _Hunter S. Thomson_ ---
**Author:** ![cromulent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@cromulent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cromulent)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/11 "2003-08-23T04:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by masonite \* > \*\*Here’s a quite famous book opening. I had to take it back and forth quite a few times to get it sufficiently mangled. > > * * * > > ## And year it cuts off and and the mine which it gives to the place and in me of my youth of the sense of notification there is my father. “The total human being” it spreads out it is not it thought an advantage inside this world, “you feel” indication all time of the criticism which is possible it is my, them it talked. > > \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/12 "2003-08-23T04:36:09Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/13 "2003-08-23T04:40:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cromulent \* > \*\*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. \*\* Aha. I knew that was too good, even mangled, not to be decent poetry to start out with. > [@](#): > > Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) > > I Find no Peace > I find no peace, and all my war is done. > I fear and hope. I burn and freeze like ice. > I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise; > I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise; > And nought I have, and all the world I season. I’ll be back in a minute to post another encryption. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/14 "2003-08-23T04:52:27Z")
It’s great to watch these evolve, iddinit? I’m not sure if I corrupted this one enough: > [@](#): > > Gratiano, maintenance the house and the return is it to grippaggio in the wealth of the attachment tiger, because time in you arises, regolator the Sig. the criticism of this villian terrible the place, torture: Or it goes becoming, the end fullfilled! The same will of the good and heavy external activity of the circumstance is with the heavy heart is attached. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/15 "2003-08-23T05:55:42Z")
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. > [@](#): > > They are always extract I hold behind the places, in which I lived, to the houses and to the relative proximity. As example it has brownstone in years seventy of the east, in that, while the years it advances you the war, I had my first dwelling of New York. An area, that with furniture of the attic, was sofà was together-clenched and the fat presides ricoprate in itching that, detail the red velvet, if assocía with the warm days in a course. The walls were stucco and a color rather like tobacco cospe. In the whole part in to many bathrooms, which is sommersprossig from the ruins, copies color had of the Roman Brauns with the age. The only window, which for one watches out, is in escaping the fire. Exactly therefore, is pit espíritos always strengthens you that I thought the key to this dwelling in my bag; with that whole relative sense of cloudy was it still another place of my adapts to you, those first and my books were here and the bottles matite one sharpen, the completely necessary, therefore those have the thought to the producer to have changed whom I wished for its. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/16 "2003-08-23T06:03:04Z")
I can’t figure any of these out, but I did have some fun with Babelfish: > [@](#): > > The life but a nuance which the walks, hears a poor player who supports to the top and its hour does not worry more on the stage and then: it is a history counted to an idiot, the abundance of the noise and the fury, not meaning something. Probably didn’t mangle it enough either, but oh well. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/17 "2003-08-23T08:13:36Z")
**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: > [@](#): > > It is one by truth identified public, it that that toward the inside a special man must be in possession of a luck it, desires of a woman. And for those of you more into movies than books: > [@](#): > > Sincerely I do not give my expensive, with swore. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/18 "2003-08-23T10:17:02Z")
**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: > [@](#): > > The single Made waves like the cloud which saw in engagements and high hills óer, like once of me, to push itself, the owner of has, Goldnarcissuses swims; Close to that sea under the trees, agitating and to dance in the Breeze. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/19 "2003-08-23T10:38:51Z")
**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: > [@](#): > > I write my relation like, if it says a history, because he was informed young there in my world to the house, that is the truth to the cost for the fantasy. The healthiest fact cannot follow or govern in the model, to say it: like this singular organic jewel of our seas, it has, that the more brilliant, whereas one lady who transported and, he develops, others, of which dulls transports and goes more to épousseter. The facts are more completely, logically, approximately and the truth, that is the grains. But both are sensible. ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979/20 "2003-08-23T11:12:27Z")
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.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babelfish-literature-game/196979.md?page=2)