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Navy Unveils Polyglot Chat For Iraq
An anonymous reader writes "According to ScienceBlog, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, trying to keep friendly armies in Iraq from accidentally blowing each other to smithereens, is helping create software that connects instant messaging (IM) with machine translation (MT). The result: Chat software to be used in Iraq that automatically translates your messages into the correct language of the reader, called the the Coalition Chat Line - it's 'getting rave reviews from U.S. and allied-coalition personnel.'"
The US and UK troops will be able to understand each other! Two nations no longer divided by a common language :-)
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
Given the quirks of babelfish and similar, I hope poor, mangled machine translations don't cause more negative incidents than they prevent.
d00d, yuo teh liberatz0rz!!11~
Was it microsoft that applied for a patent related to automated translation with IM? Maybe they can now sue the Navy and get event more licensing revenue!
US Soldier: HELLO, HOW r U?
Translation: ACKMA AL I TA?
Iraqi: ALLAH KA RACKA JA!!!
Translation: Your mother sleeps with goats and your father sleeps with Bill Gates.
US Solider: LOL!!!!!
Translation: LOL!!!!!
Iraqi: XOXOX!
Translations: Hugs and Kisses!
More methods for the enemy to be able to figure out your location. Just what troops need!
+5 Insightful, really!
...is better than you may think. Though it is as difficult as everyone says to translate a random text from one language to another, translating short texts in a specialised domain between well-linked languages isn't too hard. Heck, they might even be able to get away with using lookup tables.
They released it to others... preferably open source, so that one might be able to better understand a friend far away.
My bad. LOL :-(
Laters
What we say: "We want to help you."
What they hear: "All your base are belong to us!".
Online Starcraft RPG? At
Dietary fiber is like asynchronous IO-- Non-blocking!
01100100011011110110010101110011001000000110100101 11010000100000011100100110010101100001011001000010 00000110001001101001011011100110000101110010011110 0100111111
http://nickciske.com/tools/binary.php
What doesn't kill you only delays the inevitable
Maybe now the guy that works at the pizza place can finally understand my order. When does the public get this software?
Chat software to be used in Iraq that automatically translates your messages into the correct language of the reader, called the the Coalition Chat Line
Iraq doubleplusgood / Iraqpersons secure / foodwater supplies up 82% / Kerry verging crimethink / oldthinkers unbellyfeel Bush / think in Bushspeak.
The coolest voice ever.
Hoy hemos matado a un terrorista --> Today we to eat a dangerous ista.
:-)
Wir haben es nicht gewust --> Wine is not a sausage.
Wie wis joe a melly klistmas --> We whish you a Merry Christmas.
No offence meant.
fortune is my favourite linux command
US: our base is protected
translate
UK : Your Base is under control
translate
Pol : Your Base Is Inside our control
translate
Jap: All Your Base Are Belong To Us
translate
Iraq : Well No Sh!t sherlock.
END TRANSMISSION
--Idiots, Every single one of YOU, A flaming mass of conglomerated morons, hey wait a second, isnt that how RAID works?
That is intended to help peace in such regions? Wonder what amount of casualties could start simple phrases like "greetings to your mother". At least if its read in english you know what it tried to say, but if the original meaning is lost with translations that had some non-diplomatic implications, well, the risk is high.
Whoops, I was just about to make a joke about emoticons from female American soldiers automatically displayed wearing veils at the other end, but it's the wrong country. I recycle that joke when this technology starts being used with Saudi Arabia or Iran.
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
There will be a fair share of Korean PKers over there, lemme tell ya. Those guys are hard to trade with, too. T_T
Hey, like it or hate it, Esperanto can be taught in just a month or two, to a level allowing excellent communications. I think its great to have such software, but that doesn't help face to face, whereas everyone learning a neutral language will help in every situation. So if we are going to pour money down a funnel, lets pour it down the funnel that has long-term benifits for mankind.
Drop me a line at:
Key ID: 0x54D1D809
Two nations no longer divided by a common language
Indeed. I can't tell you how many fights erupt when a Brit asks a Yank for a cigarette.
The coolest voice ever.
A real Universal Translator! Now if they can only fix these problems in time.
i thought some of the open source IM clients could already do translations on the fly
I don't know what IM protocol they want to use, but psychoid's excellent psybnc has had this ability for years (plus a lot of others, like encryption, single instance on a server for multiple users, bncnet abilities, etc.). Seems like they would be better off using off the shelf tested software than reinventing the wheel and probably doing so poorly.
http://www.psychoid.net/psybnc.html
both in IM and online forums (thinking of none in particular). Of course being a devout spelling nazi myself I don't need one, but it would spare me from seeing others' mistakes.
