Evelyn
Using Google Translate for Russian got me a big surprise (question includes reference to profanity) Is this why I shouldn't be using Google Translate as a dictionary and spellchecker? My intended meaning: I'm studying Russian because I have a lot of neighbors from Russia and Ukraine who speak Russian, and I want to be better able to speak with them. My Russian: Я изучаю русский язык, потому что у мен много соседей из России и Украины, которые говорить по-русски, и я хочу быть в состоянии гобоить с ними. Google Translate for my Russian: I'm studying Russian, because I have a lot of neighbors from Russia and Ukraine who speak Russian, and I want to be able to f*** with them. (Where f*** appears, Google Translate gave the common four-letter vulgarity for fornication.) "состояние/в состоянии" is not a word and usage that I'm very familiar with, but it seems to mean "condition/in condition to." Does anyone know whether it should be returning that expression from Google Translate, or this is just one of Google Translate's infamous vagaries? Thanks.
Mar 21, 2017 4:52 AM
Answers · 10
3
There is no point to blame Google Translate in this case. It translates perfectly well from YOUR ENGLISH to CORRECT RUSSIAN. I'm studying Russian because I have a lot of neighbors from Russia and Ukraine who speak Russian, and I want to be better able to speak with them. ---> Я изучаю русский язык, потому что у меня много соседей из России и Украины, которые говорят по-русски, и я хочу быть в состоянии говорить с ними. The problem with your attempt to translate from YOUR RUSSIAN back to English is your incorrect spelling. That' all ;-) Try to retype the sentences without errors and you'll get the perfect translation. Я изучаю русский язык, потому что у менЯ много соседей из России и Украины, которые говорЯТ по-русски, и я хочу быть в состоянии гоВоРить с ними.
March 21, 2017
1
It reminded me of an occasion at the dawn of machine translation: "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" was retranslated(En->Ru->En) as "the vodka is good but the meat is rotten".
March 21, 2017
Here living in Moscow i happen to know a bunch of guys working at Yandex (speech recognition, and other things). As to my classmate who is working at Google, he's left to America, so I don't see him often:-E) Actually one of co-founders of Google is a Russian and also there is a bunch of Russians working there.
March 21, 2017
I think I see the reference, even through the haze of my limited Russian. :) I will check the song, and the band, out - you never know what I might like. (Come to think of it, living here in Seattle, I happen to know someone who works at Google. And that person just happens to be Russian... )
March 21, 2017
I got it!!!!! I know where I heard 'гобой' is the sense of membrum virile!!!!! Yahoo! (the verb form "гобой" (a musical instrument) would be гобоить) See the song женщина: http://www.auktyon.ru/text/sorrento.html Actually this is one of my favorite rock-groups. And one of favirite songs:) But I doubt you would enjoy music here. PS. I also doubt google translate would listen to this band. Listen and understand the metaphors. But who knows/
March 21, 2017
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Evelyn
Language Skills
English, Russian, Spanish
Learning Language
Russian, Spanish
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