This is like a game of the automaton of telephones.
November 10, 2014 11:01 PM   Subscribe

Original text:
"Bad Translator" takes any English text input, pings it back and forth on a translation engine through a few other languages, and outputs the result, again in English, but... different. It's like a robot game of "Telephone."
...5 translations later, SDL gives us:
To bad door of translator of the sounds the given English of the text, that of a long time an in extend in a motor of translation through someone the other languages and the result go, again in the English, but outside of of... contraryly. This is like a game of the automaton of telephones.

People post their favorite discoveries on the Bad Translator Facebook page.

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

People love the invention of a bad translation Facebook page.

or

People,people,people,my favorite find bad interpreter Facebook page.

or

People, you want to find bad translations Facebook on the site...
posted by not_on_display (137 comments total) 33 users marked this as a favorite
 
One day computer software will completely replace professional human translators.
becomes
In general, changes in operation.

With any luck, my job is safer than CGP Grey thinks.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:08 PM on November 10, 2014 [7 favorites]


I feel like the game here is to find a sentence that manages to survive being mangled. Like a Google whack back in the day.
posted by Carillon at 11:08 PM on November 10, 2014 [4 favorites]


More points the longer the sentence of course.
posted by Carillon at 11:09 PM on November 10, 2014


Original text:

"My hovercraft is full of eels"

...10 [randomized, not alphabetical!] translations later, Yandex gives us:

"My hovercraft is full of eels"

\o/
posted by Earthtopus at 11:14 PM on November 10, 2014 [51 favorites]


Welcome to the future of human language. Machine-translated speech interaction between people with no common language.
posted by Ironmouth at 11:17 PM on November 10, 2014


"A plate of beans" comes back as "A bowl of beans".

That's kind of underwhelming. I mean, "a plate" and "a bowl" are kind of the same thing. But then you run "A bowl of beans" a second time and it comes back "Jar of beans." So you run "Jar of beans" again and it says "Can of beans."

The theme of containing beans is by now well-established, but you persevere. Inputting "Can of beans" you get "There may be peas."

This is where it gets interesting, because you didn't expect peas.

So you try it again. "There may be peas." leads to "This may be the peas."

Nobody can argue with that. Indeed, if we are all honest about life, "This may be the peas."

But we run it again. "This may be the peas." leads to "This may be the peas."

And we're done.

There's very little more any of us could say about human existence that would explain more that that.

"This may be the peas."

posted by twoleftfeet at 11:19 PM on November 10, 2014 [58 favorites]


Previously in fixed points for machine translation: Translation Party.
posted by bbuda at 11:22 PM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


... the translator literally translates (word for word) the text which often results in grammatically incorrect, if not completely incoherent, text.

Unlike the human, who gets it wrong even before any computer has been involved.
posted by effbot at 11:22 PM on November 10, 2014


Original text:

"Smoke weed every day."

...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Medicines, perfume, every day."


????
posted by Gymnopedist at 11:26 PM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


Per my previous post, I have to caution you that searching for "Can of beans" is not the same thing as searching for ""Can of beans.

OK. Again.

Search for "Can of beans

One quotation mark on the left.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:32 PM on November 10, 2014


Amusing.

"I have no idea how these people got their cats wedged in their scanners or why"

became, after many iterations:

"people are suffering"
posted by Miss Otis' Egrets at 11:38 PM on November 10, 2014 [41 favorites]


Metafilter: The automaton of telephones
posted by dirigibleman at 11:40 PM on November 10, 2014 [3 favorites]


"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

After enough runs through, when it stopped changing, I got this:

"Four to seven years old, his father on the African continent a new nation, special provisions, religious life Committee."
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:50 PM on November 10, 2014 [3 favorites]


his father on the African continent a new nation, special provisions

Dammit, when will people leave Obama alone?
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:52 PM on November 10, 2014 [8 favorites]


"I met a stranger in our old house. Who said : - two large trunkless.
I'm in the desert. . . . With sand.
Half the destroyer of lies, frowning. And dry mouth, cold smile these I said the sculptor, she's a good age to read
Alive, dead, dead things.
Hands, oddly enough, it was the Federal reserve system;
According to this word.
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings
Take a look at my work, they are stronger, and in despair.
No left turn decay.
This is a great destruction, infinite space
Only the level and the desert, which stretches far away."
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:56 PM on November 10, 2014 [21 favorites]


"it's really about ethics in gaming journalism" -> " In fact, moral, summer"

"hands up, don't shoot" - > "Do not remove"
"we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards"
"enhanced interrogation" - > "Promotion of research"

"overthink a plate of beans" - > "More rice and beans"

(all selections 10 translations, yandex, not random)
posted by el io at 12:01 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


And of course:

I eat
a lot
of peaches...

can forgive me
that they are
really good.

So cute,
and very
posted by Mister Moofoo at 12:01 AM on November 11, 2014 [28 favorites]


"Girls harp It, seeing as what I saw : It's Abyssinian maid. And he plays finger cymbals Sing, alas Abora. I live in my His symphonies and songs. Such as deep admiration, this is a win-win for me Without music, the height and length. I want to build a dome of air. In fact, a rooftop terrace, this ice cave! And all the people who have sense, they see And all cry, watch out! Be careful! His blue eyes, his floating hair! Twisted chain about three times. And closed his eyes, Santa scary. His honey rose, Hello? And drink the milk of Paradise."

