From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: liiam@valentijn.nu   
   Subject: Re: Microsoft emulates Star Trek...   
      
   ToolPackinMama schreef op 4-6-2014 01:08:   
   > That's what the article says...   
   >   
   > http://www.geek.com/microsoft/microsoft-emulates-star-trek-tur   
   s-skype-into-a-universal-translator-1595044/   
   >   
      
   Cool. But like the regular translation service on the web, it still    
   needs a lot of work. There are some translation errors and a lot of the    
   time grammar is just off. I think grammar is the great weak point. And    
   if you get to stuff like 'figures of speech' I think an automatic system    
   (for now) is completely lost. It would need to find cultural    
   counterparts first.   
   For instance: "Out of sight, out of mind", would, translated back and    
   forth, in Dutch be "Out of the eye, out of the heart."   
   I read once about an early computer system that tried translating such a    
   thing. It came up with something like: "Blind idiot."   
      
   For the moment I would rely more on well trained human translators.   
      
   BTW, I think Microsoft has always been in love with Trek.   
   Ever notice the colors of the logo? Homage to TOS shirt colors?  :-)   
      
      
      
   --    
   Wouter Valentijn http://www.j3v.net   
      
   "Nothing in Hell can stop the Timberwolves"   
      
   Motto of the 104th Infantry Division (United States)   
      
   http://zeppodunsel.blogspot.nl/   
      
   liam=mail   
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