Friday it is posted by the machine translation and the American eastern standard time March 05th @ 13:10:57 bjs
of IM Iraqi front So, effectively and it is not, each other which for example the soldier and the commander who speak the language where the theater of war differs in order to transmit, by mistake is blown is obtained, how? TJ0 0N remove the instantly message software of the shelf, throw with the dose of machine translation. So it is the office of naval research.
From office of naval research: '
You chat in Iraq '
The troop of chat line help of combination to transmit The Iraqi United States and the allied forces the cruel enemy, face the new political substance, and the complicated environment of the culture which differs very. Challenge increases with the barrier of word: Many languages of ally where the Arabic and power of the Iraqi person have supported operation. However the technology which fund is supplied has helped the fact that the cultural gap is made narrow the United States and combined power the Iraqi person and by making that to transmit effectively in them themselves possible during the organizing other DoD today, depending upon the office of naval research.
Now around Iraq at the plural United States and the place where it has formed an alliance is used the "combined chat line" quickly and was well known in the teenager of the operator and some 1000000 where you speak the language which differs in order securely to transmit, using "instantly message" practice, it makes the commander possible. That in slow 2002, those with cost of custom translation practice and the method of decreasing lag, the fact that to transmit quickly and accurately is helped, leader secondary Superintendent naval force Europe of Jr. of the male deer of rear Adm. t., proposed the use stock technology of the American, United States and ally. Answering to that, the advisor of the science of ONR of naval European order the office of the solution of the technology of ONR and the work group of the mathematics of ONR, set up the computer and the information science section in order to modify the program which crith Hillenbrand and MITRE Corp. developed for the service program of plural other things.
The trim or trans-lingual instantly message was used, was integrated with the machine-translation engine from of Logomedia Corp., other commercial that the hardware. Result: Chat line of combination. Technology has obtained intense praising/supporting from the staff of the United States and alliance combination. Chat line technology was appraised during the effort which is connected by the practice of 2003 May where nation of 39 joins alliance combination. That furthermore, was appraised to June between chronology BALTOPS for power of nation of 12. The American alliance multi-national part which as for the call from the public official of the effort which is connected uses the technology between (MND) in the SPAWAR system center of the navy, the prototype chat line software the test was put in place through the circle whose San Diego is fast. That was tested simultaneously in San Diego; London; Stuttgart and Germany; And Baghdad. Hillenbrand and that team had the notebook PC of 10 in Iraq the chat line program and the load were concluded in November.
On the 4th those in Al Hilla installed the software in the headquarters of MND; The place moves with Karbala due to the unit of the Polish person; The Spanish operation of announcement Diwaniyah; And because of the Ukrainian of Al Kut group. The Ukrainian person could use the alphabet character set to which the chat line has been attached. The extent chat line function where MND installs that more in 200 unit computers of the public official of information system behavior proved validity and spread. Chat line prototype, passing by the headquarters network of MND, being made in the "clean extent", you call Hillenbrand. "Crossing order really," note
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
the disturbance that to maintain those cause smithereens
That is awesome. Zero Wing, eat your heart out.
original:
"Our troops will be to your left doing field exercises for 24 to 48 hours, please disregard hostile sounding noises during that time"
english to japanese, then japanese to english:
"As for our troops there is a noise of sound of the enemy between that you ignore on your left which does 48 hour field exercises from 24"
english to korean, then korean to english:
"Our unit in 24 48 hours in your left which does a hazard field exercise, the sound which will be hostile during that hour which disregards me will connect a sound arresting"
pray for our troops
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
The article starts with a question:
So how do you get soldiers and commanders speaking different languages in a theater of war to communicate effectively and not, for example, blow each other up mistakenly?
I think there is a simple answer to that question - use human translators! I would never trust a machine translation with my life.
I speak a second language to reasonably high standard, and so I realise that languages can be really subtle things. Sometimes things just don't translate directly, and they need interpretation e.g.
Non-English speaking soldier How's the new weapon system working?
US soldier It's hot! Damn hot!
Non-English speaking soldier Oh dear! It shouldn't be hot! You must stop using it immediately!
US soldier No I mean it rocks!
Non-English speaking soldier It's fastenings are insecure? Sounds like we should send an engineer immediately! Please cease using it!
Since I'm neither a Brit or an American, I never figured it out. Anyone?
The owls are not what they seem
"Uh-oh, shit - lookout!"
boycott slashdot February 10th - 17th check out: altSlashdot.org
Ummm, aren't ROTFL, LOL, WTF?, and :-O readily understandable regardless of your native language?
Didn't PSO on the dramcast have a feature like this?
So the troops can have a better feel as to what their counterparts see when they send a message, the message is always converted at least once, so english to english is converted twice:
"To take thanks care of this goal, which we did not determine." was actually "Thank you for taking care of that target that we failed to notice."
Wait until you see the transcripts of their off duty exploits...