So sayeth Coleridge, sort of.
posted by OolooKitty at 12:02 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


I got an interesting result with John 3:16

It basically just makes it sound a bit older. It must be so well preserved because it is a phrase that is so often translated it has well established equivalents.

Original text:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
posted by man down under at 12:11 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]


Original text:

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

...5 translations later, SDL gives us:

"An idiot will be of itself wise, but man of the way knows to be himself idiotic. "
posted by not_on_display at 12:14 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


Original text:

"I am the eggman, they are the eggmen I am the walrus, goo goo goo joob"

...6 translations later, SDL gives us:

"They are the eggman, are the eggmen, that is in the fist, the sensitive behavior of the sensitive behavior of the sensitive behavior the joob"
posted by not_on_display at 12:29 AM on November 11, 2014 [7 favorites]


"I saw my best opinion of the representatives of crazy. The government of subjects of hysterical naked, Through the dark streets at dawn, when you see Hollywood, of course, angelheaded hipsters worse for the old heaven. Contact"
posted by trip and a half at 12:30 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


Original text:

"This is the best life I have ever known."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Here's a better life, they don't know."
Thank you, I guess?
posted by smidgen at 12:32 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Original text:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity"
...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"These are the best times, not at the right time is the age of wisdom, it is complete nonsense-century-it was the epoch of belief, it is a period of doubt,"
posted by viramamunivar at 12:46 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Original text:

"Is thIs something I'd need a television to understand?"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"This is what you need in a TV to understand. "
posted by Room 641-A at 12:58 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]


Welcome to the future of human language. Machine-translated speech interaction between people with no common language.

Welcome to the present of the internet. Reinventing games that we were playing ten years ago with Babelfish.
posted by JHarris at 1:13 AM on November 11, 2014 [13 favorites]


Original text:

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Cold in the air for four months, day, hour three"

Weirdly, that actually works as an even more evocative opening line...
posted by billiebee at 1:23 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


"Is or is not a problem : it is the great spirit to suffer the slings and arrows screaming, fate, or to take arms issues, as numerous as the sea, and, ultimately, at the end of last year."
posted by Athanassiel at 1:45 AM on November 11, 2014


"Despite the evidence of reality. Currently, we
have not yet entered into force, but in the Old
Moved earth and air, and to us; The nature of the
hero's heart. The weakening of the woods, but
strong To strive, to seek, to find and not to give."
posted by antiwiggle at 1:51 AM on November 11, 2014


"Can you feel the love tonight?" translates perfectly!
posted by TrinsicWS at 1:57 AM on November 11, 2014


I'll never have to write proper song lyrics ever again!
posted by ZipRibbons at 2:04 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


"These are the best times, not at the right time is the age of wisdom, it is complete nonsense-century was the epoch of belief, it is a period of uncertainty in the world...in the world of darkness, the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, in the United States."

No more, I have work to do.
posted by antiwiggle at 2:06 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Well, the first attempt throwing Mountain Goats lyrics in there ended up with something pretty normal ("My friends say it's always darkest before the dawn, we are absolutely sure that this is not correct."), but I threw in all the possible options and got "This skura, the light of the sun is very strange. "

There used to be a site that did exactly this, plugged into Babelfish, but it was called Lost in Translation and it became pretty hard to find after the movie with that title came out; it'd get lost in the search results. I think eventually Altavista broke whatever they were using to do the translation.
posted by NoraReed at 2:06 AM on November 11, 2014


Also, I'm sure this already exists somewhere (sporcle, probably), but figuring out what the autotranslated first sentences of novels are would make a great interwebs quiz game or pub trivia round.
posted by NoraReed at 2:08 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Elsewhere on Mefi I griped that the chorus to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" is too repetitive, so I ran it through SDL. Five translations later we have:

"'Around the skirt of players the game, the game, the game, the game, the game and the hatefulness filled the hatefulness of skirt, the hatefulness, the hatefulness, the hatefulness, the infant of hatefulness cause me, I am alone the shake of the leave, the shake, the shake, the shake, I shake the distant shake, shakes I distant"

Better. Much, much better.

I shake the distant shake.
posted by Perko at 2:22 AM on November 11, 2014 [11 favorites]


This is often what happens when I'm asked to "translate" something here where I live by friends who work for the City or for companies and organizations. I should never be asked to translate directly from Japanese cause my Japanese pathetic, but often times the English I'm given to look at comes from someone who just through whatever it was into Google Translate and took the output, sight unseen. And so I end up trying to parse the output or asking for the Japanese so that I can look up words and grammar to get a better idea of what was trying to be said. Though, I have gotten pretty good at the Google English to English translation skill. Maybe I should put that on my resume.
posted by snwod at 2:24 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


"The sky in front of the airport, color TV, listening to a dead channel. "
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:26 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Welcome to the future of human language. Machine-translated speech interaction between people with no common language.

No, I think the future of human language is machine-translated speech interaction back and forth across the Internet, by bots to each other, leaving the humans out entirely.
posted by lollusc at 2:36 AM on November 11, 2014


Glad someone finally streamlined this. My gf and I would sometimes chat with nothing but English->French->English via Babelfish back in 1998. Wish I'd saved the logs.
posted by honestcoyote at 2:53 AM on November 11, 2014


I ran New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi through it to see if the translation could be any more problematic than the original one. And indeed it can.

The new treaty now refers to the "Asian, non-designated employees" and grants them "whatever you want in the form established by the civil authorities"

It also confidently states: "The Alliance leaders of the tribes of New Zealand and their boss, they are Union members".

