Are all free online translators created equal?

[kodaks]

There are so many free translators out there (google, altavista, yahoo, etc.) are they all basically the same? I am looking for the best english>french translator. Anyone?

[Essex_boy]

babel fish

[encyclo]

Are all free online translators created equal?

Yes. They're all, without exception, awful.

[Leosghost]

Quoi! Babel fish et al = daube!/ou ..n'importe quoi!
NMFPR = Don't make me laugh!
ETDRPTEEDR = ROTFALOL!
( the day that any of em can "trad" the last two is only in your dreams ..and destined to say there )

[shaadi]

if u trust Google translation, MUST TRY!

step 1: Go to [google.com.my...]

step 2: Enter the following line into the translate textbox: Sushmita's mom is nice and cool

step 3: Translate from english to spanish.

step 4: Copy the translated text, and translate it back from spanish to english.

[ska_demon]

Shaadi, I think I just wet myself laughing. That just about sums up online translators.
Ska

[kodaks]

ROFLMAO :)

[Macguru]

shaadi,

You ow me a new keyboard. :)

[Teknorat]

LMFAO shaadi! That's a classic.

[defanjos]

Too damn funny

[mincklerstraat]

another important question: do any permit screenscraping? Babbelfish's translation webservice went offline a while ago.

[Leosghost]

Why on earth would ( a Belgian? ) need a translator.?
What languages don't you all speak ..( the "Flams" that is ..the "Walls" ..just about "manage" French....Runs off and hides in Brocéliande ..).. ;)

[pmac]

Actually, my daughter started going to an all French school this year. Since I don't speak French, we have been using online translators often the last little while in a feeble attempt to assist with homework.

They all suck. Babelfish just sucks less.

[mincklerstraat]

@Leosghost: rofl.
Actually this guy here is from just north of Chicago but has lived in Belgium for more than a third of his life.

Belgium officially has three languages - in the northern part, a dialect of Dutch called Flemmish (Vlaams) is spoken; in the south, called Wallonia, most Wallonians would probably tell you it's French they're speaking, though linguists might prefer to call it the 'Wallonian dialect of French.' There's also German, spoken in a tiny place which Belgium got from Germany in the Treaty of Versailles.

I'd like to find a good translation webservice that is either free or very, very cheap, since I'm trying to write an app which sort of automagically creates webpages in the other languages - right now, it's: input info in Dutch, and get French and English pages. So mytranslation service sucks even more than probably the worst, suckiest translator out there - that's ok though, it's only meant for short phrases of adjectives and nouns, and just skips what it can't handle. Still, anythingfish would probably be quite a bit better than mincklerfish.

[balam]

[freetranslation.com...] does a better (reversed) translation of shaadi's "Sushmita" sentence - the subject of the sentence remains Sushmita's mother ("The mom of Sushmita is pleasant and fresh.").

[edited by: Macguru at 6:32 pm (utc) on Oct. 22, 2004]
[edit reason] Linkless URL [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]