Google Translate now supports Latin

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/veni-vidi-verba-verti.html

by abraham • 16 years ago

71 46 16 years ago

googleblog.blogspot.com

davidw3• 16 years ago

I wish they'd add Basque. I actually have a few riders on http://bikechatter.com who tweet in Basque, and it's impossible to figure out what they're saying.

beaumartinez• 16 years ago

Basque as a language should die. Spain should stop trying to maintain disparate legacy languages used only by a few hundreds of thousands (if that) of people.

hugh34• 16 years ago

Legitimate opinion, but severely offtopic.

eru• 16 years ago

We should all speak Mandarin in the future.

hsmyers• 16 years ago

Here in Idaho, with the largest concentration of Basque short of the EU (might be larger, not sure), such a thing would be an excellent idea. I grew up wondering what people were saying and it always sort of drove me nuts :) These days when they say it electronically a translation either way would be magical!

Gormo5• 16 years ago

Basque is already there.

davidw3• 16 years ago

I don't see it among the languages to 'translate from' here:

http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

It is available as "Google in your language", but that doesn't help me at all.

lifthrasiir• 16 years ago

Quid?!

wyclif• 16 years ago

Via Google Translate:

That language barriers be torn away and the knowledge of the world is made accessible and useful, translation systems of many languages of the nations were created by us. Today, we announce the first language translation system by which no native speakers now make use of: the Latin. Being but a few speak Latin daily, year by year more than a hundred thousand American students receive the National Latin Exam. Besides many people all over the world study Latin.

This Latin translation system rarely be used to translate e-mails or understand the subtitles of YouTube videos. But many that are ancient books of philosophy, of physics and of mathematics are written in Latin. But many thousands of books are in Google Books, who have whole passages in Latin.

Translating by machine from Latin is difficult and our grasp of grammar not without error. The Latin is unmatched because most of them Latin books have already been written and only a few of the new shall be hereafter. Many have been translated into other languages and these translations we use to train our translation system. Since this system translates books well similar to those from whom he learned, our ability to translate famous books (such as The Gallic War Caesar 's) is already good.

The next time you find a Latin passage or you need help with the Latin writings, try this.

Jakob Uszkoreit, Software Engineer

NickPollard• 16 years ago

Time to put 'Ingeniarius Programmandi' on my CV.

julian37• 16 years ago

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

scrrr• 16 years ago

Funny. Yesterday ( http://i.imgur.com/oKQsd.png ) I needed to have something translated from Latin. It didn't work, I was disappointed and today they fixed it. Google must have read my mind.

vladocar• 16 years ago

Interesting I was testing it with Lorem ipsum text and the results are:

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi sapien leo, dictum a iaculis ut, tincidunt et ante. Nullam tristique lectus ut felis malesuada suscipit. Proin id dui sapien, malesuada ullamcorper ipsum. "

"Hello world! Is here to cancel meals. Diseases of the sapien a lion, it was said by clicking that, before the Runs on. The bed so that no sad Felis malesuada to raise up. Consequently, her s it your the sapien, malesuada ullamcorper itself."

jcroberts• 16 years ago

You might want to note that the most common "lorem ipsum" you find as filler text is actually an incorrect quoting of a work by Cicero. The actual text from Cicero might yield better results.

danparsonson• 16 years ago

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum

Anon84• 16 years ago

Easter Egg: http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3834/ishot1j.jpg

monos• 16 years ago

isn't it more likely someone or a group of people "contributed" this bad translation.

it doesn't even make sense.

elblanco• 16 years ago

Wow finally! I've been trying to bang around using http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php... but really run into problems at times with it. It's not too often one needs to translate Latin in general, but when you do...

zeynel13• 16 years ago

This is Beta I know but; same sentence translated from English to Latin does not translate back to the same English:

Believers of a religion perceive their religion as true knowledge --> Credentes religio religionis sentiunt verae --> Those who give the religion of the true religion, they feel it

hugh34• 16 years ago

You'll never find an automatic translation program which spits out exactly the same text after a double translation.

(or alternatively)

Never the automatic translation to know what the purpose of exactly the same place he rejects it according to a twofold translation.

zeynel13• 16 years ago

Perhaps; but in the case of English-French-English Google translator does pretty well:

You'll never find an automatic translation program which spits out exactly the same text after a double translation --> Vous ne trouverez jamais un programme de traduction automatique qui crache exactement le même texte, après une double traduction. --> You will never find a machine translation program that spits out exactly the same text after a double translation.

If they could bring English-Latin translation to English-French translation level I think that would be acceptable.

mortenjorck• 16 years ago

This will make adding placeholder text to UI mockups significantly more fun.

lsb• 16 years ago

Fun fact: Lorem Ipsum comes from Cicero!

"Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum

jakevoytko• 16 years ago

To try to break the tool, I ran DJB's article on IPv6 [0] to Latin and back[1]. Impressively, most of the phrases translated, but they lost most of their semantic meaning. Double-translations are still heavily influenced by the language of the second text - the text picked up lots of "servant," "slave," and "prayer" references. There were some extra problems introduced: D.J. Bernstein became J.D. Bernstein, for instance.

Most of the semantics-wrecking errors were of the same type: failing to pick a correct definition from context. Here's a paragraph from the original:

   Problem: There are only a few billion public IPv4 addresses. Many of those 
   addresses have already been allocated. What happens when we run out of 
   public IPv4 addresses?

And here's the double-translation:

   PROBLEM there are few billion IPv4 addresses of the State. And many of them
   attributed to prayer now. What happens when we run, from the public IPv4 
   addresses?

The only significant error in the first sentence is "public" => "of the State." The second sentence is also mostly intact, but has one of the spurious Latin-introduced phrases, "prayer." The error in the third sentence is very minor, but enough to make the entire translation meaningless.

Overall, I'm impressed that it attempts to translate so many technical phrases. I'm not impressed by their web interface - the "contribute a better translation" tooltip makes it impossible to copy individual lines or paragraphs in Chrome.

[0] http://cr.yp.to/djbdns/ipv6mess.html

[1] http://pastebin.com/B73w7nPT

mhd• 16 years ago

Entering famous quotations probably short-circuits the translator, at least that's how it looks like when you're entering something like "I came, saw, conquered".

Gormo5• 16 years ago

This is pretty amazing: http://i.imgur.com/PTpXW.png

But it sounds like they used the Italian pronunciation engine for text-to-speech, judging by the 'v's and 'c's.

high5ths• 16 years ago

It's probably using "Church" or Italianate Latin -- i.e., Latin as spoken in the Vatican -- as opposed to academic Latin.

I like the fake-parchment effect you get if you translate from something --> Latin.

Gormo5• 16 years ago

I thought that was supposed to be marble. Of course, to be complete, they should use only capitals and apply an emboss effect.

balding_n_tired• 16 years ago

res ipsa loquitur, or does it?

ryanricard• 16 years ago

Playing around with some common latin phrases, I think I just found an Easter Egg, or quite an odd mistranslation:

http://translate.google.com/#la|en|quid%20pro%20quo

Edit: and reverse-engineering from the english -> latin translator, we can finish the phrase:

http://translate.google.com/#la|en|quid%20pro%20quo%20Pro%20...

I don't know whether or not "quid pro quo Pro Quo manet" is actually sensible Latin or not, but something tells me that "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas" isn't the most accurate translation.

aberkowitz• 16 years ago

Prediction: an influx of Latin students make English <-> Latin the most popular translation option.

jsulak• 16 years ago

Hah. I was thinking I would have been sorely tempted by this in high school latin.

noahth• 16 years ago

obviously there's a lot of variation between teachers, but I think this will only work for kids who wouldn't have tried in the first place. my HS latin teacher would probably have given those a B- or more likely a C. not bad, not great.

9ec4c12949a4f3• 16 years ago

The Extremes of Good and Evil, by Cicero.

Hello world! Is here to cancel meals. Indeed, neither a boat, a quiver, nor annoyance EU, to raise up to Compare. Who consequat euismod easy. Until that no great. But unless the Maecenas of life consectetur quiver with arrows in diameter or large place. Customer Product Consequat except from its object. In the ligula a lion, the time of carriages you soften that, the valley but before the. Now it is base, does not intend to keep the carriages, the ferry to the masters. Now, nor to please porttitor lorem avenging. Testing "any one, nor was porttitor porttitor. Consectetur amet nibh she hates the service need of the valley itself, tincidunt imperdiet. DUI is always that now wishes to them, but a lion sad Community. Before the entrance itself the first place in the jaws of Hell, Grief and avenging Cares have made their bed; Until and freedom and to drink in hendrerit Rutrum. For but sagittis ligula. Now fringilla consectetur laughter of the time advantage.