It has a rather surprising reference to " Switzerland or the media"

It guarantees the queen , "the exclusive right to this priority, breakage of the country"

Then there's an unintelligible clause about "the spending reductions that can be achieved" which I'm pretty sure wasn't in the original treaty but was no doubt fully in the spirit of it. As is the case for the bit in the new translation where it offers the Maori Chiefs to " protect you all the rights and privileges of the curriculum in English. "

And then it ends up with a bit about "We are now in the game, leaders in New Zealand ".
posted by lollusc at 3:01 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


To be or not this is a problem. It is better to say that pain. Fate and technology in accordance with the laws of wealth. Or to take arms against a sea of disease Finally, he stressed that in her sleep. Not to sleep, he said.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:28 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, I want to know what you have. The world is at a very high level. Like diamonds in the sky. Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, I want to know what you have.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:30 AM on November 11, 2014 [8 favorites]


"Then, you and I,
In the evening, apply on a space background.
Like a patient etherized;
Let's look at some of the half-empty streets.
He then, muttering to himself:
Night without sleep, night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants, oyster shell.
Streets boring fight.
Anger
As...
Ah, you ask, what is it?
Come and visit us."

—T. S. Eliot, "I love the Golden ball of J. Alfred prufrock"
posted by narain at 3:37 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Little miss muffet. Sit tuffet, Eat cheese, milk, whey; A spider. Sitting next to? I'm afraid of miss muffet."
posted by CarolynG at 3:57 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


I need some tool to spoon feed my manuscript to this, 250 words at a time.
posted by newdaddy at 4:10 AM on November 11, 2014


Original text:
REM lyrics: "Baby instant soup doesn't really grab me today I need something more more more sub sub substantial a can of beans or black eyed peas some nescafe and ice"

...43 translations later:

"Sex now, Bob, I want something more beans black eye, it affects me so much today is to create a soup, children,fines, penalties and/or water."
posted by Queen of Robots at 4:30 AM on November 11, 2014


Every time it hits a Polish translation it seems to generate a random "English" word with lots of z's and j's, which then remains constant throughout the remaining translations. The same basic thing happens with Turkish and Ukrainian. This is annoying, but it did lead to:

Original text:

"The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handle."

...9 translations later, TransPerfect gives us:

"Funzion iindeki grkem raze tartmaclar zajmoway transfuse. "
posted by Curious Artificer at 4:31 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Super Karate Monkey Death Car
posted by humanfont at 4:36 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"At midnight horror I thought, weakness, fatigue. It is strange and unusual, the number of neglected ear, nose and throat When I went to bed, almost asleep, suddenly back. Knock gently on my door."

"The Raven" x 10
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 4:59 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm kind of disappointed that the cycle is always English -> -> English, when possible, I'd like to see it go English -> -> .
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:04 AM on November 11, 2014


Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
Many a cook(chef), chef(cook)
posted by Room 641-A at 5:05 AM on November 11, 2014


"This brillig, and the slithy treasures
'circulation and gimble in Webb;
All Sergei borogoves,
I raths outgrabe.

Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The Jaws that bite, claw, grab it!
To avoid Jubjub bird and a quiet square
In the frumious bandersnatch!"


Not bad, not bad.
posted by Leon at 5:09 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


Not the same,
and

even more. In
Red

car. Giants Candy
rain

Water In addition,
white Chicken
posted by Cash4Lead at 5:11 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


So cute,
and very


I didn't realize dogespeak was one of the available languages.
posted by grog at 5:25 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


My milkshake brings all the boys in the yard, as that is better than they deserve to die,no. This article is the best that I could learn from you, but I am free.
posted by Flunkie at 5:57 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]


Original text:
Well then who's on first? Yes. I mean the fellow's name. Who. The guy on first. Who. The first baseman. Who. The guy playing... Who is on first! I'm asking YOU who's on first. That's the man's name. That's who's name? Yes.
...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
So, from the beginning? What I think that there is no God. . People often. . The first rule. . You... Everything is in one place!!! M Enthusiasm.
I can dig it.
posted by argonauta at 6:31 AM on November 11, 2014 [5 favorites]


"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a tank, polacci cigarettes, it's dark and we're in a dark world."
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:52 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]


I'm sitting in the office, in the environment of centers and institutes. My opinion, of course, similarly, my dogs, chairs. It was a good room, University Department of wood for the walls Remington brand-hang on the box/sound insulation through the reception area, which uncle Charles deLint, for the last time.
posted by GenericUser at 7:02 AM on November 11, 2014


In anticipation of the upcoming holiday:

Original text:

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Jesus as God is my witness,in Turkey,I think I can fly."

hmm, maybe I should have my next vacation in Izmir
posted by penguinicity at 7:05 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


I find I'm most enjoying the cases where it makes sense of nonsense.

E.g., a friend took output from the Corporate Bullshit Generator and ran it through this.

He put in: "holistically synthesize future-proof metrics"

He got out: "Focuses exclusively on the future of the field"
posted by lodurr at 7:11 AM on November 11, 2014 [9 favorites]


The text I entered came out with amazing fidelity. To me that is the greater surprise .
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 7:14 AM on November 11, 2014


One day computer software will completely replace professional human translators.
becomes
In general, changes in operation.