-Adam
I beleive that the working name is MTIM, but is commonly referred to by the users as "Mr. TIM"
:/
Unfortunately, due to a contracting snafu, the codebase centers largely around Microsoft Bob, dubbed by the same users as "Ms. Bob"
The premise of the software operates on the belief that there are only certain phrases that troops will need to share. For example, an Iraqi and Canadian can collaborate effortlessly on a word processing document, but "Don't shoot them, they're friendly" requires additional modules be purchased at an outrageous markup and are only available through very few resellers, and not from the company itself. Enemy forces are understanding though, and have agreed to warn troops of their activities ahead of time so that they can properly procure the needed modules.
One troop was quoted as saying "Hey, at least it's not that damned paperclip asking me if I'd like help shooting anyone."
Sorry -- it's the sleep dep...
i think it was this movie (maybe startrek?) that uses this technology, but in an advanced state...they are able to understand each other because of the chip on their clothes that does translations on the fly. So, that lizard guy could talk to the 'Last Starfighter'.
so what does this mean? well, if this is a precursor to said technology, it must be good.
wow...what a good movie. i think i'll go rent it tonight....
We're like rats, in some experiment! -- George Costanza
*** IRAK_4EvR! smoked US_SOLDIER445 with a flying grenede
US_SOLDIER445: damn camper!
IRAK_4EvR!: hahaha, you have no skill!
*** US_SOLDIER445 starts a vote to kick IRAK_4EvR!
US_SOLDIER445: whatever dude, campers suck, you're the one with no skillz!
IRAK_4EvR!: as if
US_SOLDIER445: right, can you use any other weapon, or can you only use the grenede puker! get some skillz, try your luck with a sniper rifle if you're a real soldier of alaha! (haha!)
IRAK_4EvR!: lamer
*** IRAK_4EvR! smoked US_SOLDIER445 with a flying grenede
IRAK_4EvR!: eat that!
US_SOLDIER445: I WAS TYPING YOU LOSER!
IRAK_4EvR!: ROTFLOL!
free ipod and free gmail!
Most people in the world speak english. Is not hard to learn and use. So, maybe this machine is outdated... ...I think most spanish at Iraq will also use english to speak to USA and UK people. I am wrong? So this machine is not too much usefull... most educated people ALREADY can communicate each other. English is actually the latin lang of our time.
-Woof woof woof!
What we say: "A stable, secure Iraq."
What they hear: "MUAHAHAHAHA"
Sametime (IBM's instant messaging product for the enterprise) has had this for some time:
http://jkent.dfw.ibm.com/ebia/doc/LTSS.html
What did you eat today? http://www.atetoday.com/
The American and English armies were fully satisfied of the English-English translation capabilities. Here's for hoping it works in English-Iraq mode...
"Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect" -- Linus Torval
Iraqi: "Welcome liberators!"
Xlation: "Jihad!"
Navy: "The pilot has your base in sight."
Xlation: "All your base are belong to us."
Iraqi: "We already knew that."
Xlation: "Yankee go home."
Navy: "What you say?"
Xlation: "Make your time."
Iraqi: "What are you doing!"
Xlation: "Send out Zig!"
Navy: "I don't think this is working very well."
Xlation: "May your mother in law fall into a well!"
Iraqi: "Ah, friend! We only have misunderstanding, welcome!"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Like WMDs?
litigious bastards
suck it sco!
...since Iraq was originaly the Babylonian empire :-)
-sloppy
Claim #37 on Microsoft's patent application clearly states "The system involved in Claims 1-36 will crash no less often than twice every half-hour." As the Navy's system doesn't appear to contain this, I think they're safe.
...machine translation is capable of syntax correction for the target language. Any 10 year old kid with the appropriate tables can do a word-for-word translation. Getting syntax right and accounting for slang and non-standard usage--there's the rub.
Specifically, back when I was a co-op in late 2000, I wrote the proof-of-concept demo versions of TrIM, the software that Coalition Chat is based off of. Over the years, I've gone back to TrIM and its related projects a few times to work on various updates. Now that I'm a full-time employee at MITRE, in the same department, people keep passing me along news of TrIM's exploits. I read the title of this article today and thought, "Wow, that sounds familiar". *grin*
09
This reminds me of the classic Python "Hungarian Phrasebook" sketch:
Hungarian: I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Clerk: Sorry?
Hungarian I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Clerk: Uh, no, no, no. This is a tobacconist's.
Hungarian: Ah! I will not buy this *tobacconist's*, it is scratched.
Clerk: No, no, no, no. Tobacco...um...cigarettes (holds up a pack).
Hungarian: Ya! See-gar-ets! Ya! Uh...My hovercraft is full of eels.
Okay I can see a few issues when it comes to translating IM speak.
