Translation

[James Morley]

On 14 May 98 at 10:53, Kent Perkins wrote:

> Taxacomers-- slightly off subject but a natural progression...
> Alta Vista has a nifty translation service:
> http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate?

Be warned though, if the examples below are anything to go by then you mig=
ht not
get quite what you bargained for..........

Kew's mission statement:
"to enable better management of the Earth's environment by increasing know=
ledge
and understanding of the plant and fungal kingdoms - the basis of life on =
earth"

Translated to French (plants suddenly become factories!):
"pour permettre une meilleure gestion de l'environnement de la terre
en augmentant la connaissance et la compr=E9hension de l'usine et des roya=
umes
fongiques - la base de la vie sur terre"

and back again:
"to allow a better management of the environment of the ground by increasi=
ng the
knowledge and the comprehension of the factory and the fungic kingdoms - t=
he
base of the life on ground"

or via German:
"better management of the climate of the mass activate, by the increase of=
 the
knowledge and understanding the operation and the mushroom-like kingdoms -=
 the
basis of the life on mass"

Once you start putting in technical terms that it doesn't recognise then i=
t
simply leaves them in the original language.

James
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James Morley                           J.Morley at rbgkew.org.uk
Centre for Economic Botany
Royal Botanic Gardens                Tel. +44 (0)181 332 5719
Kew, Richmond                        Fax. +44 (0)181 332 5768
Surrey   TW9 3AE
UK                          WWW  http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb
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