Has anybody ever tried doing this with human translators? That is, sending a paragraph of text through a string of ten translations? I can imagine the result would be pretty good and near to the original, but the small differences would be fascinating.
posted by Thing at 7:20 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


trying to see if this sense out of nonsense thing works for other kinds of nonsense. Here's a test of copy from the Deepak Chopra Quote Generator:

Original text:

"Your heart reflects unbridled force fields"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"The heart reflects the same area"

Now for the New Age Bullshit Generator:

Original text:

"As you self-actualize, you will enter into infinite transformation that transcends understanding."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"You understand that you must enter into an eternal relationship. "

Hmmm...
posted by lodurr at 7:21 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


On the third try ("Random" On):
Original text:

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
posted by achrise at 7:23 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Back a few bubbles ago, my coworkers and I would do this sort of thing to our corp marketing catchphrases and mottos, usually after an all hands meeting where we would learn about our glorious New Direction.
posted by clvrmnky at 7:24 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Poetry is perhaps a poor choice - so much depends on the various meanings and subtlety of words and images. But:


Original text:

" Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. "

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

" Some people say that the world is fire. Some say ice. According to him, this desire Support those who support the fire. But when he died,again. I think I know enough to despise Said destruction... -What And it will be enough. "


And:

" There once was a man from Nantucket Who kept all his cash in a bucket. But his daughter, named Nan, Ran away with a man And as for the bucket, Nantucket. "

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

" Someone, Kentucky Who has money on Deposit. But his daughter's name is grandma. He escaped the man. And the bucket, Nantucket. "
posted by nubs at 7:27 AM on November 11, 2014


Sorry, I can't stop.

"I heard that old things : the man went to the doctor, they said I was depressed. They say that life is complicated and stressful. He said that the feeling that I am alone in the sinister world, all vague and uncertain. The doctor said that the treatment is simple. Big clown hoqqabazlar tonight in new York, to prove that you are right, people began to cry. In other words, but the doctor...hoqqabazlargedirdi. Funny that it šala. retreat to a little cinema. The curtain."

I like how it inverts the set-up. And then the patient loses his mind and descends into gibberish.
posted by narain at 7:31 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]



Also, I'm sure this already exists somewhere (sporcle, probably), but figuring out what the autotranslated first sentences of novels are would make a great interwebs quiz game or pub trivia round.


See: Phillip K Dick, "Galactic Pot Healer," 1969.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:32 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Remember kids, untranslatable words go untranslated. Examples: etherized, borogroves.
posted by wotsac at 7:32 AM on November 11, 2014


"Let's not forget that children are untranslatable, dirty, as etherized, borogroves."
posted by nubs at 7:35 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,
Only the sense of day-to-day
The last part of the time?
All yesterday dismissed silly
The path from the dust of death.
Out, out, brief candle!
The life is but a walking shadow, a poor player
The pressure and the frets his hour upon the stage
And then I heard nothing more.
This is the story of Said, this idiot, full of sound and fury
Doesn't mean anything
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:39 AM on November 11, 2014


"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove."

...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"The law didn't realize it because I don't want to change, and I don't know how to bend or delete"
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:43 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


"Head up, like a black hole, because it's his soul. I would prefer to die than to kneel, you get what you deserve."
- Head Like A Hole, NINE INCH NAILS

"Vaughan died yesterday at the end of your vehicle."
- Crash, JG BALLARD

"Location of the mouth of the bread, three minutes to chew, I took the powers of sensual perception and retired to private life, the mind, the eyes and the face of freedom want to hear."

- At Swim-Two-Birds, FLANN O'BRIEN

"Of eärendil the Mariner What will remain Arvernien; He made a boat out of wood not cut This Nimbrethil to journey. He's swimming, he wove of silver fair Silver hands His nose is as good as Swan, And in the light of his flag."
- Song of Eärendil, JRR TOLKIEN
posted by comealongpole at 7:43 AM on November 11, 2014


Carl Spackler: Hey, Lama, and all the links that you know, the tension, you know. He said, Ah, Ah, no money, but when I die, your death-bed, the adoption of common consciousness. Well, he helped me, he loved me.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:44 AM on November 11, 2014


This is interesting. The stuff that survives intact, like John 3:16 and "my hovercraft is full of eels" were translated by humans between all the language pairs involved in the chain, and have been stored in a translation corpus, so the machine-translator simply recognizes that a complete phrase or sentence has already been done and re-uses that. The other, more nonsensical stuff, is being translated algorithmically, or by using parts of similar previously translated sentence when possible and doing lookups on the parts that don't match.

I may have linked to this before, but I was at a translator's conference some years back where we played this game live, translating a sentence back and forth between English and Japanese. There are some twists and turns in there.
posted by adamrice at 7:45 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]


"I've seen people don't believe... attack ships on fire in the upper part of the arm. I've seen a ray of sun shone through the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All of these things ... lost in time, like tears in the rain. It's time to die"

(Interesting that the end of this remains almost intact after 22 translations; the process did insert a "the" and an "It's.")
posted by nubs at 7:48 AM on November 11, 2014


Tell all the ladies and tell all the mens
Everything's better with a fish-eye lens.

Got interesting results.

Non-random translation:

To explain all of the house, said that all the men. All is well, fish-eye lens.

Random order tries give such results as:

Say, like all ladies, and says that all men It was better than the lens is breathtaking.

Tell all the ladies, and he told them that all people, Better and better with the thickness of the lens in the eye.

To explain all of the women say that they are all men. All will be well, the fish-eye lens.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:49 AM on November 11, 2014


" I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? But sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about the Dude here. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. "


" I have seen a few times...I think that this person, who is a hero, But sometimes, a man like myself, my friends, and sometimes, Yes, Yes, he is a man of space-time. "
posted by nubs at 7:54 AM on November 11, 2014


Again, like the sun,
Access to them?
And the woman, and the entire crew?
This death? There two?
Dead woman?

