You only do it once?

[Dantius]

I think Google translate uses some kind of weird search algorithm that matches Latin phrases found on the web to their purported English translations (which hardly seems like a good thing, considering all the fake Latin out there). I wonder if the gibberish in question doesn't appear elsewhere on the 'Net with that particular "translation"?

Based on this one would think that actual Roman texts would translate correctly, as it would find an English translation of it, but no, Latin texts come out just as incoherently.

(here is the first sentence of Livy according to Google Translate)
INPUT: Iam primum omnium satis constat Troia capta in ceteros saevitum esse Troianos, duobus, Aeneae Antenorique, et vetusti iure hospitii et quia pacis reddendaeque Helenae semper auctores fuerant, omne ius belli Achivos abstinuisse; casibus deinde variis Antenorem cum multitudine Enetum, qui seditione ex Paphlagonia pulsi et sedes et ducem rege Pylaemene ad Troiam amisso quaerebant, venisse in intimum maris Hadriatici sinum, Euganeisque qui inter mare Alpesque incolebant pulsis Enetos Troianosque eas tenuisse terras.

OUTPUT: To begin with, it is generally of Troy, whilst the rest of the Trojans were massacred, against two of Aeneas and Antenor, and the ancient ties of hospitality, and that he had always been in making peace and surrendering Helen, Achaeans to keep away from the rights of war; with the multitude of cases in the different Enetians Antenor, who had been driven from Paphlagonia by the king, and his throne, and leader of the loss of theirs at Troy were looking for, is come in the depths of the sea the Adriatic, and Trojans defeated the Euganei, who have held the between the sea and the Alps of Enetians and the inhabitants of the earth.

You'd think that they would be able to find a translation online of this — it's not like it's an obscure text!

 

[Pacifica]

Sometimes it's able to match a bit of original Latin with an "official" English translation or vice versa, but not always.

So I think it only has some translations in its database, but doesn't search the web each time.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

If you google, say, ' Iam primum omnium satis constat Troia capta in ceteros saevitum esse Troianos', you'll find a number of sites that have that text, but not a translation alongside it. Well, there's the Loeb, but I can't see it, because it gives you only one free go before you have to clear cookies; I don't know if Google Translate can easily get round this. So it's not going to find a translation.

 

[Araneus]

... and the inhabitants of the earth.

I love it.

 

[Araneus]

Now I tried putting a bit of Tacitus' Annales I into Google Translate, just for a bit of late night fun, and the result is quite amusing:

INPUT: Urbem Romam a principio reges habuere; libertatem et consulatum L. Brutus instituit. dictaturae ad tempus sumebantur; neque decemviralis potestas ultra biennium, neque tribunorum militum consulare ius diu valuit. non Cinnae, non Sullae longa dominatio; et Pompei Crassique potentia cito in Caesarem, Lepidi atque Antonii arma in Augustum cessere, qui cuncta discordiis civilibus fessa nomine principis sub imperium accepit.

OUTPUT: The city of Rome from the very beginning was ruled by kings; the liberty and the consulship were established by Lucius Brutus. dictatorship at the time they were used; the power of the decemvirs did not last beyond two years, nor the consular jurisdiction of the military tribunes of long duration. The despotisms of Cinna and Sulla were brief; the rule of Pompeius and of Crassus soon yielded before Caesar; the arms of Lepidus and Antonius before Augustus; who, when under the dominion of the prince was wearied by civil strife, he received the.

No way the first phrase is just "translated" by the software like that, like a principio - "from the very beginning", reges habuere - "ruled by kings". That's even an active construction made passive. It has clearly "borrowed" that part from somewhere on the net. A bit weird translation still, as you would rather expect to find "from the very beginning" either at the beginning or the end of the phrase.

But for some reason it only managed to find a wee bit of this online (where the heck did it manage to find only a few phrases of this, and not the whole thing?), and had a brave go at the rest using its own Pinguis Minerva. "dictatorship at the time they were used...", "who, when under the dominion of the prince was wearied by civil strife, he received the."

 

[Dantius]

It's way worse for English to Latin i'd imagine:
INPUT: The farmer loves the girl.
OUTPUT: Puella agricolae amat.



Admittedly Tacitus is very difficult, let's try some slightly easier sentences:

INPUT: Facta quae imperavit. (means: The things he ordered were done)
OUTPUT: There are commanded.

INPUT: Huic successit Tullus Hostilius. (Tullus Hostilius succeeded this one)
OUTPUT: He succeeded.