Yes to the laughter of porttitor. We as to suspend mattis ligula Welcome to adorn, and Felis sollicitudin. Enhanced was the cats into prefix meaning half but it is sometimes viverra tincidunt. Even in diameter but is now. Maecenas orcs to the just, from the Lobortis ultricies at, the adipiscing from the just. Giving Tomorrow is either the time Thinking of. Diet and disease, at times beating. But who except from fear of. There is no avenging Diet and ultricies. Pellentesque attendants deal with darts to the justice and imperdiet. Physics agency instigates darts nibh, the quiver, and the author of a lion in order that. Phasellus to bed now, to make fit any one EU feugiat, bibendum life be clean. But the feudist, used for? In want of lakes advantage arrows crime. We not to the Moors himself, the very advantage, nor. We mattis that the members of Rackham. We bow the nibh, the blandishments of life course of any man, venomous of the disgrace. Has no need for the nimbus, and adorn Sample here. Until new comment sad. Beating the shovel, nor for filthy Sample ultricies bow But the time of the valley.

Silently sociosqu Class they may adapt to the shores of our marriage to turn very, very beginner meet your needs. We mattis euismod in Ornan itself. Until the price of accumsan torturer in want of at times, of Table. Pellentesque has been said laughter of the price of that very purpose laoreet. Example Pages and Menu, the pain was not said, rhoncus, the DUI the sapien fringilla bow, easy, ullamcorper the earth and there is no base. My Photos disease to the just, consectetur for that. Course of the Moors companions, the goddess, good to sometimes not ultricies eros. Learn, grief and thus hendrerit consectetur, bed now at times to set free, fringilla attendants deal with orcs bow to the masters. Tomorrow prefix meaning half pure, tincidunt tincidunt, and EU, the digniss EU of Shem. That receives the euismod sapien, the need of hendrerit rhoncus or lakes. No live by the augu, convenience or a quiver that, of the lobort and the ugly. This aliquet laughter of the porch in want of attendants deal with ligula eleifend not.

We also which of the disgrace, content block of Shem. In the life of arrows now. Sample in diameter each, beating time or the lives, beating is not the mass. Product bow and not to please a lion needs attendants deal with the just course. From diseases of the release in laughter and carriages. Let us live from the Lake of the sapien advantage the porch was in the Customer of annoyance. Cam that fits in the Lacinian tincidunt. Product malesuada darts is now, and the gate of love is to please elit. Be pure and whoever is outside of a soft lakes Community tincidunt pain. For the Moors did not euismod.

No lion, the Moors, but the price of feugiat of life, is love without a venomous. That that is, with child accumsan orcs have no, nor at times. In this the street of the habitasse dictumst. Hendrerit no, but a lion Sample malesuada, hatred of the earth before the imperdiet, hendrerit crime equity to the mass, not upon me. Until Thinking of various tincidunt. Until there is no door has. Hello world! Is here to cancel meals. The just to live, to make sad that aliquet who, have puted OK. For it does not fear to the justice, and Welcome to laughter. Let us live need of great things, but was suitable the lives to lay in the great. EU phasellus magna region. Until the Above! Of life want to lay the sapien. Consequently, her or ultricies free. Consequently, her need of a lion, nor from the blockage ceases. Now with child darts of Shem, but attendants deal with than "element is love. Of eros is also the mass, the Customer is not the author of that, by the congu of life, which.

hugh34• 16 years ago

Opening of the Aeneid:

I sing of arms and the man, Troy 's who was the first from the shores of Italy, a fugitive of fate, left the Trojan shore, a lot of having been tossed on both land and sea by the force of the cruel of the mindful that leads on high because of the anger; much in war too endured it until they found a city, and bring his gods to Latium, whence the Latin race , the Alban fathers, and the high walls of Rome.

which isn't too bad, actually, especially as I've never really heard a satisfactory translation of "I sing of arms, and the man who..." which is not a sensible sort of English sentence structure.

zeynel13• 16 years ago

I am just reading Lombardo translation. Google does not do well with this famous line: sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt --> "there are tears for things, and our mortal matters touch the"

It should be more like: "Tears in the nature of things, hearts touched by human transience."

http://hiddensymmetries.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/sunt-lacrim...

SageRaven• 16 years ago

"romanes eunt domus" -> "of the house of the Romans are going"

Sorry. Couldn't resist. :)

drv• 16 years ago

Now write it out a hundred times!

Gormo5• 16 years ago

"Romani ite domum" becomes "of the Roman go home".

Noun cases aren't quite perfect, but this is still a fantastic tool.

genieyclo• 16 years ago

Magistra from Latin class will not like this ;) With all/most our texts online already, this will make homework a simple copy-and-paste affair..

lanstein• 16 years ago

Uh oh, someone might figure out what 'sine laude' means on my brother's resume!

jackfoxy• 16 years ago

When I let Google translate auto-detect the language it chose Norwegian. After manually switching to latin it translated 'sine laude'.

bugsy• 16 years ago

Oh yes yes yes. At last. I can use this much.

Google Translate now supports Latin

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