Lost in Translation

[the guy who be short]

There is a serious thread on translation here and a less serious one here.

Translation does amusing things to writing, so I thought we'd have a go ourselves. Here is a website where you type a phrase, and it is translated into French, then German, then French again, then back into English. The results are often... strange, to say the least. Often they can be funny.

The Barrow Wight rules the Downs and Downers becomes The Wight truck arranges niederwirft and Downers above.

But thou, Feanor Finwe's son, by thine oath art exiled. The lies of Melkor though shalt unlearn in bitterness becomes But thou, wire Feanor Finwes, thineeidkunst exiled. Lies of Melkor shaltunlearn certainly in the bitterness.

Feanor is a nutter, but Eomer's Scotch becomes * Feanor a nutter, however Scottish Eomers.

So... Feanor's a wire, The Barrow Wight's a truck. Interesting, isn't it?

Edit: Shelob's better link

[Holbytlass]

I put in "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!"-Bilbo

the result...

I do not know half of you half, as myself to want would have; and I can gain you smaller than half of you half, like.

[wilwarin538]

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, one for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.

became.....

Three rings for Elven-Koenige under the sky, seven for the Lords of dwarf in their halls of the stone, nine for men of death condemned to die, for the dark Lord on its of the dark thrones.

haha

[HerenIstarion]

Another mistranlsation

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Looks like that thread HI linked is in a serious need of a "sweeping party".

After a little tour in Europe, Gollum had a new mantra: "My invaluable!" Did he learn a new word for preciouss or was there an inflation period?

Also, Saruman was widely known as a good speaker: "When you were it for me wished unnecessarily do not go men slain."
(If you go to war, needlessly, for I did not desire it, then men will be slain.)

[the guy who be short]

All that is gold does not glitter:

All, gold is, sparkles.

So, Tolkien was wrong then.

[Firefoot]

I am a son Aragorn Elessar the morning called by Arathorn and, clay eleven, the heir to the Isildur son Elendils of Gondor. do you help me or to put to me in failure? choose quickly!

Now we know what Elfstones are really made of: eleven pieces of clay each.

He not corner, to leave Phasendrachen of your calculations.

From "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations."

And then, one that took a long time but proved well worth it: Gimli's song in Moria, except the last part of the last verse because the site stopped working for some reason on my browser before I could get to it.

The world was young, was however not seen
GebirgscGruen of mark on the world that
no word was put on electricity or the stone,
that like Durin only awoke and went.
It called the anonymous hills and those dells
and drank, however untasted wells
which it looked at stooped and in Mirrormere
and a crown of stars saw,
while invaluable stones after a wire
silver plated on the shade of its head to appear.

The world was, the mountains suitably which are high
the oldest days before the case.
Powerful kings of Nargothrond
and Gondolin which exceeded now far from
Sundering beyond the seas.
The world was suitable the day of Durins.

A king it was in circuit of the thrones carven
in much pillared halls of the stone
with the floor of money and roof and runes
gilded energy after the door.
There undimmed sunlight and star and the moon
striking in the brilliant lamps of the crystal
by the cloud or the color of the night
shown for measured there indeed and luminous.

There, the hammer smote on the anvil,
the eyelet of graver, wrote the engraver,
gave him the blade and a border was forged hilt
that those gained delvers, Masons established.
There blade beryl, pearl and Opal and metals
which as the post office of fish, buxler and corslet -,
of the bars of glare and axt-
and blade were étées wrought, put in Hoard.

Of Unwearied were then Durins people;
under the mountains, the music awoke.
Those harpers harped, sang those minstrels,
and by the barriers with schellten Trompeten.

The world is gray, the old mountains; Fire that forging mill is a cold ashen. No toothing-stone becomes, aucuns case of hammer, the stops of blackening in the halls Durins ausgeprgessen. A shadow lays upon his tomb

The best part has got to be the post office of the fish. After all, they have schools, so why not? And I had no idea that there was electricity in Middle-earth...

[Shelob]

Since you all seem to be having fun with mistranslations here's a site called (appropriately enough) Lost in Translation ...this one takes an English phrase and runs it through this cycle:

English-->French
French-->English
English-->German
German-->English
English-->Italian
Italian-->English
English-->Portuguese
Portuguese-->English
English-->Spanish
Spanish-->English

10 different translations...with an option to add Chinese, Japanese, and Korean into the mix...

For Example the simple enough line "One Ring to Rule them all" ends up as "A cycle, to govern it everything" ...not quite the same...

if you're interested though the entire process looks like this:

Original English Text:
One ring to rule them all

Translated to French:
Une boucle pour les régner tous

Translated back to English:
A loop to reign them all

Translated to German:
Eine Schleife, zum zu regieren sie alle

Translated back to English:
A loop, to to govern it all

Translated to Italian:
Un ciclo, a governarlo tutto

Translated back to English:
A cycle, to govern it all

Translated to Portuguese:
Um ciclo, para governá-lo todo

Translated back to English:
A cycle, to govern it all

Translated to Spanish:
Un ciclo, gobernarlo todo

Translated back to English:
A cycle, to govern it everything

Hope it adds to the confusion of the translations.

[Alcarillo]

The feeding of the track goes of the door, that one that begins saldamente.

That is, using Shelob's wonderful translator:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.

[wilwarin538]

my precious becomes inestimable mine and with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean its my important articles.

[The Saucepan Man]

Thought I'd try my current signature:

He had saucepans and kettles hung all over him, he wore a saucepan for a hat, and he crashed two saucepans together as he danced!

'Do you think he's dangerous?' said Joe, in a whisper.

Without Chinese, Japanes and Korean, it becomes the rather mystifying:

It had bathtubs and the boilers arrested it in all the part, took a bathtub to a protection that it protected and they analyzed it underneath two bathtubs, when to dance!