His red lips buy
Insurance gold, such as :
His white skin like the plague,
Terror of the living dead
Who thicks man in cold blood.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:56 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


This translator is very un-dude:
"It is clear that you Golf. "

"The whole world has gone mad, Or am I the only one here who doesn't care about the rules? Mark it zero! "
However, there is one existential question that transcends language:
Original text:

"Where's the money, Lebowski? "

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Where's the money, Lebowski? "
posted by Room 641-A at 7:59 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


nubs: " I have seen a few times...I think that this person, who is a hero, But sometimes, a man like myself, my friends, and sometimes, Yes, Yes, he is a man of space-time. "

The Time Dude's rug was his TARDIS? Did not see that tweest coming!
posted by comealongpole at 7:59 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


The fact that the Dude is a Time Lord is perhaps the most mind blowing reveal ever. It's, like, way better than playing the White Album backwards, man.
posted by nubs at 8:03 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


Interesting sidenote:
Using Bad Translator on my iPhone somehow defeated the 250-character limit.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2014


I used to take Led Zeppelin lyrics translate them into German and then back into English again. "You need coolin'. Honey, I'm not foolin'. I'm gonna send you back to schoolin'." translates as "You have increased your temperature. I do not deceive, baby. I will transfer you back to training."
posted by jonp72 at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2014 [6 favorites]


"Nihilist! Yes, I mean, damn, I want to say that we are talking about principles of national-socialism, my friend, at least in spirit. "
posted by nubs at 8:05 AM on November 11, 2014


Oh, I missed your first one, nubs!
posted by Room 641-A at 8:07 AM on November 11, 2014


There's always enough Lebowski to go around, Room 641-A.
posted by nubs at 8:13 AM on November 11, 2014


C'mon, no-one's tried this yet?

"I am sitting in a room different from the one you are in now."

>>> Yandex/10/random >>>

"I hear in an in the contrast to the room equipped that it is at, to retain. "
posted by benito.strauss at 8:17 AM on November 11, 2014


Last one, or I'll never get to bed:

He never misses! This! This parrot is no more! I was created! On the left side, went to his Creator! It's not that hard! After the hardships of life, rest in peace! If nailed the bass is an incentive for daisies! His metabolic processes are now history! The Exclusion Of Vogue! She put the bucket down, it is mixed with the mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleeding choir invisible!! This is an ex-parrot!!
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:28 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


"I received a letter from the government
One day, I opened and read.
He said they were suckers
You wanted me for the army or whatever.
The photos don't fuck with me, I said no"

- Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos, PUBLIC ENEMY
posted by comealongpole at 8:30 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


And nobody's done this one either?

Original text:

"Metafilter: this is like a game of the automation of telephones."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Metafilter office for your phone."

3/5 stars: clean interface, but somehow I feel less productive when using it. Also, now I'm spending a fortune on blue printer ink.
posted by penguinicity at 8:30 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


I : today in the morning, in the morning, the son of, the king.
Not day, the Prince, the color of dawn, the trained Falcon, horse riding
The roles of the static air
Because the stages of childhood, wimpling wing
Participation in the climax. Then swing
Who knows, with clean water and smooth bow-bend : the spear of sliding
The answer is a big wind. The heart of freedom.
Pink bird take-off; the power!

Brute beauty and valour and act, air, honor, feathers, here
Fasten your seat belts! The fire, which is you billion dollars
Never say beautiful, it is still dangerous, Chevalier!

This is not surprising : clear screen protector for plug down sillion
Bright blue, black, dark grey, dear.
Autumn ends ... red.
posted by Quasirandom at 8:30 AM on November 11, 2014


"You start on the West side of the White house, standing in front of the door in a little box."

Thanks Obama!
posted by Room 641-A at 8:38 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"In the name of the most holy and individual Trinity: Be it known to all, and every one whom it may concern, or to whom in any manner it may belong, That for many Years past, Discords and Civil Divisions being stir'd up in the Roman Empire"

Gets me:

"St. Trinity, and which may have any contacts, or maybe these people in the last year of struggle and internal, mixed and Rome"

Points to the person who runs the whole thing through!
posted by Carillon at 8:44 AM on November 11, 2014


Holden: You are in the wilderness, walking in the sandbox, when all of a sudden you look down...
Leon: What?
Holden: What?
Leon: What he says.
Holden: Regardless of what the desert, this is a purely hypothetical.
Leon: However, if there was?
Holden: May be enough. You may want to be with you. Who knows? I look down and see a tortoise, Leon. He is with you...
Leon: The Turtle; What is this?
Holden: [irritated by Leon's interruptions] Know what kind of turtle?
Leon: Of course!
Holden: It is the same thing.
Leon: I've never seen...but I understand what you mean.
Holden: Get in touch with you, and you, like a turtle on its back, Leon.
Leon: What happens if you do these things, Mr. Holden? Or don't write 'em down?
Holden: Turtle position, belly, honey, Sunny, warm, down at his feet, and tried to force myself, but I can't. No, nothing will help. But this does not help.
Leon: [angry at the suggestion] What this means, and can not help?
Holden: So that doesn't help! The reason is that a lion?
[Leon has become visibly shaken]
Holden: They are just questions, Leon, in response to Your question, wrote to me. This test is designed to evoke an emotional response...should I continue?
posted by nubs at 9:04 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Oh boy, sleep! That's where I'm a viking!"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Ah, my boy, sleep! Now I'm a pirate!"
posted by Hlewagast at 9:09 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Original text:

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"All happy families resemble one another; every unhappy family is unhappy here."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:15 AM on November 11, 2014


That night, in every home.
It's not a creature, it was exciting, even the mouse.
Water resources management water resources management careful.
I hope that St. Nicholas
The person who is just comfortable beds.
posted by sciencegeek at 9:25 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


with more iterations, the above becomes a bit more on the naughty than the nice side.

