If people wanted answers from internet translation sites then they could look for themselves. Don't most people want answers from people who are native speakers, or at least people who are fluent in the language?
I know some people want to help, but it doesn't really help if you give an incorrect answer.
2006-12-01 06:15:56 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I don't know at all. Native speakers are best. Anybody who is studying a language knows where the translation sites are, and knows that they're pretty rubbish. Although somebody once pointed me to wordreference.com as well as the usual babelfish which is actually very useful and has all the different meanings and contexts of a word along with compound forms.
For the most part though, although it is understandable that it seems an easy way to gain two points, i also wish that only knowledgable people would answer!
2006-12-01 07:30:34 · answer #1 · answered by lola 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The really sad thing is that often the person who asked has not got the necessary discernment to chose the correct answer so leaves it for others to vote . As a result voters who have no idea actually give the points to these totally erroneous answers which have been found through by search engines rather than to the genuinely correct answer from native speakers, thereby misleading the person who asked in the first place..
Amazingly a question can be asked twice in a short span of time by different persons. The correct answer is given to the question and identified as such, but the next time it is asked, instead of voting for the correct answer, voters pick a completely wrong one....
Fortunately there are some genuinely knowledgeable people who give excellent answers and do not care about points or being voted best answer. They do it for the pleasure of helping people or as a mental exercise.
2006-12-01 08:03:01 · answer #2 · answered by WISE OWL 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that in this country people are not raised to understand that it is absurd and they are making a ridicule when they try to answer something even if they know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it.
I have worked as a professor in this country for the last 13 years, since I came here, and since the beginning I noticed that.
I have seen people answering in such an absurd way that it was a shame, and the most interesting part is that they did not realize it
2006-12-01 06:28:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think a lot of people just want the points, and think that giving a machine translation helps, mainly because they have little or no idea of the problems associated with machine (i.e. online) translations. Just type 'Je mange un avocat' into any of the online translation sites and I bet you'll get French to English translation saying 'I eat a lawyer' instead of 'I eat an avocado'. Online translations are rubbish, but lots of people don't realise that and think it's just a way of getting easy points.
2006-12-01 06:41:20 · answer #4 · answered by jammycaketin 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are absolutely right. Even though on one hand many are just trying to help, on the other hand it is very confusing for the one asking the question because he/she doesn´t know how to pick the right answer.
I guess it will continue to happen anyway so maybe the only way would be to specify underneath that it IS your native language in order to give a hint to the one asking.
2006-12-01 08:36:47 · answer #5 · answered by Martha P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're absolutely right. But I had a problem with an old German word: Allhier. Searched the net: Nichts, rien, nada, niente, nothing, so where do I go from there? There might just be an ancient German out there who knows what it means. Don't need the English - modern German would be enough. The German concerned would probably be about 150.
2006-12-01 08:34:29 · answer #6 · answered by cymry3jones 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My suggestion- Next time anyone posts a question about a foreign language, also state "Non-fluent and only-point-seeking people need not answer or will lose points".
2006-12-01 08:04:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're right, it doesn't necessarily help. I've studied spanish for over 15 years and still get confused when I meet someone who speaks extremely fast. I guess you need to take into consideration that people are, in fact, trying. Nothing is more hurtful than attempting to do something and others knocking you for it.
2006-12-01 08:00:39 · answer #8 · answered by redslippers 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I know what you meen. Americans especially are bad about it.
I speak spanish and english well. Most people do it beacuase they are ignorant but wither don't wnat to seem ingnorant or think they are not ingnorant. For all of you that do it, it really get on the nerves of people that really know.
2006-12-01 06:26:24 · answer #9 · answered by superlott 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It gets them an extra 2 points. I know I do it.
2006-12-01 06:47:50 · answer #10 · answered by AHHH CHOOOOOOOO (sneeze)! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