First, let me say that Google Translate has helped me enormously in my genie work. Because the Bushu and Wolf families were Catholics from Europe, I spend a lot of time with documents written in Latin, French, and German. I also spend a lot of time on German and French websites. I can get by in all three languages, though at a very, very, basic level.
I also correspond with five people in France and Germany. While I can use English with two of these people, that is not the case with the other three. One friend writes in French, and I answer in German, another writes in German, and I respond in kind. And the third, let's call him Jean, prefers that we use a translation program, so he composes in French and lets his program translate; I compose in English and turn the translation over to Google.
I tell you this to demonstrate that my use of Google is pretty complex. I cut and paste lengthy text from foreign websites into Translate. (I can manage short stuff, but it takes a while; long stuff is overwhelming.) I compose my long emails to Jean in Translate. But I compose the German emails, and the short French ones, "freehand," meaning I use the language as I know it, using a dictionary to look up words I don't know. It's a long, arduous process, but good for my brain. However, when I'm done writing, I submit it to Translate for comparison. Translate fixes my spelling and syntax, but sometimes changes my meaning. Sometimes a LOT. So I don't always accept what Translate tells me because sometimes Translate is wrong.
So based on my pretty complicated experience, I'd like to offer some suggestions to those thinking of trying out a translation program. I'm writing about Google Translate, which I understand is one of the best, but I imagine much of this applies to other programs as well.
If you're asking Translate to convert foreign language text for you, expect errors. Be patient, get creative in your thinking. If you're translating something written by a native speaker, assume they didn't intend to confuse you or insult you. Here's a good example of what I mean. Jean wrote and told me that he was giving me access to his online tree. He said I could either do "one copy to stick" or access the whole tree. I played around with that "one copy to stick" thing; did he mean copy to a USB drive? Nah. I finally found the French terms in his email (one good reason to know something of the language), entered the individual words (copier coller) in Translate and Voila! Copy-paste. "Coller" is paste as well as stick. Now it makes total sense. If you are totally perplexed, try using another translation program. My friend Jean uses Systran.
Now, if the translation is going the other way -- English to another language, my advice gets more detailed.
First, I would strongly caution you from using a translation program for anything sensitive or important if you don't know the language at all. I would NEVER try to correspond with someone in Russian, Japanese, or Dutch; I'd find someone to help me, even if I had to pay. I might use a program to say "Thank you," but that's it. There are too many ways things can go wrong; at the very least, you'll look like an idiot and at worst, start world war III. You don't need to know much; some vocabulary would help, as well as a little bit about how the language goes together. In general I'd say the more important the message is, the more you should have some acquaintance with the language.
If you're writing someone, be upfront that you're using a translation program. Your reader will assume you didn't mean to be insulting or confusing; she will blame the program, perhaps get a good laugh.
The less you know the language, the simpler your text chunks should be. Use simple sentences with simple punctuation, and translate one sentence at a time. You can put them in paragraphs when you paste into your email or whatever.
Avoid slang or specialized language. While current tech language (wifi, USB, Internet) often retains its general English spelling in Western European languages, lots of English jargon and idioms turn into gobbledegook at the other end. So for instance, I would not use the word "passing" to refer to death, or "tying the knot" for marriage. Try to read your prose with an eye out for stuff that doesn't make literal sense. (For example, I'd avoid "keep an eye out" and "stuff" in the previous sentence if I planned to have Google translate it.)
Proofread, proofread, proofread your English before you submit it. Translation programs are literal; non-words will be left untranslated, and the program won't catch your use of "piece" when you meant "peace." Don't forget to look for accidental spaces in words; that could make a mess of the translation. So triple-check everything for typos, spelling, correct pronouns (no accidental "our" when you mean "your"), and homonyms.
Finally, read through the translation for obvious errors. Yes, I know, you wouldn't be using the program if you could translate the text yourself. But a careful look will help you catch misspelled English that didn't get translated, odd characters where there shouldn't be any. In a recent instance, when I cut and pasted text from Google, I ended up with the same paragraph pasted multiple times. In another, I discovered a sentence had been cut off. In a third, an acronym (CDHF) was converted to another one entirely.
On the upside, I strongly encourage anyone with immigrant ancestors to dive into foreign research. And connect with people overseas. I have found that Europeans are gracious and helpful as long as I'm courteous and clear. My experience is they love knowing what happened to those ancestors who vanished. But if someone helps, offer help in return.
I doubt that I've covered all the bases here. I'll add as I experience yet more fun with translations. And if others have advice or experiences to share, please leave a comment.
À bientôt!
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