Deutsch III Internet Translation
Many internet search engines offer translation services. While these translators are helpful tools to locate words and phrases, they are often less accurate when it comes to longer passages and colloquial expressions. Use Google to see how the lyrics of your favorite song handle the translation treatment. 1. Go to http://www.letssingit.com (Be warned that this site is fraught with pop-up ads). You may search for lyrics by song, artist, or album title in the upper right-hand corner. Please choose a tune that does not require a parental advisory sticker; I’m not a big fan of language that would make sailors blush. 2. Select and copy the lyrics. Paste them into a word-processing document under the heading: “Original English Lyrics.” Please include the artist and title of the song as well. 3. Now, go to http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en 4. Paste the lyrics into the box marked “Translate Text.” 5. Choose “English to German” from the pull-down menu and click “Translate.” 6. You should now see two boxes. Your original text is in the bottom box, and the translation is in the top box. 7. Select and copy the German version of the lyrics from the top box and paste them into the same word-processing document under the heading: “German Lyrics.” 8. Now, delete your original (English) text in the bottom box, and paste the German lyrics into that same box. 9. Choose “German to English” from the pull-down menu and click “Translate.” 10. You will see the two boxes again. The German text is in the bottom box, and the new English translation is in the top box. 11. Select and copy the new English version of the lyrics from the top box, and paste them into your word-processing document under the heading: “New English Lyrics.” 12. Now print your word-processing document and compare the two English versions. Find and highlight lines in the “New English Lyrics” version that strike you as funny, nonsensical, or just plain awful. Highlight those same lines in the “Original English Lyrics” version as a point of reference. Date Due: ________________________________________________