Google Translate and Yesterday's Post

I was wondering whether Google Translate would be of any use to someone reading yesterday's post who doesn't read Hebrew.

Here is the first passage, from Agnon's Tmol Shilshom:

בבליים אומרים שלא לשמוח, חלביים אומרים לשמוח. עירקים אומרים שלא לשמוח, תימנים אומרים לשמוח. מערביים אומרים שלא לשמוח, גורגים אומרים לשמוח. בוכרים ופרסיים לא נחלקו. פירשו הפרסיים מן הבוכרים, פרסיים אומרים שלא לשמוח, בוכרים אומרים לשמוח. אלו ואלו לא נחלקו שיש לעשות תשובה.

Here is how Google Translate mangled it:

Babylonian say they did not rejoice, dairy say rejoice. Iraqis say they did not rejoice, Yemenis say rejoice. Westerners say they did not rejoice, Gorgim say rejoice. Persian familiar not disagree. Bukharan interpreted from Persian, Persian say they did not rejoice, sellers say rejoice. Both are not disagree that to repent.

Here is my own translation, much more accurate even if not as elegant as a professional translator would do:

The Babylonians say don't be happy, the Aleppans say be happy. The Iraqis say don't be happy, the Yemenis say be happy. The Moroccans say don't be happy, the Georgians say be happy. The Bukharians and the Persians didn't disagree. The Persians split off from the Bukharians. The Persians say don't be happy. The Bukharians say be happy. Neither disagreed that we should all repent.

Here is the second passage, from the Mishnah:

יוסף בן יועזר אומר שלא לסמוך, יוסף בן יוחנן אומר לסמוך; יהושוע בן פרחיה אומר שלא לסמוך, ניתאי הארבלי אומר לסמוך; יהודה בן טבאי אומר שלא לסמוך, שמעון בן שטח אומר לסמוך; שמעיה אומר לסמוך, אבטליון אומר שלא לסמוך.  הלל ומנחם לא נחלקו; יצא מנחם, ונכנס שמאי.  הלל אומר לסמוך, שמאי אומר שלא לסמוך.  הראשונים היו נשיאים, והשניים אבות בית דין.

Here is how Google Translate mangled it:

Josephus says that rely maidenhair, Yosef ben Yochanan says trust; Yehoshua ben Perahia says not to trust, Nitai Arbelite says trust; Judah ben Tabbai says not to trust, he was telling count; Shemaiah said trust, Avtalion says not to trust. Hillel Menachem not divided; Menachem out, and entered appraiser. Hillel says trust, Shammai says not to trust. First presidents, and the two fathers court.

Here is Blackman's translation:

Jose ben Joezer says, Not to lay on, Jose ben Jochanan says, One may lay on; Joshua ben Perachiah says, Not to lay on, Nittai the Arbelite says, One may lay on; Judah ben Tabbai says, Not to lay on, Simon ben Shetach says, One may lay on; Shemaiah says, One may lay on, Abtalion says, Not to lay on; Hillel and Menachem did not differ, but Menachem went forth and Shammai came in; Shammai says, Not to lay on, Hillel says, One may lay on. The former were Presidents and the latter were Heads of the Court.

BTW I can empathize with Google Translate, which, like most readers of Agnon today and most readers of Fitzgerald 150 years hence, lacks cultural context. After my first fender bender here, when the woman in the garage said we had to wait for the appraiser, I thought she meant that we had to wait for some guy named Shammai.