INPUT: Hic bella reparavit. (He / This one renewed wars.)
OUTPUT: This beautiful restored.

 

[Dantius]

Also it's even better if you put a text back and forth. I did that with the Annales section and
It decided to add an "et datum est" each time it was put through. I haven't finished yet but it's given me:

The city of Rome from the very beginning was ruled by kings; the liberty and the consulship were established by Lucius Brutus. to the time of the dictatorship, they were employed; the power of the decemvirs did not last beyond two years, nor the consular jurisdiction of the military tribunes of long duration. The despotisms of Cinna and Sulla were brief; the rule of Pompeius and of Crassus soon yielded before Caesar; the granted; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; The arms of Lepidus and Antonius before Augustus, I have under the prince, who was wearied by civil strife, when he was come.


After a few more times:
The city of Rome from the very beginning was ruled by kings; the liberty and the consulship were established by Lucius Brutus. to the time of the dictatorship, they were employed; the power of the decemvirs did not last beyond two years, nor the consular jurisdiction of the military tribunes of long duration. The despotisms of Cinna and Sulla were brief; the rule of Pompeius and of Crassus soon yielded before Caesar; the granted; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; And it was given; The arms of Lepidus and Antonius before Augustus, I have under the prince, who was wearied by civil strife, when he was come.

(LATIN: Urbem Romam a principio reges habuere; libertatem et consulatum L. Brutus instituit. dictaturae ad tempus, adhibita fuerint; neque decemviralis potestas ultra biennium, neque tribunorum militum consulare ius diu valuit. Non Cinnae, non Sullae longa dominatio; et Pompei Crassique potentia cito in Caesarem, concessit; et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Et datum est; Lepidi atque Antonii arma in Augustum sub principe, qui cuncta discordiis civilibus fessa nomine cum venisset.)

It seems like it will go on forever.

 

[Araneus]

It's most fun when you give it something extremely simple, like that (ed. #26), or something very complex like this:

Here's the first lines of Lucan's Pharsalia (sive Bellum Civile)

INPUT:
Bella per Emathios plus quam ciuilia campos
iusque datum sceleri canimus, populumque potentem
in sua uictrici conuersum uiscera dextra
cognatasque acies, et rupto foedere regni
certatum totis concussi uiribus orbis
in commune nefas, infestisque obuia signis
signa, pares aquilas et pila minantia pilis.

OUTPUT:
The battle on the fields of the covenant of the more than civil on the Emathian given to crime, and the people in power, turning in his bowels by a victorious right hand and with the strength of the world in the smitten, break thy league struggled with all the common of the kingdom of wickedness, and that meets its standards, equal to the eagles, and the spears menaced the spears.

"turning in his bowels by a victorious right hand" I'm dying

 

[Araneus]

I sent it back and forth once, and now I have:

"And the covenant of the battle more than civil on the Emathian given to crime in the fields, and in the strength of the right hand of the power of turning in the bowels of the world, and the kingdom of sin, and he struck down the path to meet the standards common to all the children struggled together attacked the ball is equal to the eagles, and the spears."

I should probably go to bed now.

 

[Pacifica]

It can be very funny indeed to play with Google Translate and such. I even created games for that:

THREAD: the-google-translate-threadTHREAD: the-intertran-thread

 

[Araneus]

I couldn't help it:

And more than that of the civil war, more than the Emathian the force of law given to crime in the fields, and in the power of the power of the right hand turning in the bowels of the earth, and the kingdom of sin, and the ball is equal to the path to the shared responsibility of all the signs of the usual eagles, and the struck the ball having been struck.

 

[Araneus]

GT is now starting to sound like an oracular response.

 

[Dantius]

Hey at least it's better than InterTran!

 

[Araneus]

Hey at least it's better than InterTran!

I've never tried that Not sure I would even be here then. "Death by crappy humour" will be my epitaph some day.

 

[Dantius]

InterTran:

LATIN: Urbem Romam a principio reges habuere.
ENGLISH: Urbem To Rome a beginning you will rule to have.

 

[Araneus]

Nice! This is what it means about Lucan:

Dessert very Emathios much how ciuilia bell iusque to give crime dog populumque might upon her uictrici conuersum uiscera right-hand cognatasque army , and rupto compact to reign contest just as many oppression uiribus circle upon to share wrong infestisque obuia signal signal , parentis eagle and pila minantia pilis.

