Let's play a round of "Correct the Translator".

Question

Let's play a round of 'Correct the Translator'.

We've all done it: typed in a few words to get a translation and it leaves you scratching your head.
How to 'play':

Type in a sentence in English or Spanish and see what the translator comes up with. Then, in the comments section of each answer box, give your idea of what should be changed and why. If you think the translator gave the perfect translation, write: perfect.

Here are mine:

If I keep posting questions on Spanishdict.com, I'll never go to sleep tonight!

Translator translation: Si yo sigo publicando preguntas en Spanishdict.com, nunca iré a dormir esta noche!

Perhaps this time the translator is right? Am I close? - katydew, Jul 6, 2012

It may be correct, I'd have said "..nunca me acostaré.." - BradyLabuda, Jul 7, 2012

Fun game!!! - --Mariana--, Jul 7, 2012

Answer 1

I love taking walks along the seashore and collecting seashells for my darling husband.

One of the translations came pretty close!

Me encanta tomar caminatas a lo largo de la orilla del mar y recogiendo conchas para mi querido esposo.

I would have have used the infinitive of "recoger" instead of "recogiendo."

Sweet sentiment in any language. I get confused when the English is something like "collecting" whether to use recogiendo or recoger. - katydew, Jul 7, 2012

I know about.com says that the infinitive functions as a noun. http://spanish.about.com/od/infinitives/a/infinitive_noun.htm - bandit51jd, Jul 7, 2012

This is a subject I, too, need to study more thoroughly. Hopefully another comment on this will come. - bandit51jd, Jul 7, 2012

@Katy - the -ing form is much loved and used in English and not so much in Spanish. - ian-hill, Oct 14, 2012

Answer 2

I love taking walks along the seashore and collecting seashells for my darling husband.

This is a favourite exercise of mine , because i have noticed that when some

of our native speakers write that there sentences usually translate perfectly ,

maybe if we take the time to rephrase our sentence the outcome may be better .

Mariana allow me to rewrite your sentence to see if it changes it.

I love walking on the on the seashore, and picking up shells for my darling husband .

Me encanta caminar por la orilla del mar, y recogiendo conchas para mi querido esposo.

So we just have to add some extra English words that are unnecessary, is that what you are saying???? ;o) - katydew, Jul 7, 2012

No nt at all, what i think we need to do is to write so that the translator recognises our sentence , we cannot expect it to know our intention , only the content. - ray76, Jul 8, 2012

lol, ok. - katydew, Jul 8, 2012

Answer 3

I am currently working on a challenge about "pasar a ser" and came across this review for a book.

De la ley de Chandler se derivaba que la gestión dejaba de ser simplemente una teoría de la organización, vinculada a la estructura, a la concepción y gestión de estructuras humanas, para pasar a ser (to go on to become) una tensión entre estrategia y estructura.

The translator gives the following 3 suggested translations:

Chandler law was derived that the management ceased to be just a theory of organization, linked to the structure, the design and management of human structures, to become a tension between strategy and structure.

The law of Chandler is derived that the management had ceased to be simply a theory of the organization, linked to the structure, the design and management of human structures, to become a tension between strategy and structure.

Of the Chandler law one was deriving that the management was stopping being simply a theory of the organization, linked to the structure, to the conception and management of human structures, to happen (pass) to be a tension between strategy and structure.

My attempt: The law of Chandler was derived that left the management to be simply a theory of the organization, linked to the structure, the design and management of human structures, to become (to go on to become/pasar a ser) a tension between strategy and structure.

Any suggestions for a better English translation?

Mine is not that long really and it is sure helping me with other learning, too. Muchas gracias! - bandit51jd, Jul 7, 2012

Are you wanting the English on this one for a native translation? - katydew, Jul 7, 2012

I just wanted to see how close I was to my attempt, compared to the translators. - bandit51jd, Jul 7, 2012

Answer 4

@Bandita: here's my try:

Chandler's law is derived so that management would no longer be just a theory of organization - linked to the structure, the design and managing of human structures - but (would become) a tension between strategy and structure.

