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From: flanhart@diku.dk (Rene Andersen)
Subject: Re: Machine Translation project of the 1050's
Message-ID: <flanhart.780144487@tyr.diku.dk>
Sender: flanhart@tyr.diku.dk
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 10:48:07 GMT
References: <d-hoopingarner.6.0010A7D2@gvsu.edu> <SRO.94Sep19235126@vongole.mit.edu> <newcombe.736.0067E9EF@aa.csc.peachnet.edu>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen
Lines: 41

newcombe@aa.csc.peachnet.edu (Dan Newcombe) writes:

>In article <SRO.94Sep19235126@vongole.mit.edu> sro@athena.mit.edu (Shawn O'Donnell) writes:
>>>  Can anyone point me in the direction of information on this topic?

>>And while people are helping Dennie, can anyone confirm and/or give
>>references for the two stories I'd heard about machine translation
>>failures from the 1950s.  Both stories are about the same, only the
>>languages and idioms differ.  The stories go something like this:

>>Did anything like that really happen?  Or are these stories apocryphal?

>My favourite one has always been:
>	The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
>translated into russian became
>	The vodka is good, but the meat is rotten

That is one of my favorites as well. Unfortunately, it has never
occurred - at least not in the 50'ies. (Furthermore, I doubt very much
that it is likely ever to occur.) The story is discussed in Arnold et
al. (see below), and it is shown why it can not have happened. 

I have included the complete reference to Hutchins (mentioned
inanother posting) as well.  The book is really good when it comes to
giving details, references and other goodies about the pre-ALPAC
MT-period.


best wishes

Ren'e Andersen


D. Arnold, L. Balkan, R. Lee Humphreys, S. Meijer & L. Sadler: 
Machine translation: An Introductory Guide. 
NCC Blackwell. 1994.


W. John Hutchins:
Machine translation: Past, present, future. 
Ellis Horwood Limited. 1986.
