Comments on: Blogging in Different Languages http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/ Grow your business with TopRank Online Marketing tips, articles, & expert information on social media, content marketing & search engine marketing. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:17:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ferenc http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-94526 ferenc Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:14:56 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-94526 A TRULY NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE!!! WORST $30 EVER SPENT!!! ... some languages do not work at all. in my case ( http://ferenc.biz ) Arabic and Norwegian does not work - so they were removed. so much trouble with Google translation that I had to switch over to BabelFish due to getting a 403 Forbidden error for all translated pages from Google. Google viewed my frequent translation requests as spam but setting the Translator Cache to 12 hrs still has not fixed the issue. the plugin is $30 per blog!!!! PER BLOG!!! BE AWARE!!!! additional plugins are $25. the next version will include up to 32 languages per the manufacturer - http://blog.taragana.com - but that just sounds like more headache. I think they are pushing a product which is NOT finished and NOT ready to be released yet. a japanese friend of mine laughed her ass off at the translation. it is not even close to conversational level not to mention professional. I have been feeling like a spammer generating this sea of garbage content just to increase the size of my blog. for now I am removing it completely from my site until it becomes more reliable ... not holding my breath. A TRULY NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE!!! WORST $30 EVER SPENT!!! … some languages do not work at all.
in my case ( http://ferenc.biz ) Arabic and Norwegian does not work – so they were removed.

so much trouble with Google translation that I had to switch over to BabelFish due to getting a 403 Forbidden error for all translated pages from Google.
Google viewed my frequent translation requests as spam but setting the Translator Cache to 12 hrs still has not fixed the issue.

the plugin is $30 per blog!!!! PER BLOG!!! BE AWARE!!!!
additional plugins are $25.

the next version will include up to 32 languages per the manufacturer – http://blog.taragana.com – but that just sounds like more headache.

I think they are pushing a product which is NOT finished and NOT ready to be released yet.

a japanese friend of mine laughed her ass off at the translation. it is not even close to conversational level not to mention professional.

I have been feeling like a spammer generating this sea of garbage content just to increase the size of my blog.
for now I am removing it completely from my site until it becomes more reliable … not holding my breath.

]]> By: Shelli http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-67756 Shelli Fri, 26 Jan 2007 21:15:24 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-67756 I appreciate this post very much and the discussion resulting. Our site, YellowstonePark.com is now being translated in German, French and Italian. Automatic translators are not good enough, and based on our research and long conversations with French, German and Italian travelers, bad translation is not better than no translation... some of the translations can be so off that it's not worth it and results in egg on face. I wish this wasn't true, but seems like it is. My company used to publish a magazine in English and German. We hired a German professor at an esteemed U.S. university to translate the German version and the German tourists who read our magazine basically offered feedback that indicated it was a terrible translation. I know you're talking mostly about blogs, and I'm talking websites and magazines, but unfortunately to do it right and in a way that actually benefits the foreign consumer, it's necessary to hire people who are native to the language they're translating your copy to. I only know this too well because of our current translation project at YellowstonePark.com. And of course, there's the issue of words and phrases that simply aren't straight-away translatable in the first place. Out in the Old West, located on the frontier like our Wyoming company is, there are many of these phrases we use in our promotion that there simply isn't a translation for, so what results is not just a translation of words, but an interpretation of understanding. Thanks again for your post and your valuable blog. I appreciate it very much! I appreciate this post very much and the discussion resulting. Our site, YellowstonePark.com is now being translated in German, French and Italian. Automatic translators are not good enough, and based on our research and long conversations with French, German and Italian travelers, bad translation is not better than no translation… some of the translations can be so off that it’s not worth it and results in egg on face. I wish this wasn’t true, but seems like it is. My company used to publish a magazine in English and German. We hired a German professor at an esteemed U.S. university to translate the German version and the German tourists who read our magazine basically offered feedback that indicated it was a terrible translation. I know you’re talking mostly about blogs, and I’m talking websites and magazines, but unfortunately to do it right and in a way that actually benefits the foreign consumer, it’s necessary to hire people who are native to the language they’re translating your copy to. I only know this too well because of our current translation project at YellowstonePark.com. And of course, there’s the issue of words and phrases that simply aren’t straight-away translatable in the first place. Out in the Old West, located on the frontier like our Wyoming company is, there are many of these phrases we use in our promotion that there simply isn’t a translation for, so what results is not just a translation of words, but an interpretation of understanding. Thanks again for your post and your valuable blog. I appreciate it very much!

]]> By: David Temple http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66800 David Temple Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:46:44 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66800 Thomas you're absolutely right. You can certainly gain a larger audience that you might not otherwise reach. I agree with much of what you said. My only issue was that I don't believe it will Thomas you’re absolutely right. You can certainly gain a larger audience that you might not otherwise reach. I agree with much of what you said. My only issue was that I don’t believe it will

]]> By: Thomas McMahon http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66789 Thomas McMahon Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:25:22 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66789 I will agree that language translators aren't that great, however, someone has a better chance of understanding a bad translation than no translation at all. So, wouldn't there be some value? :) I will agree that language translators aren’t that great, however, someone has a better chance of understanding a bad translation than no translation at all. So, wouldn’t there be some value? :)

]]> By: I blog multilingue http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66684 I blog multilingue Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:19:58 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66684 [...] Da un po [...] Da un po

]]> By: Machine translation of blogs | Sorvoja.com http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66678 Machine translation of blogs | Sorvoja.com Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:04:38 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66678 [...] I just found a review of several translation machine translation tools, one of them is a wordpress plugin that creates automatic translations of your blog in 9 languages. [...] I just found a review of several translation machine translation tools, one of them is a wordpress plugin that creates automatic translations of your blog in 9 languages.