USSoldier: Yo Wuz Up Wit U?
Translation to Iraqi Soldier: Error Code 32 - Invalid Input String
USSoldier: Y U Not Anzer Fo? I'm 3l33t H4x0r.
Translation to Iraqi Soldier: Translation Error 10 - Words Not Found In Database.
USSoldier - Yo, Anzer Fo, else I pwnz U!
Translation to Iraqi Soldier: Stack Buffer Overflow - Language Translator Broken Contact Your Administrator.
And we all know what happens now, US Soldier blows up three Iraqi Towns because he thought he was being ignored.
Sig? No thanks, I don't smoke.
Please, please, please -- put it in TAXICABS!
me
Iraqi: I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Soldier: Sorry?
Iraqi I will not buy this record, it is scratched.
Soldier: Uh, no, no, no. This is a patrol.
Iraqi: Ah! I will not buy this *patrol*, it is scratched.
Soldier: No, no, no, no. Patrol...um...military (holds up his rifle).
Iraqi: Ya! Mil-teh-ree! Ya! Uh...My hovercraft is full of eels.
Soldier: Sorry?
Iraqi: My hovercraft (pantomimes hefting a rifle)...is full of eels
Soldier: Ahh, insurgents!
Iraqi: Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya! Do you waaaaant...do you waaaaaant...to come back to my place, bouncy bouncy?
Soldier: Here, I don't think you're using that thing right.
Iraqi: You great poof.
Soldier: Look, just move along please.
Iraqi: If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me? I...I am no longer infected.
Soldier: Uh, may I, uh...(takes notebook computer, types in a phrase)...Costs six and six...ah, here we are. (speaks weird Iraqi-sounding words)
Iraqi punches the soldier.
I sure hope the military's got better machine translation than the rest of us do.
High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
English:
Hello. I am in Iraq. My Grid Coordinates are XY76543421, and I think that I may shoot at some guy that is pissing on the only tree out here.
In German:
Hallo. Ich bin im Irak. Meine Koordinaten des Rasterfeldes sind XY76543421, und ich denke, daB ich in irgendeine Einzelperson dieses pissing im einzigen Baum in Richtung zu drauBen werfen kann hier.
Into French:
Hallo. Je suis en Iraq. Mes coordonnees du champ de trame sont XY76543421, et moi-meme pensent que je peux jeter celui-ci dans un particulier pissing dans le seul arbre en direction dehors ici.
Back into English:
Hallo. I am in Iraq. My co-ordinates of the field of screen are XY76543421, and myself think that I can throw this one in a private individual pissing in the only steering shaft outside here.
Meaning: WTF?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"First things first -- but not necessarily in that order"
-- The Doctor, "Doctor
/.ing wasn't so nice for this site i guess? "Fatal error: Call to undefined function: message_die() in /home/scienceb/public_html/community/db/db.php on line 88"
Now some Iraqi will be reading Fatal Error!! Fatal, they sent us a message to die!.. We must fight, Praise Allah!!
Kent Simon Multitheft Auto
Why didn't they just use WebSphere Translation Server? This performs exactly what is needed and can be easily implemented by each party and is already available.
straight from the fish:
"Ali Baba at 9 o!"
"Ali Kuchen bei 9 o!"
"Ali cake with 9 o!"
I hope the US mil. has a beter babelfish...
"/Dread"
Now if we could only combine the legendary accuracy of automatic translation software with the untouchable stability of voice recognition... Throw in the tremendously successful Israli-developed voice truth indicators and the completely weatherproof M16, and you have a formula for successful rule in Iraq.
The ______ Agenda
is full of eels!
# (/.);;
- : float -> float -> float =
Well, since in the last 10 years only 4 Canadians have died as a result of direct military combat, all 4 of them the result of US Friendly fire, will it translate Canadian to American as well? Oh wait, I guess we all speak English.. So much for that..
Mod +5 Drunk
English-Spanish-English
Put the weapon down and you walk far. Immediately put its hands behind its head and put the Earth face down. Its life is in the risk if you it is not satisfied.
English-Japanese-English
Put in place the gun, walk. Immediately, put your hand in the rear of your head, on the land put the surface. Your life is if you do not follow dangerously.
English-Korean-English
The gun let in lower part and walk far. Your hand let immediately after your head and in ground put the face in lower part. When you do not follow and your life is dangerous.
English-German-English
The rifle, those in the lower part is let go and far. Their hand, which was left immediately after your head and in the soil, inserted the face into lower part. If you do not follow and your life are dangerous.
English-Chinese-English
Lays down the gun and gets out of the way. Places your hand immediately after yours head and the laying aside face gets down in the ground. Your life is in the danger if you do not comply.
