Return to APA Newsletters IndexThe following appeared in Volume 97, Number 2 (Spring, 1998) of the APA Newsletters
Review of Globalink Power Translator for Windows, version 6.02
Lawrence M. Hinman
The World Wide Web has been an English-speaking world for Americans, and during the first few years there was little concession to the non-English speaking world. We tended not to explore sites beyond our linguistic scope, and we offer few aids on our site to those who do not speak English. I realize this in my own site, Ethics Updates, where little concession is made to the non-English speaking visitor, despite the fact that in the last six months it has had visitors from eighty-five different countries. English is de rigeur, as it were.
This is gradually beginning to change, thanks in part to two kinds of software programs. Some search engines, such as Alta Vista, now have some built-in options for translating site. (Alta Vista does about 300,000 translations a day, about half from English into the major European and American languages such as German, French, and Spanish.)
The other type of software is that which is available to individual users to run on their own machines. Among the numerous programs out there is Globalink Power Translator, which is the subject of this review. Globalink comes on a CD-ROM, and can translate to and from English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. It can read : Microsoft Write, Hypertext Markup Language (HTM, HTML), Rich Text Format (RTF), Text, Microsoft Word 2.0 for Windows, Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows and Windows NT, and Microsoft WordPad (saved in Text or RTF formats). The version I used did not support Word97 documents, but these could be saved comparatively easily as Word 6.0 documents.
Interface Issues
There are two distinct issues in evaluating software such as this. One has to do with the quality of the interface. Does it allow the average user to use the software easily and effectively? The second question is how well the software itself accomplishes its job. Before turning to this second issue, which is my principal concern in this review, let me comment briefly on the interface.
In testing this software I first saved a number of documents to disk and then had the program translate them. About half the time, when I reloaded shtml files from disk, they came up with all the html tags visible. There's a simple work-around: load it into Netscape or Explorer and then copy it into the program, but this shouldn't happen.
The program also crashed several times on me when I asked it to translate an entire document, even though the document was not very long (just over a standard page) and even though it was on a clean, well-behaved machine with an unaltered copy of Windows95. (In other words, I hadn't tweaked it in ways that could have confused the program!) This was, however intermittent. I had no problem when I translated selected groups of sentences.
Translation Issues
In asking ourselves how useful this program is, we need to ask ourselves what we expect. If we expect a full and completely accurate translation, we will be sorely disappointed. However, we get a general idea from the translation about what is going on, and most of the software's mistakes in translation are clearly mistakes. This is actually an advantage over inept human translators, who may make their translation look meaningful even when it is not accurate. If the software is confused, you can usually tell immediately. Furthermore, if you know the language, and sometimes even if you don't, you can accurately guess the result.
In looking for appropriate texts, I decided not to begin with strictly philosophical texts-they're often extremely difficult for gifted human translators. Software hardly has a chance. I will, however, give one example of this at the end.
Instead, I decided to look for a document that was already in several languages so that we could compare the text across several languages. After unsuccessful attempts to find such a document at UNESCO, the Beijing Conference, and other similar sites, I tried the Vatican site and found a number of documents available in several different languages. I picked a couple of paragraphs that seemed reasonably difficult but still within the range of possibility for a software program. I'll begin with the original English version, then the Spanish, German, and French versions, each of which will be followed by the Globalink translation. I have included the original text so that those who are more comfortable in these languages can in each case compare it with the original.
Official English Version:
When Bishops come to Rome every five years on the occasion of the "ad limina Apostolorum" visit, they are received at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "for an exchange of information and an analysis of problems regarding to the doctrinal situation of the various countries as well as a joint search for solutions to the main local doctrinal questions" (Attività della Santa Sede 1996, Vatican City 1997, p. 671).
Original Spanish:
Cuando, cada cinco años, los Obispos vienen a Roma para realizar la Visita "ad limina Apostolorum", son recibidos en la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe "para un intercambio recíproco de información y la profundización de los problemas doctrinales de los diversos países, así como para la búsqueda común de soluciones a las principales questiones doctrinales locales" (Actividad de la Santa Sede 1996, Città del Vaticano 1997, pag. 671).
Original French:
Quand, tous les cinq ans, les évêques viennent à Rome à l'occasion de la visite "ad limina Apostolorum", ils sont reçus à la Congrégation pour la Doctrine de la Foi "pour un échange mutuel d'informations et pour un approfondissement des problèmes relatifs à la situation doctrinale des pays respectifs ainsi que pour la recherche commune de solution des principales questions doctrinales locales" (Attività della Santa Sede 1996, Cité du Vatican 1997, p. 671).
Globalink Translation from the German:
On the occasion of that all five years in Rome taking place ad limina Apostolorum visits receives the Dikasterium the bishops to a reciprocal information-exchange, to the discussion of the current problems existing in the different countries and to the common clarification and solution of the main problems in the respective areas (vgl. Attività della Santa Sede, Città Del Vaticano 1997, S. 671) .