 

[Pacifica]

The first paragraph of In Catilinam, by Google Translate. Here too there are a couple of sentences where it seems to have found an "official" translation, while the rest is a hilarious mess.

Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia? Nihilne te nocturnum praesidium Palati, nihil urbis vigiliae, nihil timor populi, nihil concursus bonorum omnium, nihil hic munitissimus habendi senatus locus, nihil horum ora voltusque moverunt? Patere tua consilia non sentis, constrictam iam horum omnium scientia teneri coniurationem tuam non vides? Quid proxima, quid superiore nocte egeris, ubi fueris, quos convocaveris, quid consilii ceperis, quem nostrum ignorare arbitraris? O tempora, o mores! Senatus haec intellegit. Consul videt; hic tamen vivit. Vivit? immo vero etiam in senatum venit, fit publici consilii particeps, notat et designat oculis ad caedem unum quemque nostrum. Nos autem fortes viri satis facere rei publicae videmur, si istius furorem ac tela vitemus. Ad mortem te, Catilina, duci iussu consulis iam pridem oportebat, in te conferri pestem, quam tu in nos omnes iam diu machinaris.

How long will you abuse our patience, Catiline? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? To what end will your unbridled audacity of yours? Do not the nightly guards placed on the Palatine, the patrols of the city, nor the fear of the people, does not the gathering of all good things, there is nothing very fortified place of holding the senate, removed out of the faces and expressions of none of these things? Do not you feel that your plans are, do you not see that your conspiracy is already held by the knowledge of all these things? What is there, what you did the night before, where you were, whom you summoned, what advice you took, whom we are ignorant of? O tempora, O mores! Senate understands this. The consul sees; Yet he lives. Is he alive? in fact, he even comes into the senate, he takes part in public deliberations, notes and designates with his eyes to slaughter each and every one of us. We are strong enough to make the man of the state, if we avoid the rage and weapons of that, we should avoid. You ought, O Catiline, by order of the consul long ago should have been on your own head pestilence, among them, which you have been long plotting against us.

 

[Dantius]

Here's the InterTran version:

From all the way at length to use abusive language Catilina , patience our? how by day as yet madness that your we eludet? whom to territory himself to let go without reins bragging boldness? Nothing you nocturnum guard Spade , nothing urbis to be awake , nothing fear the people , nothing charge bonorum omnium , nothing this munitissimus government of senatorial place , nothing of these region voltusque moverunt? Patris your counsellors not dregs , to bind together now of these omnium knowledge tender conspiracy tuam not vides? What nearest , what above by night lack , when fueris , whom convocaveris , what counsellors you will have taken , whom our to be ignorant of arbitraris? O transitory o morium! Of senatorial this to understand. Magistrate videt ; this nothwithstanding to quicken. to quicken nay in truth as yet upon of senatorial came fit of the people counsellors partaker , mark and designate eye to slaughter one whom our. We but by chance green enough to work zealously rei of the people videmur , if you wish istius madness and a web vitemus. To mortem you Catilina duci at the command of magistrate now for a long time it behooves , upon you discuss pestilential , how you upon we omnes now by day machinaris.

 

[Pacifica]

Lol, this always makes me laugh so much somehow...

 

[Dantius]

I put it back to Latin.
Ex usque tandem abutor Catilina , patientia nostrum? quam diu etiam rabies ut vestri nos effugio? quos ut tractus sui effreno jactantia temeritas? Nusquam vos nocturnum tutela Pala , nusquam urbis vigilo , nusquam vereor populus , nusquam tutela bonorum omnium , nusquam is munitissimus habenae senatorii locus , nusquam illorum tellus voltusque moverunt? Pater vestri consiliarii non sentina , iugo iam illorum omnium scientia tener conitor tuam non vides? Quis proximus , quis supremus noctu penuria , ut will have , quos convocaveris , quis consiliarii vos mos have captus , quos nostrum ut exsisto ignarus of ludicer? O volatilis o mores! Senatorii is intellego. Consul videt ; is tamen ut cito. ut cito immo vero etiam super senatorii venit opportunus publicus consiliarii particeps , vestigium quod designo oculus jugulo unus quos nostrum. Nos tamen fortuitus viridis satis facesso rei publicus videmur , sis istius rabies quod tela vitemus. Ut letalis vos Catilina duci iussu consul iamdudum oportet , super vos confero pestilential , quam vos super nos omnes iam diu machinaris.

What's with the strange commas? This thing has no idea how to do any sort of inflected forms...