Some of you have first hand knowledge of receiving a ZERO for using online translators. Why would I want to grade a machine, when my focus must be on what you have learned?
Right. But it's more than that. The fact is, machines haven't mastered "Language." Take a look at this short video (made at a French Film Festival), called "Wicked Deception," to get a feel for how confusing these translations can be (and how the use of them is so ridiculously easy for anyone "in the know" to spot!).
--> Compare the spoken English with the subtitles in the following entertaining romantic triangle!
"How I always say it: This whole is quite fine, good."
What?!
SO: PLEASE MAKE A COMMITMENT NEVER TO GENERATE GERMAN FOR OUR CLASS USING AN ONLINE TRANSLATOR!
Instead:
1. Follow the sentence structure rules that you have learned (VERBS are SECOND and LAST...),
2. Match the Verb with its Subject, and
3. Stay with the vocabulary that you know.
---> That's the formula for earning top marks!
i did not even need translation for the intro..... American English and British English
ReplyDeleteI don't try to use the German translator because when you use it comes out to things that don't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI dont use the translaters for my schule work I use them to goof off and have fun when I get bored + when I see the translations that they give you they look a little bit wrong but thats to me.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the students are aware of that little issue, otherwise we wouldn't have these:
ReplyDeletehttp://translationparty.com/
http://tashian.com/multibabel/
Christoff, I had never tried these programs before. Thanks for steering me there. Here's the first comment I found on the second site:
ReplyDelete"What happens when you use http://tashian.com/multibabel/ to translate this sentence?
'What's the best way to cook a turkey and which side dishes should I make to go with it?'
translates to:
'That the thing is the cook more better possible of the method he stops truthahn of the lateral obligation and that flagstone, with him to modify the end requisite individuals to give to form the I to him?'"
Go figure!
I only use translaters if I desperatly need one. Even then I mostly go to my book first.
ReplyDelete