THE POWER OF ONLINE TRANSLATION TOOLS

More and more people around the world are learning English and using online tools such as Google Translate to help express themselves. As a result, these online translation tools have the power to shape the future of the English language (and any other language).

For example, the Facebook conversation shown below, has been translated from Korean into English (using Google Translate). In the conversation, Jiyeoung and Jessica are complimenting Eun Jean on one of her Facebook photos. According to Google Translate, Eun Jean responds to these compliments, not by saying 'thank you', but 'grateful'. If a Korean (non English speaker) were to read this translation, they may assume it was correct/natural to use the word 'grateful' in this way. They, along with others, including people in the Korean media, might then start using the word 'grateful' instead of the word 'thanks', or 'thank you' (when communicating in English) and so normalize the use of the word when used in the above context.

Jiyeoung: Oh. Is gaudy Father party!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Eun Jean: /Being, or, without being anything. Sees to, is like that but without being real anything,

Jessica: Is right and a pictorial photograph and

Eun Jean: Grateful ~!!! ^^*

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

I see the white color,

That is empty to fill

…And I organize the beauty among them in my own presence in order.

Above: Extracts from a short essay, titled: ‘A Strong Form of Beauty, White interpreted as light’ which explains why the writer (a Korean Ceramic Artist) chooses to work with only pure white clay.

The writer originally wrote the essay in Korean and then translated it to English using Google Translate. It was given to me to ‘tidy-up’ the English.

When reading the translated essay for the first time I was immediately struck by its refreshing, sometimes surreal nature. The selection and order of the words were unusual and some of the statements formed by Google's online translation tool, seemed oddly profound.

The fact that the writer/translation tool had achieved this unwittingly made the writing even more exciting for me as I knew that the lines were partly formed by chance, much like a dada poem.

I think some of the statements appear 'profound' because there are gaps in them that the reader is forced to fill in order to make sense of what they are reading. As a result one is forced to think about each line and consider quite deeply what exactly the writer was trying to say. For example, I found myself considering: 'How can white be interpreted as light?' 'Is white more ‘empty’ than other colours?' 'How does she organize the beauty among them?' 'When I’m alone, am I aware of my own presence?' Great creative starting points.