I'm never going to buy anything from the Babelfish's "Systran" sponsor for that.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
Sent: Send reinforcements, we're going to advance
Received: Send three and four pence, we're going to a dance
Sent: We need to be supplied with a palette of 70 survivalist kits
Received: We need to be supplied with a palette of 70's revivalist kits
I was lucky to find a copy from #scriptkidz though.
phr0m teh 0ffice 0f naval re5earch:
'chattin'' in iraq
teh k0aliti0n ch@ line help2 tr00p2 k0mmunikate
united 5tate2 and allied ph0rce2 in iraq phace a k0mplex envir0nment 0f 8rutal enemie2, new p0litikal entitie2, and va5tly different kulture2. teh challen9e2 r multiplied 8y lan9ua9e 8arrier5: teh ara8ic 0f teh iraqi2 and teh many lan9ua9e2 0f allie2 wh02e ph0rce2 r 5upp0rtin' teh 0perati0n. yet t0day, techn0l09y phunded 8y teh 0ffice 0f naval re5earch, am0n9 0thah d0d 0r9ani2ati0n2, i2 helpin' t0 narr0w th@ kultural 9ap 8y ena8lin' u.2. and k0aliti0n ph0rce2 t0 k0mmunikate m0re effectively with teh iraqi2 and am0n9 them5elve2.
a "k0aliti0n ch@ line" n0w 8ein' u5ed @ 5everal u.2. and allied 5ite2 ar0und iraq ena8le2 k0mmander2 and 0perat0r2 wh0 5peek different lan9ua9e2 t0 k0mmunikate rapidly and relia8ly, u5in' teh "in5tant me55a9in'" practice2 phamiliar t0 milli0n2 0f teena9er2.
in late 2002, rear adm. david t. hart jr., deputy k0mmandah, u.2. naval ph0rce2 eur0pe, 5u99e5ted teh u.2. and it2 allie2 u2e 0ff-the-5helf techn0l09y t0 help them k0mmunikate rapidly and ackurately, in a way th@ w0uld reduce teh k05t2 and delay2 0f k0nventi0nal tran5lati0n practice2. in re5p0n2e, 0nr'2 5cience advi50r @ teh naval eur0pean k0mmand, chri2 hillen8rand, 5et up a w0rkin' 9r0up with 0nr'2 tech 50luti0n2 0ffice and teh 0nr math, k0mputah and inf0rmati0n 5cience2 divi5i0n t0 m0dify a pr09ram th@ mitre k0rp. had devel0ped ph0r 5everal 0thah 5ervice pr09ram2. trim, 0r tran5-lin9ual in5tant me55a9in', wa2 u5ed in k0njuncti0n with a machine-tran5lati0n en9ine phr0m l090media k0rp. and inte9rated with 0thah k0mmercial it hardware. teh re5ult: teh k0aliti0n ch@ line. teh techn0l09y i2 9ettin' rave review2 phr0m u.2. and allied-k0aliti0n per50nnel.
teh ch@ line techn0l09y wa2 evaluated durin' teh may 2003 allied-k0aliti0n exerci2e k0m8ined endeav0r, in which 39 nati0n2 participated. it wa2 phurthah evaluated in june durin' teh annual 8alt0p2, ph0r teh ph0rce2 0f 12 nati0n2.
a kall phr0m a 0fficah with teh u.2.-allied multi-nati0nal divi5i0n (mnd) wh0 had u5ed teh techn0l09y durin' k0m8ined endeav0r, 5et teh pr0t0type ch@ line 50ftware thr0u9h a kwick r0und 0f te5tin' @ teh navy'2 5pawar 5y5tem2 centah, 5an die90. it wa2 te5ted 5imultane0u5ly in 5an die90; l0nd0n; 5tutt9art, 9ermany; and 8a9hdad.
hillen8rand and hi2 team 8r0u9ht 10 n0te800k k0mputer2 l0aded with teh ch@ line pr09ram t0 iraq in n0vem8ah. 0vah ph0ur day2 they in5talled teh 50ftware @ mnd headkwarter2 @ al hilla; a 5ite run 8y a p0li5h unit @ kar8ala; a 5pani5h 0perati0n in ad diwaniyah; and ph0r a ukrainian 8ri9ade @ al kut. teh ukrainian2 were a8le t0 u2e cyrillic charactah 5et2 with teh ch@ line.
teh ch@ line kapa8ility pr0ved 50 effective and p0pular th@ teh mnd in5talled it 0n teh m0re than 200 k0mputer2 0f their inf0rmati0n-5y5tem2 acti0n 0fficer2. teh ch@ line pr0t0type, hillen8rand 5ay2, "made a clean 5weep" thr0u9h teh mnd central netw0rk.
