Does correct translation of this sentence depend on context?

Question

In the Spanish translation of "Mockingjay" by S. Collins, there is this sentence: "Es major que estar indefenso." This can be translated two different ways , and both can't be correct! When I first read it, I thought the meaning was "it is better to be defenseless". However, that can't be correct, since the original English text had "It is better than being defenseless." I thought the translator may have erred...but apparently it can also have the latter meaning....the correct one! Could this not have been better translated into Spanish so that the ambiguity is removed? Thank you in advance for any helpful commentary.

Welcome to the forum. Please add your language proficiency to your profile. Thanks. - rac1, Feb 27, 2015

Answer 1

There is no ambiguity.

Es mejor que estar indefenso = It's better than being defenseless

Es mejor estar indefenso = It's better to be defenseless

The que makes all the difference.

Wow! Stated like a teacher! - Daniela2041, Feb 27, 2015

Thanks, Rodney. Makes sense to me, but how about the machine translators? The top two robots translate these sentences the same way. Perhaps someone will correct that? - daddua, Feb 27, 2015

I think the translators are from an external service and not under the control of anyone here. - bosquederoble, Feb 27, 2015

:) That's hat I like, humas are still better than machines! Los seres humanos son mejores que las machinas! - annierats, Feb 27, 2015

Answer 2

Thanks, Rodney. Makes sense to me, but how about the machine translators? The top two robots translate these sentences the same way. Perhaps someone will correct that?

Machine translators are better than nothing, but clearly not always reliable. I only recommend using translators when you have no choice. For example, you're in a foreign country and there's nobody around to help. I will say that machine translators can often get you going in the right direction, but getting or verifying translations from real people is the best option.

Honestly, I recommend you turn to a good dictionary and forum instead of a translator. However, if you're going to use translators make sure your input uses grammatically correct and idiom free English (or Spanish). That increases your chances of getting an accurate translation. And remember, idiomatic expressions are rarely translated correctly by machine translators.

And finally, I wouldn't count on the results of those translators being corrected anytime soon.

:) - rac1, Feb 27, 2015