Lost in Translation, A Cautionary Tale

Google is amazing. It changed the internet when it was introduced as a search engine. Now you can use one account to access all of Google's services. My person and my JVC email are hosted by Goodle. This blog is hosted by Google. Students with group assignments use Googledocs to work together without having to all be in the same location. Google+ allows you to...alright, Google+ is a failed product, but for the most part Google makes modern life more convenient.

But, as a bilingual person, let me warn you that Google Translate should NOT be your choice for getting text translated. At the convent of Santo Domingo in Lima (LINK), there is an exhibit of recently done paintings depicting the miracles of San Juan Macías. Each painting is accompanied by a helpful page of text, in both Spanish and English, that is meant to explain the miracles to visitors. In actuality is explains things to Spanish speakers, and probably leaves English speakers confused or doubled over in laughter. Judging by the word for word nature of the translation, it seems likely that it was done by a program - if not Google Translate, then something similar.

Behold the accompanying text of El Milagro del Chanchito. You can find a translation done by a person (me) below. Mine is less entertaining, but I think you'll find it explains things much better.

The Miracle of the Little Pig

(The first miracle that he did as a child)

When Juan was a boy he worked caring for sheep and raising pigs, and at the same time he prayed as his mother taught him (the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be). He was a profound contemplative of nature.

One day he heart the call of a boy and asked him: why are you sad? The boy, very sad and upset, responded “my master's little pig fell into the well. When he finds out he'll fire me.”

Juan consoled him and said “Don't cry. Because God is very good* we will pray to him on our knees and ask that he brings the pig out alive.” And they prayed with great faith. Suddenly the water level began to rise more and more... and the little pig came floating up. When it** arrived to the surface the boy grabbed with joy.

Today the well is a small temple, a destination for pilgrimages.

*...all the time

**Interesting point: There's a typo in the Spanish on the verb llegar (which means arrive). It say “llego (“I arrive”). There should be an accent on the o making it llegó, and therefor past tense and third person (“It arrived”). Typos are dangerous because they make you look sloppy. They're even more dangerous when paired with Google Translate.