(idm) Anyone need articles translated?

From johnb
Sent Fri, Apr 24th 1998, 16:10

I just found a site run by AltaVista search that will translate URLs or
simple text from French, Italian, Spanish, German or Portuguese into
English.  It's definitely not perfect, and sometimes it takes a few tries
to work, but it's probably worth it for those of you who've asked about
this before...

http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate?

The mangled translations create some truly hilarious situations; we have
fun at my office is finding the best (or worst) possible situations.

Here's a sample...  The text is a French biography of the '70s group Tai
Phong, translated into English:

<<<<<<<<<<<<
In 1975, Khanh May and Tai Sinh, two Vietnamese brothers, have great
musical projects. Khanh is a sound engineer, and Tai is bank clerk. In duet
(called Monsoon), they already gained a musical championship of Island of
France. However, in spite of this recognition and of the frequentations of
Khanh in the musical medium, the gates of the houses of discs remain
hopelessly closed.

During one evening in mutual friends, Tai and Khanh meet Jean-Jacques. The
power is on immediately between them. Jean-Jacques, unobtrusive but quite
as able, musicalement speaking, as its two prédecesseurs in the group, does
not have a problem of ego.  Jean-Alain Gardet, who lives in the same
building that Jean-Jacques, is in preparation HEC. He has a traditional
formation jazz, and plays of the keyboards. Jean-Jacques persuades it to
join the group.  The repetitions take place at Khanh, and the group poses
the bases of a symphonic rock'n'roll to the manner of Genesis of the same
time. But the beater does not give satisfaction, and is thanked.

A few days later, they meet Stephan Caussarieu, a beater of jazz which is
just eighteen years old, which has just spent four years in the class of
Kenny Clarke. 
While preserving their professional activity (Jean-Jacques works in Sport
2000 that manages Robert with Montrouge), Tai Phong repeats the evening and
the weekends, in manner very conscientious and very professional way.

Their first model is accepted by several houses of discs. The group does
not return from there! That enables them to sign an advantageous contract
with more reconciling, Warner. The group is managed by Domenica Lamblin,
produced by Jean Mareska, and the realization is ensured by Khanh and Andy
Scott.

The first album comes out in 1975, and is called, sobrement, Tai Phong. The
first extract, Sister Jane, commits a true success on the waves and in the
discotheques. The album contains six titles (including one, Going Away,
writing and composed by Jean-Jacques). Another 45 T, which contains titles
which are not reproduced on the album (Yew You' re Headed North for Winter,
written by Jean-Alain Gardet, and Let Custom Play, written by Jean-Jacques
Goldman), comes out in parallel.

Rock'n'roll ' N Folk sees in Tai Phong " the hope of the rock'n'roll made
in France ". They must however wipe criticisms because they do not sing in
French. They reticent that they are European, not specifically French. They
make a passage noticed with television.
>>>>>>>>>>>>

Have fun.  Maybe I'll hold a contest and award the best submissions.  There
could be separate categories for each language...

.JohnBush.