[Wikimedia-l] The case for supporting open source machine translation

[Pavlo Shevelo]

> only someone or something
that understands language can translate perfectly

Precisely

> crude translations into little used languages are nearly
worthless due to syntax issues. Useful work requires at least one person
fluent in the language

It's very true!
Current Googe MT tools are reasonably good for reader(s) as they really
provide a chance to grasp the meaning of the text but they are far not good
as writer instrument meaning translation results are far not good to be
published.

So it seems reasonable to promote MT as instrument for visitors (readers)
of our projects, but not as substitute for that Wikimedians, who are the
contributors.


On Wed, Apr 24, 2013 at 2:03 PM, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at fairpoint.net> wrote:

> This is closely tied to software which is being developed, some of it
> secretly, to enable machines to understand and use language. As of now
> this will be government and corporate owned and controlled. I say closely
> tied because that is how translation works; only someone or something
> that understands language can translate perfectly.
>
> That said, crude translations into little used languages are nearly
> worthless due to syntax issues. Useful work requires at least one person
> fluent in the language.
>
> Fred
>
>