Home last night. No mother, but not to me. Contract with the same result. Closed network. Nicholas, I hope so. This guy must be good in bed, bee "
posted by sciencegeek at 9:27 AM on November 11, 2014


"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, rich, comfortable home, and this joy seems to be a combination of one of the best consent to exist, we can say that in the last two decades, many in the world are worried or upset."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:28 AM on November 11, 2014


Original text:

"Nothing really matters, anyone can see, nothing really matters to me."

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"A very important point is that everyone can see what is really important. "
posted by monospace at 9:31 AM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Original text:
"'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"
...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"Famous people want to do the work, if it is true,... "

(It lost "wife" coming back from Armenian into English)

--But I think I have the winner!
Original Text:
"“There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!”"
...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"M soul. m-that's the spirit! To avoid the ice and snow! -Eat my penis!"
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:33 AM on November 11, 2014 [9 favorites]


trying to see if this sense out of nonsense thing works for other kinds of nonsense.

Hunh.
"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. "
bounced around 43 times brings us to:
"Adam, make sure that you have to fight, and from the continent of the Gulf of Mexico and plane Curves,it is in the city centre, Howth commodius vicus address prinjat. "
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:33 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


Quiz: Guess the book. Here are the first lines after ten iterations:
1) Thick Mulligan from the stairhead, and behind the glass of the mirror and the knife on the bed.
2) In Nottingham, the fact that people with disabilities should be grateful.
3) The man's face, who was sitting on the balcony in Cannes diamond watch secret shame, the Executive, the resistance of the opinion indicates that the defender is to speak French.
4) T AK in the summer hot summer day in the electric chair, the Rosenbergs, and I don't know what I'm doing in new York.
5) Snow mountain, and he died a few weeks ago, we came to the seriousness of the situation.
posted by Ned G at 9:38 AM on November 11, 2014


All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
.
.
.
.
.
.
(X 43 translations)
We work, not a game, Jack and stupid and boring work of art is not a struggle.
posted by Kabanos at 9:43 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Now, it starts with an earthquake
Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes, Lenny Bruce is not afraid

The eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself ...
The world, you need to misserve
Tired of the hammer velocity on the road, and there's no power.
On the stairs, he started screaming, fear of height, down, down
The boy came, or seven games.
In control of the car and check out the website
I went to anger, the air in the head."

It lost churn somewhere in there, but honestly, not bad. (22 translations. At 33 and above it just went to hell.)
posted by Hactar at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2014


Wilfred Owen (in honor of the day) seems somehow spot on:

Original text:

"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. "

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Down on the floor of the old bag. X-ray cough demons, we cursed through mucus, and Another impressive rocket. For us, of course, other people start to walk so much. "
posted by jenkinsEar at 10:38 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


There used to be a site that did exactly this, plugged into Babelfish, but it was called Lost in Translation and it became pretty hard to find after the movie with that title came out;

I hate that this happens.
posted by JHarris at 11:08 AM on November 11, 2014


This appears to be the Lost In Translation site, which says it'll be shut down three years ago. Page is still up, but its functionality doesn't seem to work.
posted by JHarris at 11:10 AM on November 11, 2014


"I have a lot of time, I could see in his whole life, he...future prospects. I thought it was where she was. What did you learn more than the horse. - Who are they? It is not that. Hmm. Taking a risk. Serious. The same impulse. Serious. The Jedi do not seek these things. In this role."
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:15 AM on November 11, 2014


The first half of the title page of the BoM goes a bit strange after 43 translations, but it comes through more or less.

"People from this group who may not be saved to the Lamanites, who are a result of the house of Israel and the Jewish or non-Jewish, my mother, but in the spirit of prophecy in written form, and, finally, if you want to hide from God, and thus no special skills,talents, and vision, and a Secretary in the hands take the'idiot, that is the most important, and the Jews, who signed gift from God."
posted by The Zeroth Law at 11:18 AM on November 11, 2014


In the sky, three elves, king of the ring.
The seven dwarfs hall stone craftsmen.
Nine people who died, died,
Dark Lord, dark wood.
The shadow was in Mordor.
Found the ring, one ring to the government
Them all and in the darkness, while the ring that will bring.
Country shadows of Mordor.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 11:26 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Problems, problems, problems, burning bright.
In the woods at night.
Immortal hand or eye balanced fear?
posted by Hairy Lobster at 11:29 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


I like this one a lot:

"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"I saw my best opinion of the representatives of crazy. The government of subjects of hysterical naked, Through the dark streets at dawn, when you see Hollywood, of course,"
posted by charlesminus at 11:37 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


Antelope me, you damn dirty APE
posted by Hairy Lobster at 11:38 AM on November 11, 2014


Original text:
I said a hip, hop, hippie to the hippie, the hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat."
...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:
In hip-hop. Hippie hippie. *Hey,Hey,Hey,Hey,if you stop the rock. In tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree tree and he said : The board of elections in the European Parliament, at a meeting of the governing Board of the Agency of the European Parliament and of the school ."
I love this so much I want to marry it and all of its trees. In the European Parliament.
posted by argonauta at 11:49 AM on November 11, 2014 [4 favorites]


Jack, Be Nimble:
• "You raise, will mobilely, Jacket, are fast be. The monkey, jumps in the candlestick."
• "The journey, the high one extremely and the renewals sent off, the coat, the high one and below quickly distant. Lever, jumps to the of above from of the candlestick."