]]> By: richard michie http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66638 richard michie Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:02:36 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66638 on my site I use applied languages free tool. its just apiece of html code, pasted in. the quality is better than most I've seen. just add it to your template and it translates directly in your site, plus there's a choice of graphics and shapes to choose from. the site is www.appliedlanguage.com on my site I use applied languages free tool. its just apiece of html code, pasted in. the quality is better than most I’ve seen. just add it to your template and it translates directly in your site, plus there’s a choice of graphics and shapes to choose from. the site is http://www.appliedlanguage.com

]]> By: David Temple http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66520 David Temple Thu, 25 Jan 2007 04:58:45 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66520 Thomas thanks for the great list as I've been planning on doing some research on this very subject. I think there is certainly a place for machine translations but not if you want to "help increase the authority level of your blog." Maybe to those that can't see the translation that may think you're an international man of mystery but you will lose any credibility if you rely on software to do what a human should. Could you imagine only using software to do your seo for you? I didn't think so. Thomas thanks for the great list as I’ve been planning on doing some research on this very subject. I think there is certainly a place for machine translations but not if you want to “help increase the authority level of your blog.” Maybe to those that can’t see the translation that may think you’re an international man of mystery but you will lose any credibility if you rely on software to do what a human should. Could you imagine only using software to do your seo for you? I didn’t think so.

]]> By: Jordan McCollum http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66497 Jordan McCollum Thu, 25 Jan 2007 04:00:52 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66497 If they're based on Google and BabelFish, your translations may not be even comprehensible. They both returned the following translation of a reasonably well-constructed, straightforward Spanish paragraph: I am of Carolina of the North. I have a son who are going to turn a year in two weeks and a husband who is going to turn twenty-eight years Tuesday that comes. What I am going to buy to him for its birthday? It does not matter. It is going to me to love for always never although it buys a cow to him just by three legs. And you know what? It is well with me. You can discover the errors? I to it doubt. I doubt it. (The thing about the cow was "He is going to love me forever and ever even if I buy him a cow with only three legs.") If I came across that in a blog, I'd be tempted to run to report it as spam to any and all authorities. If they’re based on Google and BabelFish, your translations may not be even comprehensible. They both returned the following translation of a reasonably well-constructed, straightforward Spanish paragraph:

I am of Carolina of the North. I have a son who are going to turn a year in two weeks and a husband who is going to turn twenty-eight years Tuesday that comes. What I am going to buy to him for its birthday? It does not matter. It is going to me to love for always never although it buys a cow to him just by three legs. And you know what? It is well with me. You can discover the errors? I to it doubt. I doubt it.

(The thing about the cow was “He is going to love me forever and ever even if I buy him a cow with only three legs.”)

If I came across that in a blog, I’d be tempted to run to report it as spam to any and all authorities.

]]> By: Tina Lang-Stuart http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66288 Tina Lang-Stuart Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:23:20 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66288 I wholeheartedly agree with John. Anybody who knows anything about translations knows these tools are just tools but not more. Blogs live from well-written posts. Bloggers who have a gift for writing do prevail. Unless you're a multi-lingual blogger, blog in your native tongue and concentrate on great writing. Simply forget about translations! I wholeheartedly agree with John. Anybody who knows anything about translations knows these tools are just tools but not more. Blogs live from well-written posts. Bloggers who have a gift for writing do prevail.

Unless you’re a multi-lingual blogger, blog in your native tongue and concentrate on great writing. Simply forget about translations!

]]> By: Aaron Pratt http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66271 Aaron Pratt Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:46:05 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66271 John Wesley - Trevor's Widget uses Google translate so it is great. John Wesley – Trevor’s Widget uses Google translate so it is great.

]]> By: John Wesley http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66261 John Wesley Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:35:03 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66261 How good are the translations? In my experience all those computer translators seem to spit out nonsensical gibberish. I'd love to make my posts available in other languages, but I wonder how close it will be to what I actually wrote. How good are the translations? In my experience all those computer translators seem to spit out nonsensical gibberish. I’d love to make my posts available in other languages, but I wonder how close it will be to what I actually wrote.

]]> By: Aaron Pratt http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66210 Aaron Pratt Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:57:51 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/01/blogging-in-different-languages/#comment-66210 Don't forget <a href="http://trevorcreech.com/blog/2006/04/27/translate-widget/" rel="nofollow">Trevor's Translate Widget</a> for Wordpress, the kids got skillz. Don’t forget Trevor’s Translate Widget for WordPress, the kids got skillz.

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