Translation error leads to refugee evacuation

An immigration office in western Germany was evacuated on Monday after a translator mistakenly said a refugee was carrying a bottle containing a “chemical weapon”.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/owj8sdu

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Dangers of translation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Did you know that the bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have been averted if it was not for the folly of a translator? The notorious term was ‘Mokusatsu’, (‘Silence’ or ‘Withholding Comment’) which was the reply Japan gave to the US in response to their letter demanding surrender, refusal of which could lead to serious consequences.  Unfortunately, the term also carried the meaning ‘not worthy of comment’ or an utter denial to surrender, and this was how the allied leaders translated it. Thus, a mistranslated word finally lead to the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/pmu5ouz

Stanford combines s/w with human intelligence to improve translation

Computer scientists at Stanford have created a language translation system that allows bilingual humans to translate text faster and more accurately than is currently possible.

This hybrid approach, which blends human and machine intelligence, is aimed at the $34-billion-a-year worldwide market for professional translation services.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/q7aql3t