"teh wh0le eff0rt really extended acr055 k0mmand2," n0te2 hillen8rand, "it'2 taken 0ff like a phrei9ht train 0n teh run." teh pr0ject i2 a k0lla80rati0n 0f 0nr, 5pawar, eur0pean k0mmand, and teh u.2. central k0mmand--a2 well a2 teh allie2. teh team n0w i2 re5p0ndin' t0 rekwe5t2 ph0r teh ch@ line kapa8ility phr0m teh u.2. 5eni0r army k0mmandah in iraq, lt. 9en. rikard0 5anche2 and teh 8riti5h k0mmandah in 50uthern iraq.
Why is Babelfish used as the main example as to why machine translation doesn't work? Is Babelfish the best out there? Does it represent the state of the art in machine translation?
LS
There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
This could be quite embarrasing for the US in some areas. GWB: We must find the WMD! Trans: Locate and take the oil! GWB: Protect the Iraqi people from terrorists! Trans: Enforce US version of democracy to Iraq and make them a puppetstate! GWB: Iraqi terrorists attacked US officer! Trans: US soldier attacked innocent Iraqi civilian.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Becomes
The vodka is good but the meat is rotten.
Which is a perfectly valid translation if you ignore syntax. If my life was on the line I don't think I would count a computer to do translation. They don't do syntax very well, so you tend to get philosophical musings translated into commentary on last night's meal.
BUSH: You have weapons of mass destruction, we want them handed over or we will invade your country.
TRANSLATING:.....You have weapons of mass destruction, we want them handed over or we will invade your country.
IRAQ: We do not have these weapons of mass destruction.
TRANSLATING:....We do not have these weapons of mass destruction.
Of course, the translator wasn't working back then.
Jonathanjk.com
Why this will never fly.
#10 Some of our Middle Eastern allies will become
offended by always being greeted with the
message, "Are you female?"
#9 Enemy troops will always know our location
simply by logging on as "1337BustyBlonde" and
typing "a/s/l"
#8 "Dood, ph33r my m4d fr@gg1ng ski11z" doesn't
have the same ring as "Mess with the best, die
like the rest."
#7 Along those same lines, "All your base are
belong to us" does not have the same ring
as "Veni, Vidi, Vici"
#6 Spammers will be responsable for one of the
worst military blunders in history when carpet
bombing *.mil domains with "Free Disney World
Vacation" spam initiates the carpet bombing of
Disney World with several thousand tons of high
explosives.
#5 Less technically inclined officers will bring
the entire system to its knees when the click on
the *.jpg.exe link and release the latest virus
threat.
#4 Our leadership ranks will be wiped out by our
own troops when above mentioned officers give the
excuse "I didn't think the virus would affect us.
I mean, we are all wearing our biohazard gear."
#3 Troops will be too busy reading Slashdot
#2 NO MORE WAR! Troops will be too busy buying
Vi@gra and "Organ enhancement" pills to shoot
people.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON THIS WILL NEVER WORK...
#1 The main IM server will be broken by some
dweeb named "Cowboy Neal" who puts his canteen in
the "cup holder"
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
Never flame the guy with the flamethrower ;)
...which was putatively located in Mesopotamia (i.e. Iraq).
There we go. Full circle. ^_-
DNA just wants to be free...
"Time for a brew". (Apparently "brew" is an American synonym for "beer". In English, and certainly in the context of the army, it would refer to a cuppa tea.)
Whatever it takes to get people to stop shooting.
Of course I'd want it over a secure VPN too. No sense in letting the other guy pause the action while he reloads.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
I was reading an article in Canada's The National Post yesterday that interviewed an English speaking Iraqi. He said that a lot of Iraqi's are detained or apprehended needlessly at US guard checkpoints simply because they cannot speak English to the guards.
The interviewee used to do translation for the US army, but after an incident he is now being sought as a member of the former Iraqi army. Despite this, he still has less trouble going through checkpoints simply because he can explain his business in English.
we think in memes.
We happen to use words to express the memes but we don't think in words.
Regardless, its the old: "I know you think you understand what you heard but I don't believe that you understand that what I said was not what I meant."
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
Soon we'll see the UN Council text messaging on their cellphones instead of wearing those headphones.
"I drank what?" - Socrates
wow, its back up. but don't they need to do something so .cx doesn't pull them down again?
So, not starting your sentences with capital letters is some sort of ironic comment?
Asking for resupply, Diablo II style.
YOU GIVE WEAPON
^ ^
T T
Someone set us up the bomb
Wrong, it would be
"Someone set up us the bomb."
...would hopefully be an AIM-54 Phoenix launched from an F-14.
Well, at least the US Army is using metric, so there won't be any embarrassing conversion errors.
Chip H.
