Yesterday Google added new languages to it’s Machine Translation Services. Good news for the Irish is that “an teanga gaelach” as Google translates “the Gaelic Language” was now added. Unfortunately I do not speak any irish, so I will let you judge about the quality.
Here comes a text from the Irish Government Site about the geography of Ireland, written by Professor William Nolan (http://www.gov.ie/en/essays/geography.html):
Locked in by the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which wash its northern, southern and western shores, its geography and history have been shaped by contacts with its eastern neighbour, the United Kingdom, across the narrow passage of the Irish Sea.
The “official translation” reads … ups, no translation provided, so i’ll give it a shot with the Google Translation:
Faoi ghlas i ag an uiscí shruthlamaí riamh ar an Aigéan Atlantach, a nigh a hÉirinn ó thuaidh, ó dheas agus an iarthair, a tíreolaíocht agus stair a múnlaithe ag teagmháil leis a comharsa an oirthir, an Ríocht Aontaithe, ar fud an phasáiste caol na Mara Gaeilge.
Translated back it reads:
Locked in by the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a wash to Ireland from north, south and west, a geography and history shaped by contact with its eastern neighbor, the United Kingdom, across the narrow passage of the Irish sea.
Thats not bad, is it? Even though the double translation through Google are usually “cacamas”
Here comes another text: Article One of the Irish constitution
The Irish nation hereby affirms its inalienable, indefeasible, and sovereign right to choose its own form of Government, to determine its relations with other nations, and to develop its life, political, economic and cultural, in accordance with its own genius and traditions.
The official translation reads:
Deimhníonn náisiún na hÉireann leis seo a gceart doshannta, dochloíte, ceannasach chun cibé cineál Rialtais is rogha leo féin a bhunú, chun a gcaidreamh le náisiúin eile a chinneadh, agus chun a saol polaitíochta is geilleagair is saíochta a chur ar aghaidh de réir dhúchais is gnás a sinsear.
And this is what Google makes of it (english -> irish)
An náisiún Gaeilge Daingníonn Leasaítear leis seo a cheart doshannta, indefeasible, agus ceannasach a roghnú a bhfoirm féin an Rialtais, chun a chinneadh ina chaidreamh le náisiúin eile, agus a fhorbairt a saol, polaitiúil, eacnamaíoch agus cultúrtha, i gcomhréir lena genius agus traidisiúin féin.
(irish -> english)
Ireland nation confirms this inalienable right, imprescriptible, leading to such type of Government is to establish their own choice, to relations with other nations to decide, and to economic and political life to promote saíochta by tongue is a rule ancestors.
What do you think? Can it be used?
Amongst irish Google also added: Afrikaans, Belarusian, Icelandic, Macedonian, Malay, Swahili, Welsh and Yiddish, bringing the language pairs to 2550