

Google Translate now supports Latin - abraham
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/veni-vidi-verba-verti.html

======
wyclif
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
Time to put 'Ingeniarius Programmandi' on my CV.

------
vladocar
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
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
Link: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum>

------
scrrr
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.

------
Anon84
Easter Egg: <http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3834/ishot1j.jpg>

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

it doesn't even make sense.

------
jakevoytko
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>

------
mortenjorck
This will make adding placeholder text to UI mockups _significantly_ more fun.

~~~
lsb
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>

------
davidw
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
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.

~~~
hugh3
Legitimate opinion, but severely offtopic.

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

Sorry. Couldn't resist. :)

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

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

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

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

~~~
noahth
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.

------
ryanricard
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...](http://translate.google.com/#la|en|quid%20pro%20quo%20Pro%20Quo%20manet)

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.

------
elblanco
Wow finally! I've been trying to bang around using [http://www.translation-
guide.com/free_online_translators.php...](http://www.translation-
guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin) 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...

------
Gormo
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
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.

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

------
mhd
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".

------
genieyclo
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..

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

------
julian37
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

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

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

------
balding_n_tired
res ipsa loquitur, or does it?

------
lifthrasiir
Quid?!

------
9ec4c12949a4f3
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.

~~~
hugh3
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.

~~~
zeynel1
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...](http://hiddensymmetries.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/sunt-lacrimae-
rerum-et-mentem-mortalia-tangunt/)

------
zeynel1
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

~~~
hugh3
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.

~~~
zeynel1
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.

~~~
hugh3
Hmm, the French version is actually pretty well done.

Perhaps it's an intrinsically harder problem, though, because Latin's grammar
is less English-like?

Still, you're probably right in that the Latin version is just significantly
worse than the French.