'The thoughts that are dangerous' the aforesaid Joe, within me whisper.

Add Chinese, Japanese and Korean and it becomes the wholly bamboozling:

Which you have it relative preoccupation of the POTENTIOMETER and by the supermarket for him ã... the effect of the POTENTIOMETER ã. The organization so that the decree of protection not to have, then he, he of the repairs of the protection danced such in the left in potentiometers of time 2 of the totality!

'He considers himself dangerous?' whisper a lower excessive Kiefer.

Who's this Kiefer?

[Elrowen Tinúviel]

That the messages of the south, the wind of Sighing or, in advance
obtain to the payment I to them to the day? Is Boromir the fair where
hour? Tarries and is betruebt.

once began as:

What news from the South, o sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.

-Elrowen

[the guy who be short]

This is quite handy for solving disputes too.

What is Tom Bombadil? Why, the answer is simple: That ã. ã is. Bombadil? Now we just need to figure out which ã. ã is being referred to and, indeed, what an ã. ã is.

Unfortunately, the website is of no further help. I asked What is an ã. ã? The answer was _. _ therefore is something. So, with the Tom Bombadil debate, just remember that Tom is an ã. ã and _. _ exists because of him.

Do balrogs have wings? becomes It is to a wing in balrogs?. Notice, to a wing, not just "a" wing. So that's a no.

Finally, should Fordim make more polls? This became It would have Fordim to more form of the elasticity to many of votings? I interpret this to mean yes, but with more "elasticity," that is, more varied polls.

[Firefoot]

The only thing that comes to mind for "Potassio" is Potatothan.

And "Slandering" is obloquy.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by TGWBS

The Man of the Bathtub - perhaps a new thread should be created in Quizes or Quotes (or, more likely, dug up) for all your brainteasing needs?

Click on the link that HerenIstarion provided further up. I believe that the thread has been dormant for some time now, so anyone can pose a new question.

Originally Posted by Firefoot

And "Slandering" is obloquy.

Correct.

As for the remaining names, some hints:

Potassio came about, as I recall, via Potassium which I surmise was derived from its Chemical Symbol.

Abundant available and Drink of the alcoholic one are one and the same person. The "translations" actually make sense, given the meaning of this person's name.

[Alcarillo]

Perhaps Potassio is Ka? The symbol for potassium is K.

[arcticstorm]

Potassio is the Ka

eidt: cross posted with Alcarillo

[Shelob]

"I believe that the thread has been dormant for some time now, so anyone can pose a new question." ~Saucepan Man

I was in the process of starting a new thread but, due to the translator having problems *shakes fist at computer*, I'll just post there when I end up with a full translation...

(EDIT: I finally got a full translation, so that thread should be up and running again...please move the game section of this there and leave TGWBS's thread free for people with wildly amusing translations. "Thag you very buch" )

as for "Potassio" I was about to go looking into the idea that it came from potasium...having given up all hope that it had anything to do with potatoes...oh well, we must do our best to remember the wise advice of Douglas Adams:
"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes."

I've tried "The Ka", but I just get "Ka" as the final translation...

[Firefoot]

Here's what I could find out:

The symbol K comes from the Latin word "Kalium" which in turn comes from "alkali."

So I tried Kalimac, Kalessin, Kath (that one is sort of pushing it, though...), The Ka, Alcarillo, Alkanoonion, and Alatar (also pushing it a bit), all to no avail.

Here also is a list I found of the word Potassium in other languages:

Latin: Kalium
Czech: Draslík
Croatian: Kalij
French: Potassium
German: Kalium - s
Italian: Potassio
Norwegian: Kalium
Portuguese: Potássio
Spanish: Potasio
Swedish: Kalium

Probably excessively over-analyzed ( ), but maybe it will help someone...

[Glirdan]

Originally Posted by shelob

If you want I'll start one. We can call it "The conversion competes he with going"

Either you can start it, or I can. Who's it gonig to be? I really like this kind of thing. It really puts your brain to work trying to figure it out.

[Glirdan]

My sig turns into (with the three extra languages):

" The main title bit with the main tube of the bit of the title,
the main tube of the bit of the title and the Isengard! In Isengard!
This main tube of the estimated bit of the title in Isengard! Stupid
main bit of the title of the quality of Beleibte! "

My Eru! Such a simple thing turns bigger. Wow

[Glirdan]

Let's see what happens when we put in the title of this thread and translate it.

It destroys turned

Well, that has a completely new meaning.

[Glirdan]

Crazy Captions
is now
Affirmation of the patient of the alcohol

When did alcohol get involved!?

[Glirdan]

My newest sig (without the "-Saucy Werewolf IX part) becomes:

Glirdan took with the doubts of the ways (nevertheless) that other
subjects interest the trees of the trowel of the beginning for a
processing in lots of history these and other subjects continue,
ordered to give the form, double of the simple machine of many books.
The relative is possibly the animal, that one the controls of the
situation that stops the interior limits remarkablly?

Well, that's different. Where did "the trees of the trowel" come from?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Celuin

Lush is the drink of the alcoholic one in the Japanese sequence. She's abundant available without it.

It is corrected! The Celuin aerosol is.

In other words:

Correct! Well done Celuin.

[Holbytlass]

Good! Someone got it, I've been working on it but no luck.

BTW, 'good later part of I' is 'Well, I'm back.'

[Dimturiel]

Wow, you should see what happened to my poor signature:

The flag which flows from the west/In is blowing/Tears of the grief which comes to rest/Tears of the thing where the angular joy and start interval flow.

The thing where the angular joy?. My God!

[Morsul the Dark]

ok this is weird....

The Perky Ent
becomes(and I'm not lieing)

Rifle automatic of the art of Ritratto convinces otorinolaringoiatra
completely