Humpty Dumpty:
• "Dumpty of Humpty sat down in a wall, Humpty Dumpty had an immense fall. The entire horses the king and the men that all the king did not be able to Humpty to regulate they united again."
• "Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall Humpty Dumpty in the Great Depression. All the King's horses and all the King's men could not humpty together again."

The Itsy Bitsy Spider:
• "A small Turkey, Spider, twister. Then came the rain and washed the network. Flat, sunny, Dry, rain, Turkey, of course, as always, is not. Red. One of the tips, then come back!"
• "The spider of Draft rose of Bitsy the broken off D' sprinkles. The low rain comes and removed washing the spider. Some sun came and of secou the whole rain and the spider of Bitsy of Minute caused the summit again!"

Little Boy Blue:
• "A dark blue small one comes one from the boy blows its horn, the sheep in the prairie of the cow in the corn. But where the boy that cause she grasped it the sheep is? This is under a with an empty stomach one it dreams the hay of molar of period. It will awaken it? I not - for I am done, the I plant absolutely."
• "Little boy Blue come blow your horn, the sheep's in the meadow, the cows and grain. But this man seems to be after the sheep? He and hay, and sleep deeply. You wake up. No, no, no, if, of course, I cried."
• "Little boy blue come blow your Horn, the sheep, the meadow, the cow's in the corn field, but if the child, if the sheep? He was lying in the grass and sleep after.- You can save? No, If you really can't complain."

Jack Sprat:

• "Jack sprat could be, if a woman who eats meat. Two, he's rejected, disk cleanup)."
• "The sprat of lever would not be able to eat a fat one a; His woman that not any a thin part would be able to eat. And therefore between two of them, the plate licked the clean one."

Little Bo Peep:
• "The small glowing person of the physical smell, its sheep and its knowledge, that its true discovery loudspeaker yard of they lost has. They become the flood in peace, and that they will come, the house, that shake rows behind them."
• "Small bones of the dead sheep, I don't know where to find it. Going well, and when you get home, pull him to the bed."

Old Mother Hubbard:
• "The old mother's secret, the poor dog a bone when she got there, but the cabinet is empty, this poor Dog."
• "Hubbard old of the mother was to the obvious one that receives its poor men of the doggie a bone. When it received there the obvious one, was had to naked, therefore that small bad the Number of doggie."

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe:
• "A two buckle my shoe. Three, four, strike the door. Five, you are, are to the canes consecrated. Seven, eight, that places that correctly. In order to produce, ten, a largely dikke that."
• "One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, died. Five, six, pick up a fireplace. Seven, eight, and each and every one of them. Nine, ten, a big fat country."

Rock-a-bye Baby:
• "Rock-a-bye, bye, baby, on the tree party. If the wind blows, in many cases, on the rocks. Over the holiday, and the cradle will fall, this is a lullaby."

Three Blind Mice:
• "Three blind mouse, three blind mice, how it works, how it works : the job, the wife of the gardener, who cut off the tail of my knife, there is something in your life, as three blind mice"
• "Three blind mice three blind mice. How it works and how to implement them, when the women, especially the last time, the rim of the Cup. You have to think of your life as three blind mice?"
• "Three blind mice, three blind mice. To see, how they run, they see like if they run. It is run each after the wife of the peasant, that his tails with a cut of kervingsmes outside. It saw already such thing in its life like a three blind mice?"
posted by not_on_display at 12:24 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


So, I'm walking into self-link territory, but I've been interested in this kind of degradation lately, and thus, I built a couple of bots that take phrases, then pass them through an arbitrary set of language translations, then back to English, then tweets it. One uses the Bible (accompanying Tumblr that "shows the work"), and the other uses text from the old Unix `fortune` program.

Most of the results aren't interesting, but I find one in about every ten funny.
posted by ignignokt at 12:55 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"My balls itch" translates to "My balls itch."

Some things are simple!
posted by Chuffy at 12:58 PM on November 11, 2014


Country shadows of Mordor.

I am envisioning a sequel to Lord of the Rings in which we follow the plight of some simple Orc farmers, trying to reclaim some land and scratch out a living post-Dark Lord, while dealing with incursions/disaster tourists from Gondor.
posted by nubs at 1:38 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

"I have a friend,he has no sense, because we live in Kansas."

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will."

"In this section, kayaks, love, love "
posted by Hairy Lobster at 1:45 PM on November 11, 2014


"If you're on schedule you should be there by now." - the first sentence of my current graphic novel.

...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"If you have a lot of time to today."

Also:
"You cannot be afraid. Fear is a mind killer. Fear is the little death, full of nothingness. I have people in my fear. This will allow you to leave me, and I Time passed, I will be the inner eye to see its path. " - the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear, 10x Yandex.
posted by egypturnash at 1:47 PM on November 11, 2014


"How is babby formed?" => "As children develop? "

"What. The. Fuck. Matt?" => " ... Shit. Marty?"

"Administrator, please hope me!" => "Admin, please, I hope."

"Christ, what an asshole." => "God, this idiot."