Answer 5

Yes, Katy, I have indeed stumbled upon awkward/poor translations when consulting the translator ..... that is, until you came up with this great question. All of a sudden,all translations were (nearly) correct.
You sure scared them )))

But I really wanted to contribute to your thread, so spent quite some time on finding a few translations that require some puzzling. I picked 5 quotes from famous hispanohablantes and copied all answers given by our 3 SD-translators.

---

Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954), dramaturgo español:
Creedlo, para hacernos amar no debemos preguntar nunca a quien nos ama: ¿Eres feliz?, sino decirle siempre: ¡Qué feliz soy!

[1] Believe it, to make us love not must ask ever who loves us: are you happy?, but always say you: what happy am I!
[2] Believe in him in good times, to make us love should not ask never to those who love us: Are you happy', but always say: what a happy I am!
[3] Believe it, to make us love we must never ask the one who loves us: Are you happy?, but always to say to him: Happy what I am!

---

José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955, Spanish philosopher and essayist):
La vida humana eterna sería insoportable. Cobra valor precisamente porque su brevedad la aprieta, densifica y hace compacta.

[1] The eternal human life would be unbearable. Cobra value precisely because its brevity squeezes it, densifica, and compact.
[2] The eternal human life would be unbearable. Cobra value precisely because its brevity the tightening, densifies and compact.
[3] The eternal human life would be unbearable. He(She) receives(charges) value precisely because its briefness presses it, densifica and does compact.

---

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) , escritor español:
La música compone los ánimos descompuestos y alivia los trabajos que nacen del espíritu.

[1] Music composed decomposed tempers and relieves the works that are born of the spirit.
[2] The music consists tempers decomposed and relieves the jobs that are born of the spirit.
[3] The music composes the rotten fortitudes and relieves the works that are born of the spirit.

---

Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645), escritor español:
Matan los médicos y viven de matar, y la queja cae sobre la dolencia.

[1] Kill the doctors live kill, and the complaint falls on the ailment.
[2] Kill the doctors and live to kill, and the complaint falls on the ailment.
[3] The doctors kill and they live of killing, and the complaint falls down on the ailment.

---

Jorge Bucay (1949-?), escritor y psicoterapeuta argentino:
Sólo si me siento valioso por ser como soy, puedo aceptarme, puedo ser auténtico, puedo ser verdadero.

[1] Only if I am valuable by being as I am, I cannot accept me, I can be real, I can be true.
[2] Only if i am valuable by being as i am, I can accept myself, I can be authentic, i can be true.
[3] Only if I feel valuable for being as I am, I can accept myself, can be authentic, can be real.

The last 2 sentences are translated correctly (the bold suggestions!); the first one is translated correctly, but should be worded a lot better; and sentences 2 and 3 can be puzzled out from mixing all given suggestions. - mcl020, Jul 7, 2012

In spite of not coming up with better expamples, I can tell you all this: never ever rely on an automatic translator. It can lead to serious misunderstandings! - mcl020, Jul 7, 2012

No kidding! But, they do help a lot. - katydew, Jul 7, 2012

Those are funny. I tried to check into the hospital once and it was crazy what it came up with. I just read their Spanish sentences and figured it out from there since the English made no sense. - katydew, Jul 7, 2012

Answer 6

This made me laugh today when I was reading a devotional in Spanish.

Note how los débiles is translated.

“Los fuertes en la fe debemos apoyar a los débiles, en vez de hacer lo que nos agrada.” (Romanos 15:1 NVI)

“The fortresses in the faith we must support the dweebs, instead of doing what we like.

Answer 7

I put in....

At night the cat slinks away under the moonlit sky.

I got....

Por la noche, el gato perro baja lejos bajo la luna cielo.

During the night, the cat dog goes down far under the sky moon.

Not so great this time.

jajaja. Mariana, you have got to watch out for those cat-dogs when they get under the sky moon. - katydew, Jul 8, 2012