British science fiction author Arthur C. Clark once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Since even the best translators can still fail terribly, they are hardly magic. But consider what's happening underneath the app's surface. You might not appreciate how advanced modern translation systems are!
Translators use machine learning to compare millions of examples of human translated texts. That information helps the program reproduce more natural sounding translations based on real-world examples. People can flag incorrect or unhelpful translations and suggest better ones. This input is then used to make future translations better.
With programs like Google Translate, it can be hard to get good translations for single words because most words have multiple meanings. It's better to try short sentences that provide context instead. But make the sentence straightforward. Anything too complicated or idiomatic will likely produce unusual results. For example, "I am very hungry" will get better results than "I am dying of hunger."
As people continue to use translation services, translations will improve. One day you might not have to worry about a poor translation causing an embarrassing misunderstanding. But used wisely, they are still excellent aids for exploring and understanding the world around you.
Info Cloud
stranger than fiction 很神奇或是很耐人尋味的事情
Welcome to Info Cloud, friends. Do you like reading science-fiction novels?
I enjoy a science-fiction story from time to time. The writers have great imaginations.
They really do. A lot of our modern inventions come from science fiction, including the cellphone, the credit card and earbuds.
So we could say that reality is stranger than fiction. Indeed. This is a common phrase that we can use to comment on something that is unusual, amazing or seemingly magical.
Oh, like that video I saw online about a dog and a lion that became best friends.
Ha... that is stranger than fiction.
This phrase appears in writing by American author Mark Twain who said "Truth is stranger than fiction" in 1897.
It means that we can imagine certain things, but many things may happen that are even beyond what we can imagine.
Science fiction writer Jules Verne imagined machines that could dive under the water or fly in the air back in the late 1800s.
But he didn't imagine that he would inspire engineers to create the submarine and the helicopter. However, those were directly inspired by his stories. Truth really is stranger than fiction.
當我們看到一些很神奇或是很耐人尋味的事情，你可以用 stranger than fiction來形容。fiction是杜撰的小說，stranger than fiction 就是比小說裡面的情節還要神奇或是奇怪，像是有一個網路影片紀錄一隻狗和獅子成為好朋友，你就可以說: That is stranger than fiction. 這真的是比小說還要神奇。其實美國作家 Mark Twain 就曾經在1897年說過: Truth is stranger than fiction. 真相是比小說的情節還要神奇的，例如，人類會發明潛水艇和直升機都是因為小說家 Jules Verne 早在19世紀就曾經提出過的靈感，我們只能說這個世界真的是無奇不有。
Language Lab
underneath preposition. 底下、東西的下面
below or beneath (something) : under
- The house might look beautiful, but you should pay attention to its foundation underneath.
房子也許外表漂亮，但你應該注意它底下的根基。
- The child likes to hide underneath the table and pretend he is a bear in a cave.
那個小朋友喜歡躲在桌子底下，假裝他是一隻洞穴裡的熊。
underneath n. 底下部分
the bottom surface of something : underside
- If you want to know the price of the bottle, check the underneath.
如果你想知道那個瓶子多少錢，要看瓶子底下。
- To tell if this chair is an antique or not, take a look at the underneath.
要辨認這張椅子是否是個骨董，就要看它的下面。
input n. 資訊的輸入
information that is put into a computer
- The old computer Mary uses for data input needs to be upgraded.
那台Mary用來輸入資料的舊電腦需要被升級。
input n. 意見、想法
advice or opinions that help someone make a decision
- The supervisor is not going to make a decision until he gets more input from everybody.
主管要等到他收到更多人的意見後，才會做決定。
- I hope you’ll speak to the boss about this problem because he values your input.
我希望你會跟老闆提出這個問題，因為他很看重你的想法。
input n. 資源、能源的輸入
something (such as power or energy) that is put into a machine or system
- With the input of all that water, the plants on the farm began to grow.
因為灌入了那麼多水，農場的植物開始成長。
input v. 輸入
to enter (information) into a computer
- No wonder the final calculation was incorrect; we inputted the wrong numbers.
難怪最後的統計不正確，因為我們輸入的數字是錯的。
straightforward adj. 簡單容易懂
easy to do or understand : not complicated
- The instructions need to be straightforward; otherwise people will get confused.
指令要簡單清楚，不然人家會被搞糊塗。
- If you ask Howard a question, he’ll give you a straightforward answer.
如果問Howard 一個問題，他會很簡單地回答你。
straightforward adj. 一個人很直率
honest and open
- Trent is a straightforward guy, and his friends appreciate his honesty.
Trent 為人直率，他的朋友們都欣賞他的坦承。
idiomatic adj. 跟成語有關的、包含著慣用語的
an expression/phrase that is an idiom
idiom n. 成語
a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations : dialect
- It’s hard for me to translate this article directly because it is full of idiomatic phrases.
要我直接翻譯這篇文章困難，因為裡面有很多慣用語。
- The tour guide used a lot of idiomatic expressions that were hard for his foreign guests to understand.
導遊用了很多國外客人聽不懂的慣用語。
idiomatic adj. 語言的表達很自然
sound natural or correct
- The princess was educated overseas and speaks idiomatic English.
公主是在國外受教育，她的英文講的非常道地。
