Language translation in Word

[Ross]

I am currently teaching a a High School and I have two students in my class
that are having a very hard time with the English language. Because it is a
Bio class, I would rather they learn Bio than try to sort through the class
material and try to learn English. I am very familiar with how to use the
language translator, however, I cannot use it in the classroom because
wordlingo is on the blocked sites list for the district. What I really need
to know is if there is an add on to translate to Korean so that I am not
forced to go out to a website.

 

[Gary Smith]

There is no software anywhere that can do an adaquate job of translating
English to Korean. It takes a person fluent in both languages to do that.

 

[Ross]

Both of the students and I understand that things will be lost. However, it
is easier for them to understand a poor translation than no translation at
all.

 

[Opinicus]

Both of the students and I understand that things will be lost. However,
it
is easier for them to understand a poor translation than no translation at
all.

<soapbox>
That's highly debatable. In fact, I can say it's dead wrong.

To see why, go to Babelfish (http://babel.altavista.com) and enter a
paragraph or so of English text (for example some of the material you use in
class). Choose "English to Korean" as your from and to languages. Show the
resulting "Korean text" to your students and observe their confused/amused
etc reactions. Now copy the "Korean text" and paste it into "Translate a
block of text" pane and choose "Korean to English" as your from and to
languages. Look at the result and wince.

Although I'm a professional translator I'm by no means an opponent of
machine translation. I once used a program similar to Babelfish (albeit a
much better one, I must admit) to help me translate a book from French
(which I have a passable reading knowledge of) to English. It worked very
well and I completed the project in much less time than I could have done
without it. Nevertheless, I have a fair command of the source language
(French) while the target language (English) is my native language. Moreover
French and English aren't all that far apart as far as grammar goes whereas
the grammatical structures of English and Korean are about as far apart as
you can get and still be on the same planet.

You don't know Korean and your students don't know (much) English. Using
machine translation to communicate in your situation could prevent
communication, not aid it. As a former teacher myself, I suggest that
another solution is called for. One that takes the circumstances, ages, etc
of the students into better account.
</soapbox>

 

[Opinicus]

For the amusement and consternation of all concerned, I took my own advice
and translated a paragraph of my last message into and out of Korean using
Babelfish. Here's the result:

<original>
Although I'm a professional translator I'm by no means an opponent of
machine translation. I once used a program similar to Babelfish (albeit a
much better one, I must admit) to help me translate a book from French
(which I have a passable reading knowledge of) to English. It worked very
well and I completed the project in much less time than I could have done
without it. Nevertheless, I have a fair command of the source language
(French) while the target language (English) is my native language. Moreover
French and English aren't all that far apart as far as grammar goes whereas
the grammatical structures of English and Korean are about as far apart as
you can get and still be on the same planet.
</original>

<retranslation>
If it goes out and to go out absolutely relation of the computer translation
which does not become is the translation. It went out and Yung U E (me is a
reading knowledge which is considerable) the atlas i dog one Babelfish (won
the fact that it will translate the book from France U and but sleeping very
the program which is similar, me must approve) it used. It worked quite and
well it went out and it the possibility of living without it was and sees me
compared to the enemy completed a project very inside hour. As well
(English) the target language during my, motherland word meaning, me (France
U) there is order which origin language is fair. All there is a possibility
more Ud, of connecting yet in the planet where you are identical and like
all is the grammar but grammatical structure of English go like far
separately separately far with France and Great Britain aren't as the Korean
language summary are distant and it is poles apart.
</retranslation>

To the OP: Good luck teaching biology with that!