# Fun with Babelfish!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [June 11, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830 "2010-06-11T19:27:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/1 "2010-06-11T19:27:48Z")
The rules:
Go to the [Babelfish](http://babelfish.yahoo.com/) online translator.
1. Enter the phrase given by the previous poster and translate it from English to any language of your choice.
2. Copy and paste the results back into the translator and convert it to a third language.
3. Finally, translate that back to English and post the final result here. It’s usually incoherent and often hilarious.
Then come up with something for the next poster to translate (150 character limit).
Example:
**The Straight Dope: Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It’s taking longer than we thought.)**
English \> Italian \> French \> English =
**Right stimulant: Ignorance of combat of 1973. (It’ ; S qu’ it takes at greater length we thought.)**
(Note: Google’s translator works way too well to make this game amusing. Be sure to use Babelfish.)
Next phrase:
**The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.**
---
### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/2 "2010-06-11T19:36:22Z")
> [@Wheelz](#):
>
> Next phrase:
> **The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.**
English =\> German =\> French =\> English
[QUOTE=Bablefish]
The fast brown fox jumped on the putrefied dog.
[/QUOTE]
Next Quote:
I want either less corruption, or more opportunity to participate in it.
---
### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/3 "2010-06-11T19:54:23Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> I want either less corruption, or more opportunity to participate in it.
English \> Greek \> French \> English
> [@Babelfish](#):
>
> Want either less subornation, or more d’ occasion to take part in.
Subornation? Okay, then…
Next:
\*\*Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
\*\*
---
### Author:  [@Registered\_at\_Last](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Registered_at_Last)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/4 "2010-06-11T19:54:27Z")
[QUOTE=Wheelz]
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
[/QUOTE]
English -\> Greek -\> French -\> English
[QUOTE=BabelFish]
Of all the unions jean at all the cities with everyone, enters to l’ interior the mine.
[/QUOTE]
Next Quote:
To err is human, to forgive divine, to really screw things up requires a computer.
(with apologies to Alexander Pope)
---
### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/5 "2010-06-11T20:07:28Z")
> [@Registered\_at\_Last](#):
>
> To err is human, to forgive divine, to really screw things up requires a computer.
English \> German \> French \> English
> [@Babelfish](#):
>
> Divine requires l’ error is human to forgive to really screw a computer with things in top.
\*\*There’s nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.
\*\*
---
### Author:  [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/6 "2010-06-11T20:14:51Z")
> [@Wheelz](#):
>
> English \> German \> French \> English
>
> \*\*There’s nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.
> \*\*
English -\> Portuguese -\> French -\> English
[QUOTE=babelfish]
There’ ; S swims for me here now. I want to learn the manners of the force and to change Jedi like my father
[/quote]
**For every problem the good lord made, he also made a solution. But Bill Gates is another matter.**
---
### Author:  [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/7 "2010-06-12T01:53:27Z")
> [@Engywook](#):
>
> For every problem the good lord made, he also made a solution. But Bill Gates is another matter.
English \> French \> Dutch \> English:
[QUOTE=Babelfish]
For each problem the good done lord, he has also done a solution. But Bill spoil another matter is.
[/QUOTE]
**Estragon:** Nothing to be done.
**Vladimir:** I’m beginning to come round to that opinion.
---
### Author:  [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/8 "2010-06-12T02:04:23Z")
Just wanted to slide in between the fun: We did something like this a few years ago at work. Someone round-trip translated the phrase “laughing my ass off” and got back “laughing off of my donkey” To this day we use the acronym LOMD.
Sorry for the interruption. Carry on…
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/9 "2010-06-12T02:17:58Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#):
>
> **Estragon:** Nothing to be done.
> **Vladimir:** I’m beginning to come round to that opinion.
English –\> Afrikaans –\> Estonian –\> English
> [@babblefish](#):
>
> Nothing to do. I started to come to the opinion.
World moves on a woman’s hips; world moves, it shivers and bops.
---
### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/10 "2010-06-12T13:50:09Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> World moves on a woman’s hips; world moves, it shivers and bops.
English-\>Greek-\>French-\>English
[QUOTE=Babelfish]
World movements with woman’ ? ischions S the world movements, this tremble also bops.
[/quote]
[TS Eliot]
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
---
### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/11 "2010-06-12T14:12:10Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> And I will show you something different from either
> Your shadow at morning striding behind you
> Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
> I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
Portugese -\> French -\> English
> [@](#):
>
> And I will show him with something different d’ one or other its shade in the morning that striding behind you Or his shade in the night which is raised to find it; I will show him the fear in a handle of dust.
“There once was a fellow named Dave,
Who kept a dead whore in a cave.”
Regards,
Shodan
---
### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/12 "2010-06-14T13:23:37Z")
As the last poster I reserve the right to change my entry so as to jump-start the thread, so I’m switching from Eliot to Python:
Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries!
---
### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/13 "2010-06-14T14:43:07Z")
Okay, I’ll take 'em both.
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> “There once was a fellow named Dave,
> Who kept a dead whore in a cave.”
English \> French \> Dutch \> English
> [@](#):
>
> There was in former days a comrade Dave called, who has maintained a prostitute which has died in a cave.
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries!
English \> Portugese \> French \> English
> [@](#):
>
> His/her mother was a hamster, and his/her father felt elderberries!
Next:
**I did not have sexual relations with that woman.**
---
### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/14 "2010-06-14T14:50:16Z")
**I did not have sexual relations with that woman.**
English =\> Chinese-Simp =\> Chinese-Trad =\> English
“I not with that woman’s sexual relationship.”
Next: **Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.**
---
### Author:  [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/15 "2010-06-14T23:39:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth
English -\> Portuguese -\> French -\> English
> [@Babelfish](#):
>
> Aujourd’ today I am considered with l’ happier man in the face of the ground.
Why Babelfish does not translate all of “Aujourd’hui” as “today” I cannot completely fathom. But the fact that it literally means “On the day of today” is part of it.
Next: Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done.
(Andy Rooney)
---
### Author:  [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/16 "2010-06-15T22:55:10Z")
> [@glowacks](#):
>
> Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done.
> (Andy Rooney)
English -\> Dutch -\> French -\> English
> [@](#):
>
> It makes the computers to make things much, but the majority of the things easily them him it easier realization for don’ ; to make; T made need.
“them him it” just about covers it. “Andy Rooney” translated to… “Andy Rooney”.
Next: **I like big butts and I cannot lie. You other brothers can’t deny.**
---
### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/17 "2010-06-15T23:13:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I like big butts and I cannot lie. You other brothers can’t deny
Spanish –\> French –\> English
J’ have taste of the great ends and donot can lie. You that d’ other brothers cannot deny
Sticking with hip hop,
“Cooling on a corner on a hot summer day, just me and my posse and MCA. A lot of beer, a lot of girls, and a lot of cursing, .22 automatic on my person.”
---
### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/18 "2010-06-16T00:06:49Z")
Spanish–\>French–\>English
“While being refreshed in a corner in one d’ day; hot summer, hardly j’ and my band and MCA. Many beer, much girls, and much to maldecir, .22 automatic in my person.”
I am Cornholio!
I seek TP for my Bunghole.
You cannot escape the Almighty Bunghole!
---
### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-babelfish/542830/19 "2010-06-16T16:00:29Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> I am Cornholio!
> I seek TP for my Bunghole.
> You cannot escape the Almighty Bunghole!
English \> German \> French \> English
I am of Cornholio! I seek TP for my hole of pulling. They cannot go ahead of with the hole of pulling allmächtigen!
**The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! We don’t need no water, let the mother fucker burn!**