"I, for one, welcome our new bad translator overlords." => "Welcome to our new translation of the evil master."
posted by dhartung at 2:35 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


"A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "so why the long face?""

"A horse walks into a bar and the barman says is that old woman? "

"A priest, a rabbi and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender looks up from the bar and says, "What? Is this some kind of joke?""

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, I went to the bar, the bartender in the bar, he said, what is it? Strange. Or not? "
posted by Hairy Lobster at 5:45 PM on November 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Original text:

"We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine And the machine is bleeding to death The sun has fallen down And the billboards are all leering And the flags are all dead at the top of their poles "

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"We in the belly of this horrible machine. The machine is bleeding to death. The sun falls on the earth And the predator. And the flags are all dead at the top of the stairs "

Somehow, The Predator got involved with Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Strangely fitting...
posted by lizarrd at 6:00 PM on November 11, 2014


I saw a cartoon years ago that showed two people sitting at a small table, one leaning in to the other and asking, "You are not liking me as the translator of the books of you?"
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:07 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Original text:

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"Eye to eye, but now, in the world of the blind."
posted by not_on_display at 6:24 PM on November 11, 2014


Moby Dick:

"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee."

..43 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"My advice to you, you must destroy all of it, but it's not my heart, the selected column unconquering, until my last breath in this world, I can't, I can't do it. "
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:31 PM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


A little Groucho Marx....

Original text:
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know."

...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"One morning, when I went to kill an elephant in my pajamas. This was in my pajamas,I'll never know."

------

Original text:
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"In addition, the dog is too dark to read the book a dog is man's best friend."

------

Original text:
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."

...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"I never forget a face, but in your case, I would be the exception."

------

Original text:
"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

...43 translations later, Yandex gives us:
"The european parliament, the members of the Union who does not want to be."
posted by not_on_display at 6:35 PM on November 11, 2014


And sometimes "Random Language Order" x10 spits up some interesting variations on the Moby Dick passage; and I like that because it's a different order each time the results are utterly impermanent:

"On you, on me, it destroys everything, but unconquering column; and, finally, I'm going to do it and in my heart, I hit you, I hate you because I spit my last breath."

"You, I put you all-destroying but unconquering column of the last communication with you, and I will cut you; for the hatred, but because spit my last breath with you."

"I get it,you ruined everything, but unconquering column; and, finally, I told you to die,in my heart, to let you know that I hate this job, I spit my last breath for you."

"You and I, and all of them were destroyed, but unconquering whale; to the last address, the Hell, is the heart, I try to you; I hate, I love, I love, I spit out his last breath in this world."

(I love that last one; it's fractured but strangely true.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:42 PM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]


"You want to fuck with me? Everything will be okay. You want to play dirty? Everything will be okay. Hello, my little friend!"
posted by yonega at 7:57 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]


AFI's top 10 movie quotes of all time:

1) " Frankly, my dear, I don't want. "
2) "I will be his failure. "
3) "I don't understand! This class, which can be a good solution. I'm not a stranger like me. "
4) "Toto, I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore."
5) "Are you in search of girls. "
6) "Go ahead, make my day. "
7) "OK, Frank, sir, I'm ready for my closeup. "
8) "May the force be with you. "
9) "Fasten your pojaseve. it would be a tough night."
10) "Are you talking to me? "
posted by Room 641-A at 9:49 AM on November 12, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Today you are you! It's so nice! There is no surviving that."

Dr. Seuss, "Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!"
posted by telophase at 10:49 AM on November 12, 2014 [3 favorites]


The text I entered came out with amazing fidelity. To me that is the greater surprise .

A message will be displayed it is not surprising that it is hard to believe.
posted by klausness at 2:35 AM on November 14, 2014


The third time, and, in the house or not. Years against our company, which combined his Kingdom to Rome, and f kulħadd, or just between Germany and neighbouring countries, English,French, Spanish, especially the two Quiet, strong, Princess, king Fernando of God, the second coming,final report, was elected Emperor of the Romans, king of Germany, Hungary,Croatia, Dalmatia,Croatia, merging off t south, king, Prince, Austria, The Duke of Burgundy,brabantnetherlands city syrlandsouthamerica city sardinaafrica city self-control,Marquiss world, Duke of Luxemburgh, high, low,lower Silesia,review of Wirtemburg, Duke of Saxony,growth and food tripoliaustria city Kyburg,Goritia,Marquiss of the Roman Empire gods, This is the middle and the bottom bar, awning,merging off t south the idea of the sea ... ... and her allies, on the other hand, supporters of Burgovia; Quiet, strong, Prince Louis, Christian king of France and harareafrica, Country, city, joints and adjacent XILL.
...
posted by klausness at 3:01 AM on November 14, 2014


I heard y'all like knock-knock jokes! Here's some for ya!
...22 translations later, Yandex gives us:
Click on the button.
C'.
Kayak,
Canoe.
Kayak kayak;
Navigation, help me, what should I do?

Shot taken a fatal blow.
C'.
To celebrate his birthday.
's birthday; Happy birthday!

Click on the button.
C'.
The orange.
Orange;
Orange, if you want it, can I tell you?
...so it turns out that Yandex turns knock-knock jokes into e e cummings poems.




Original text:

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Canoe.
Canoe who?
Canoe help me with my homework?

Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Merry.
Merry who?
Merry Christmas!

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you going to let me in?

posted by not_on_display at 11:49 PM on November 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


What the hell is it with all the small watercraft?
posted by lodurr at 10:03 AM on November 15, 2014


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