I've laughed at a lot of these, but folks the Navy has been using chat for some time between ships underway at sea to conduct administrative type communications and for general questions. They DO NOT us it for dictating operational orders or policy. This is still done via voice communications and "official message traffic" (teletype style message in proper formatting released by the designated commander). So all you folks worried about soldiers getting their heads blown off by poor translation can breath easy...that type of info isn't passed via this method, even between our own troops who speak the same language.
I only read it once but for military applications you simply must restrict the communications to the most needed information. I.E. I'm at such and such coordinates, where are you? Send reinforcements I'm at such and such coordinates. I think the use of the word chat gives a bad image of what this can be useful for. We're talking people with guns in a combat zone not teenagers with ipods at the mall
IANANES (I am not a native English speaker), please don't look at this comment too closely ;-)
I don't like spell checkers. They catch all the trivial mistakes that you mostly just read over anyway, give you a nice feeling that the text is okay, but then they leave the really grave, embarrassing mistakes in. Most spell checkers should more accurately be called typo checkers. I English, they're able to also analyse grammar a little, beause it isn't all too complicated, but firstly this is absolutely not an option in most other languages and secondly I have to ask if we really want to help people who can't tell 'its' (_one_ word, possessive form of the pronoun it) apart from 'it's' (_two_ words, contraction of it is) in a way that makes them think even less about such things?
but what do i know, i'm just a model.
Not directly related to the software, but a funny fact.
Did you know the HQ of multinational (polish) division central south is in Babilon?
Man, it'd be awesome if people got off the worship of money and loved their neighbor. Somehow it doesn't seem likely thats going to happen in a flash.
I agree it'd be awesome.
The important thing is to make sure you do it. If you're nice to one person, that may change their outlook and be nice to another, who may end up being nice to another...until eventually everyone is nice to everyone else.
Now, if one person practices Jesus' message with everyone, there's a higher chance that those others will become interested in His message and want to learn more, or at the very least soaks up the intent.
Call me optimistic, if you'd like, but it's what we're directed to do...
Remember when first battle, approximate 4 or 5 people only in U.S.A. State Department spoke language of Vietnam people. See the difference now- you have Navy people speaking many dialects with great accuracy (paid translators on board from Iraq and Middle East). Imagine that technology used to say something like "Hey we are evacuating now in 1963" instaed of 10-year war that lasted so long.
I suggest you read Slashdot
Instant messaging was a vital communication method during the Iraq war. I was recently involved in a privately-funded study and interview series on the Iraq war.
Ground-based voice communications were poor during the war because forces moved too fast and were too spread out for the out-dated ground-based voice network to catch up. One of the most vital communication links then became the satellite based instant messaging feature of the vehicle-mounted Blue Force Tracking system, which tracked force locations with a GPS and satellite uplink, and provided unit location mapping.
There were many stories of guys in tanks who's only communication link with command at times were their Blue Force Tracking instant messaging system. IM isn't just for 16 year old girls anymore.
Blue Force Tracking, though not widely enough deployed, was one of the biggest technological successes of the war, and was directly responsible for the almost perfect friendly-fire record in the war. The instant messaging feature was practically an after-thought, but we were very lucky we had it, even in limited deployment, and it proved itself as a mature war-time tool.
Conversely, the 507th Maintenance Company incident, where Jessica Lynch was captured, could have been prevented if they had the Blue Force Tracking system. They were last in a convoy and fell behind their convoy a couple miles, at which point they lost radio contact, and didn't know the exact convoy route without the convoy realizing they had fell behind. Now the first and last vehicle in an Iraq convoy is almost always equipped with a Blue Force Tracking unit so that the convoy leader immediately knows of a straggler and is always in communication with them via instant messaging.
Braddock Gaskill
Oh, and it does:
[ReidNews]
Instead of saying
"Our troops will be to your left doing field exercises for 24 to 48 hours, please disregard hostile sounding noises during that time"
They'll break it up into several im lines:
Friendlies at xxxx coordinates.
Conduct field exercise.
Duration 24-48 hours.
Disregard hostile sounds.
At least, I hope that's what they are doing.
That would have come in handy for the chat with Iraq I organized between a coffeehouse near Washington, DC, and the Baghdad Internet Cafe.
English <-> MMS?
This Like That - fun with words!
...second language. Chinese (Mandarin) is unquestionably the most common natively spoken language, and probably still ahead of English if you demand fluency in the lanaguage. English however is spoken extensively to some degree of competence outside of native English speaking countries, and is by far the most common second language. Mandarin is not spoken so much outside China.
It is very common in my experience to hear non-native English speakers conversing in English when in another non-English speaking country. (I might note that the grandparent espousing English as a world language seemed to be a native Spanish speaker himself.)
'Most people in the world speak English' is an exaggeration, but the figure is estimated at 1 in 4. English certainly has the best claim to the status of an 'international language,' is spoken or has official status in more countries than any other language, and is used in international organisations and communication more than any other language.
