Tolkien Translated... into Googlese

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

And I guess I am forbidden too.

I'm afraid so...

Originally Posted by Legate re: Lottie's

Honestly puzzled

I say! 'Bixu Xiang' sounds like it could be some place in Khand, or rather Far Rhûn, where the stars are different etc. Not sure that's canonical, though...

But d'you all know what, since this turning more and more into a quote quiz after all (and maybe predictably so, although I didn't foresee it when I started it) I've been thinking whether we shouldn't try to establish some order of procedure rather than go on posting new translations while there are still a lot unidentified. So if you think this is fun enough to continue, I suggest we* start a new thread in Quotable Quotes**, and either

• repost all hitherto unidentified quotes there, and whoever guesses the last one gets to ask a new one, or
• we all reveal the quotes to our hitherto unidentified translations on this thread, and start afresh on the other one.

Seeing how weird some of the results have turned out, it might also be wise to set a maximum of e.g. 10 or 25 translation rounds.
Thoughts, suggestions, criticism?
*(probably meaning myself, as the original thread owner, but I'd be perfectly fine with someone else doing it once we've agreed on how to handle it.)
**(Yes, Urwen, I know you've tried to do that already... shall we just say, great minds are sometimes ahead of their time and therefore misunderstood by their contemporaries?)

[Loslote]

Sounds like a good idea. How about we just reveal our quotes? Mine was "The Road Goes Ever On and On" - the Bixu Xiang showed up after a Chinese translation early on.

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Loslote

Mine was "The Road Goes Ever On and On" - the Bixu Xiang showed up after a Chinese translation early on.

*major headdesk (or facepalm: I'm not sure which applies here, but meaning "I'd never have guessed that")*
Care to give some of the intermediate stages?

And thanks for the feedback. Maybe this has the potential for two threads - a quizzy one in QQ, and a more linguistically-minded one enquiring into how exactly these translations turn out the weird way they do. I'd be quite interested in the latter, and I imagine some others might be, too, but probably not that many - and if the thread turned into this direction, it might be considered misplaced in Mirth, and possibly off-topic altogether on a Tolkien forum. Comments, opinions (esp. by the Mods)?

[Guinevere]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

But d'you all know what, since this turning more and more into a quote quiz after all (and maybe predictably so, although I didn't foresee it when I started it) I've been thinking whether we shouldn't try to establish some order of procedure rather than go on posting new translations while there are still a lot unidentified. So if you think this is fun enough to continue, I suggest we* start a new thread in Quotable Quotes**, and either

• repost all hitherto unidentified quotes there, and whoever guesses the last one gets to ask a new one, or
• we all reveal the quotes to our hitherto unidentified translations on this thread, and start afresh on the other one.

Seeing how weird some of the results have turned out, it might also be wise to set a maximum of e.g. 10 or 25 translation rounds.
Thoughts, suggestions, criticism?
*(probably meaning myself, as the original thread owner, but I'd be perfectly fine with someone else doing it once we've agreed on how to handle it.)
**(Yes, Urwen, I know you've tried to do that already... shall we just say, great minds are sometimes ahead of their time and therefore misunderstood by their contemporaries?)

A similar Game thread started already as early as 2000 Another mistranslation ! and lasted until 2005

And this one:Lost in Translation
People used this to translate, something very like the site Pitchwife found.

[Pitchwife]

Ah, so I've once more re-invented the wheel, it seems. Serves me right for not searching. Thanks for the links, Guinevere! *goes browsing*

[Orofarne]

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, etc., became, after 25 translations "Tom Bombadil was a man full of shoes, blue and yellow jacket. Adam was arrested when he was gentelman. Play music and leg heal quickly." Hmm, I do not think Tom Bombadil would recognise it.
I tried one line, just one! And "Rowan mine, I saw you shine, upon the summer's day," becomes "Raun, I look to the summer," in ten translations. Sorry if I broke the rules by volunteering these.

[Pitchwife]

Hi Orofarne, and welcome to the Downs if I haven't welcomed you yet!
Up to now, no rules about how to continue this have been agreed on, so you certainly can't have broken any.
Funny translations, anyway. You may or may not be aware of this, but Tom Bombadil's nature and identity has been a much discussed topic on these Downs, and one suggestion offered I don't know when & where by I don't know whom was that Tom & Goldberry represent an unfallen version of Adam & Eve, so I find it quite fascinating that 'Adam' would pop up in this context... wonder which language did that.
And this is rather off-topic Tolkienwise, but you inspired me to try

When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?

which after only 10 translations became

When he beat Adam and Eve, who is that?

PS *points to your signature* Exactly!

[Pitchwife]

Sorry for double-posting on my own thread, but this random quote from the upper left corner cried out to be translated, and the results were remarkably coherent, if somewhat surrealistic.

Old fool! Why there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell.

(Bilbo after discovering Smaug's weak spot in The Hobbit)
became after 10 translations (sorry if this isn't exactly family-friendly):

Life is a lie! Why is it very convenient, the famine, and a turtle in a container, such as bare breasts.

after 25:

Life is good! Since this is so simple, thirst for container and turtle on his chest.

after maximum of translations:

Life is beautiful! One reason for this is simple: the heart, courage and adventure in sea.

I'm sure Horatio Hornblower would have agreed.

[LadyBrooke]

“Bless us and splash us, my precioussss! I guess it’s a choice feast; at least a tasty morsel it’d make us, gollum!”

quickly descends into Gollum becoming Conan. Highlights from 56 translations.

To bless us and the beginning for us, precioussss my country! I think it was in the party elections, at least a large part of that will make us, Conan! "

Not sure what party elections have to do with becoming a different person, Gollum.

To bless us in the beginning for us, precioussss my country! I think that elections in the country, at least most of them will allow us, Conan!

Allow you Conan how Are you a celebrity stalker waiting to kidnap and murder them?

Let's start with a greeting precioussss home! I think the electoral situation, but at least we give Conan! '

Make up your mind. First you are him, then you want the government to allow you to do something to him, now you're giving him away.

we go! I think the elections, we Conan the situation, at least!

How do you Conan a situation?

I think our election Canon status, at least!

What election? Who got elected?? Aragorn held elections??? WHAT??????????

I think our position options for the Canon, at least!

What position? You and Smeagul can't agree on a thing.

I think our options for our attitudes, Canon, at least!

Well, yes, the fact that you have multiple personalities and they can't agree with each other is canon.

I think our options for our relationship, Canon, at least!

There aren't options in canon. You two are never going to be anything but arguing with each other.

I think our choice for our relationship, Canon, at least!

You don't have a choice. You're a fictional character. You do what the author says.

I think our choice for our relationship, cannon, at least!

HEY! Why are you aiming a cannon at me? Wait what are you *bang*