Communications of the ACM
Automatic Language Translation Still Unsatisfactory
The automatic translators Google Translate and DeepL Translate still have trouble recognizing the second person singular and plural and the polite form, even in very simple sentences. The results in French, Italian and Spanish are sometimes right, sometimes wrong; i.e., rather random. DeepL sometimes offers (right or wrong) alternatives. Progress in this area leaves much to be desired. The available datasets are probably incomplete. Solutions based on statistical probability are apparently reaching their limits. The source language is German. Red means incorrect.
DeepL Translate
Bringst du mir bitte das Buch?
English
Will you please bring me the book?
French
Voulez-vous s'il vous plaît m'apporter le livre?
Italian
Mi porti il libro, per favore?
Spanish
¿Podría por favor traerme el libro?
Holt ihr die Kinder ab?
English
Do you pick up the children?
French
Est-ce que vous venez chercher les enfants?
Italian
Vieni a prendere i bambini?
Spanish
¿Recoges a los niños?
Wissen Sie, wann der Zug fährt?
Engliah
Do you know when the train leaves?
French
Savez-vous quand le train part ?
Italian
Sa quando parte il treno?
Spanish
¿Sabes cuándo sale el tren?
Google Translate
Bringst du mir bitte das Buch?
English
Can you bring me the book, please?
French
Pouvez-vous m'apporter le livre, s'il vous plaît ?
Italian
Mi porti il libro, per favore?
Spanish
¿Puedes traerme el libro, por favor?
Holt ihr die Kinder ab?
English
Do you guys pick up the kids?
French
Est-ce que vous ramassez les enfants?
Italian
Voi ragazzi andate a prendere i bambini?
Spanish
¿Ustedes recogen a los niños?
Wissen Sie, wann der Zug fährt?
English
Do you know when the train leaves?
French
Savez-vous quand le train part?
Italian
Sai quando parte il treno?
Spanish
¿Sabes cuándo sale el tren?
Herbert Bruderer ([email protected]; [email protected]) is a retired lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and a historian of technology.
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