I'd also guess that it's the most popular second language among the non-native speaking soldiers in Iraq, which is what the grandparent was talking about (not so many Chinese there).
Are the mods on crack? Just because you don't hold his views does not make it a troll. Have some respect for other cultures/religions/beliefs.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
Why doesn't the coalition go further and really wire the country. Wifi, cell phones, and cheap, cheap, cheap computers. Get the country on line in a big way. Heck, get them hooked on it.
On the plus side, you get all the advantages of digital media including media/government information dissemination, and the warm and cosy that people get by being able to get in touch with one another.
On the down side you might think that it would help the rebel types BUT if they adopt the 'net for communications and organization, they can be very easily monitored. Picture RIAA but against rebels vice downloaders.
Hey, the country is rebuilding its infrastructure. Why not give them a leap ahead to win their hearts and minds?
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
Checked the Japanese babelfish translation, it was quite horrible:
Watashi tachi no guntai wa 24 kara 48 jikan yagai enshuu wo suru anata no hidari ni mushi suru sono aida teki no onkyou no souon wo aru.
Human English translation of Japanese babelfish translation:
Our troops will ignore the left of your 24 to 48 hours field exercices during which there will be sounds of noises of the enemy.
Not the best example of how terrible machine translation can be, for sure. English being a Germanic language, they are actually quite close, translations from English - German - English will not lose nearly as much as English - (Iraqi?) - English, or any other languages in use in the region. Fascinating stuff, nevertheless.
The optimist in me thinks maybe the military has refined this technology to much better than babelfish quality, but the optimist in me also thought Bush wasn't dumb enough to get us into the war in the first place. Eh, Scheisse passiert.
-- What I don't have in intelligence, I make up for in a lack thereof.
MITRE has been working on TrIM for a while.
Read about it here. Sorry if it's marketdroidish, it was the first link that I could find.
When I was taken "hunting", my cousin told me to hold a bag near the ground why he "flushed" the bird out. Combine this with him making sounds and blaming me for it getting away, and repeating this for a few hours, I began to doubt such a bird existed. Oh well.
That's right. All your base.
And just because a crackpot expresses himself in religious terms, does not mean he should be treated differently than a scientific or political crackpot.
If I am not mistaken, didn't Phantasy Star Online do this, to some degree?
I hate sigs.
Perhaps could be bolted into civil airlines so the common language problem is mitigated.
Lookin at the recent Risks digests this seems to be a common problem with everyone having to speak english and British Airways pilots have to 'translate' in the middle..
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.25.html#subj3
...perhaps I should have been more explicit and used 'as much'. I'm well aware that Mandarin is spoken outside China, just not so much as English!
Compared to how much English is spoken outside native English speaking countries, Mandarin is indeed not spoken 'so much' outside China. While there are more non-native speakers with *some* level of competence in English than native speakers, almost all speakers of Mandarin are native speakers. In the countries you mention, the language is spoken by ethnic Chinese, while English is spoken extensively by non-native speakers.
The British Council estimates that there are one billion people learning English, against a Chinese Ministry of Education estimate of 25 million learning Chinese. (Although I have no doubt that this will only increase in the future.)
We really should stop pretending that third world militaries are worth the trouble of trying to do joint operations with. I have no truck with joint training, but when troops are using live rounds we really have to be sure of 100% force integration.
"God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
"Captain, instant message coming in from approaching craft. Identifies itself as 'lee7 fl337 k0m4nd0r'."
"On the main screen, Mr. Worf."
*AIM message sound*
- I am made of meat.
Just FYI:
Mon aeroglisseur est plein d'anguilles. (French)
Il mio hovercraft e pieno di anguille. (Italian)
O meu hovercraft esta chio das enguias. (Portuguese)
Mi aerodeslizador esta lleno de anguilas. (Spanish)
Mea navicula pendens anguillarum plena est. (Latin)
Mia kusenveturilo estas plena da angiloj. (Esperanto)
Mein Luftkissenfahrzeug ist voller Aale. (German)
Mijn hovercraft zit vol palingen. (Dutch)
Min svavare ar full av alar. (Swedish)
Luftputefartoyet mitt er fullt av al. (Norwegian)
Moje vozilo na zrani blazini je polno jegulj. (Slovenian)
Mae fy hofrenfad yn llawn o lyswennod. (Welsh)
Ilmatyynyalukseni on taynna ankeriaita. (Finnish)
Legparnas hajom tele van angolnakkal. (Hungarian)
Hoverkraf saya penuh belut. (Indonesian)
SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
Reason:
:D
Informative. Looks like the problem is Poles and Ukranians from old gold SOVIET RUSIA era with not a fluent english.
posdata:
Anyways I think Poles and Ukranians are cool by default. Also Lituans
-Woof woof woof!