Original German:
.Anläßlich der alle fünf Jahre in Rom stattfindenden "ad limina Apostolorum" Besuche empfängt das Dikasterium die Bischöfe "zu einem gegenseitigen Informationsaustausch, zur Besprechung der in den verschiedenen Ländern bestehenden aktuellen Probleme und zur gemeinsamen Klärung und Lösung der hauptsächlichen Probleme in den jeweiligen Gebieten" (vgl. Attività della Santa Sede, Città del Vaticano 1997, S. 671).
Globalink Translation from the Spanish:
When, every five years, the Bishops come to Rome to carry out the Visit ad limina Apostolorum", they are received in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for a reciprocal exchange of information and the profundización of the doctrinal problems of the diverse countries, as well as for the search common of solutions to the main local doctrinal questiones" (Activity of the Santa Headquarters 1996, Città of the Vatican 1997, p. 671).
Globalink Translation from the French:
When, every five years, bishops come to Rome on occasion from visit ad Apostolorum limina, they are received to the Community for the Doctrine of the Faith for a mutual exchange of information and for a relative problem deepening to the doctrinal situation of the respective countries as well as for the common research of main local doctrinal question solution (Attività Santa della Sede 1996, City of the Vatican 1997, p. 671).
Kant; "What is Enlightenment?"
When we look at a philosophical text, the situation is even more bleak. Here's a paragraph from the beginning of Kant's "Was ist Aufklaerung?" and the Globalink translation:
Original German
Faulheit und Feigheit sind die Ursachen, warum ein so großer Teil der Menschen, nachdem sie die Natur längst von fremder Leitung freigesprochen [A482] (naturaliter maiorennes), dennoch gerne zeitlebens unmündig bleiben; und warum es anderen so leicht wird, sich zu deren Vormündern aufzuwerfen. Es ist so bequem, unmündig zu sein. Habe ich ein Buch, das für mich Verstand hat, einen Seelsorger, der für mich Gewissen hat, einen Arzt, der für mich die Diät beurteilt usw., so brauche ich mich ja nicht selbst zu bemühen. Ich habe nicht nötig zu denken, wenn ich nur bezahlen kann; andere werden das verdrießliche Geschäft schon für mich übernehmen. Daß der bei weitem größte Teil der Menschen (darunter das ganze schöne Geschlecht) den Schritt zur Mündigkeit, außer dem daß er beschwerlich ist, auch für sehr gefährlich halte, dafür sorgen schon jene Vormünder, die die Oberaufsicht über sie gütigst auf sich genommen haben. Nachdem sie ihr Hausvieh zuerst dumm gemacht haben und sorgfältig verhüteten, daß diese ruhigen Geschöpfe ja keinen Schritt außer dem Gängelwagen, darin sie sie einsperreten, wagen durften, so zeigen sie ihnen nachher die Gefahr, die ihnen drohet, wenn sie es versuchen, allein zu gehen. Nun ist diese Gefahr zwar eben so groß nicht, denn sie würden durch einigemal Fallen wohl endlich gehen lernen; allein ein Beispiel von der Art macht doch schüchtern und schreckt gemeiniglich von allen ferneren Versuchen ab.
Globalink Translation
Laziness and cowardice are the causes, why a so big part of the people, after acquitted her/it/them the nature from foreign management long ago [A482] (naturaliter maiorennes), nevertheless gladly for life underage remains; and why it becomes others so easy, to toss itself/themselves up to their Vormündern. It is so comfortable, underage to be. I have a book, that has mind for me, a pastor, who has consciences for me, a doctor, who judges the diet for me, etc, so I don't need myself themselves, to trouble. I don't have to think necessary, if I can only pay; others will already take on the sullen business for me. That that with wide biggest part of the people (under it the whole beautiful sex) the step to the majority, besides which also for very dangerous that he/it is burdensome, holds, those Vormünders, that have taken the superintendence from gütigst on itself over her/it/them, already take care of it. After they have first done her/its/their house-livestock stupidly and prevented carefully, that these quiet creatures no step besides the Gängelwagen, in it she/it she/it einsperreten, might dare, so they show them the danger, that threatens them, afterward, if they try it to go alone. Now this danger just is not so big in fact, because they would learn finally to go through several times downfalls probably; alone an example of the type does however shyly and deters gemeiniglich of all more distant attempts.
The program simply didn't translate some of Kant's vocabulary and obviously, as in several of the other examples, has problems with gendered pronouns and personal adjectives.
Overview
As you can see from reading these translations and comparing them both to the English version and to their respective original languages (where there are some peculiarities not always contained in the English), we can see that these translations are hardly ready for prime time. This might help you out if you had no knowledge of a language, but would hardly be reliable for anything but the most superficial consideration. I think we have a ways to go yet, at least with Globalink.
See Globalink at http://www.globalink.com
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