Tips for using a translator
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:52 am
I've been meaning to write a guide; it will come, but for now, here are some quick tips:
1. Avoid words that have multiple meanings - be specific
Ex. use game error instead of game bug, as you don't want to talk about insects!
2. Use short sentences that are to the point
Translators tend to change words around to fit the meaning of the sentence... and sometimes, with hilarious results. Not all languages structure sentences the same way, so sometimes, the guessing of the program gets out of hand. Short sentences don't get misunderstood so much.
3. Be aware of the fact translators are not perfect
Some languages are so different that the guess work is extensive. For a language like Chinese that a symbol can have many meanings, translating to English does involve some deduction skill. I like to think of them as word puzzles myself. But you should know, some similar languages do get mixed up in auto detection (Spanish vs. Portuguese, Russian vs. Ukrainian), and if you're not careful you'll get the wrong one. Also, some languages barely work at all... a fine example would be Turkish to English. The translator does not help much here.
4. Test and debug it
This trick is good. When you're done typing your message (in my case, in the English side), hit the "swap languages" button. What you're doing here is, translating the result back to the first language. Here you will get an idea of what your translation could sound like to the receiver... and you'll notice right away where the wrong guesses are. By translating back and forth, you can make small edits here and there, to try and get the specific meaning you're looking for. Here it is most obvious what words and terms you should avoid. With practice, you'll not use them so much.
A note: when swapping languages back and forth a few times, you really should read what you wrote from start to finish again. Sometimes, the translator will change words as you do this - it will change to synonyms and similar words, and can alter the actual meaning from your first translation. When facing difficulty of this sort, try and find a word that has the specific meaning you are looking for, or a meaning similar to it, and use that one in it's place.
1. Avoid words that have multiple meanings - be specific
Ex. use game error instead of game bug, as you don't want to talk about insects!
2. Use short sentences that are to the point
Translators tend to change words around to fit the meaning of the sentence... and sometimes, with hilarious results. Not all languages structure sentences the same way, so sometimes, the guessing of the program gets out of hand. Short sentences don't get misunderstood so much.
3. Be aware of the fact translators are not perfect
Some languages are so different that the guess work is extensive. For a language like Chinese that a symbol can have many meanings, translating to English does involve some deduction skill. I like to think of them as word puzzles myself. But you should know, some similar languages do get mixed up in auto detection (Spanish vs. Portuguese, Russian vs. Ukrainian), and if you're not careful you'll get the wrong one. Also, some languages barely work at all... a fine example would be Turkish to English. The translator does not help much here.
4. Test and debug it
This trick is good. When you're done typing your message (in my case, in the English side), hit the "swap languages" button. What you're doing here is, translating the result back to the first language. Here you will get an idea of what your translation could sound like to the receiver... and you'll notice right away where the wrong guesses are. By translating back and forth, you can make small edits here and there, to try and get the specific meaning you're looking for. Here it is most obvious what words and terms you should avoid. With practice, you'll not use them so much.
A note: when swapping languages back and forth a few times, you really should read what you wrote from start to finish again. Sometimes, the translator will change words as you do this - it will change to synonyms and similar words, and can alter the actual meaning from your first translation. When facing difficulty of this sort, try and find a word that has the specific meaning you are looking for, or a meaning similar to it, and use that one in it's place.