Writer meme: Get Google Translation to rewrite your first chapter

[OneHappyChap]

I've seen this done for songs mostly, but not quite so with first chapters... so.

The rules are simple, you basically translate the chapter in 3-4 different languages each time and go back to English at the end to see what you ended up with.

Here is mine for my latest published book 'Somebody's Monster'.

Have fun.

[dawgofdawgness]

The translated version is so ominous...
"No one can survive.
Howard can not survive."

[OneHappyChap]

Prayer circle for Howard.

[grimnir]

3-4 languages: bad

10+ languages: amazing.

The original:

By mid-morning I leave the ruins of the city behind, and by that afternoon, I enter a forest. It’s a relief, to get out of the too-bright sunlight that reflects off shards of shattered glass and twisted metal, to leave behind the broken streets, a silent, solemn graveyard of memories scattered like bones. The forest has its own pitfalls, but I find the close spaces and green twilight a comforting change.

After 7 translations:

In the morning I left there and went there in the afternoon. Sunlight comes from broken glass, broken streets and broken memories, as well as silent bones. The forest has its own hindrance, but I seem to have a stable environment in the surrounding areas and green days.

I kind of like 'green days', I might use that some time. But where did the rest go? I guess Google ate it. It just kept getting worse.

I stopped in the morning and went to have dinner. Sun-broken glass, torn streets and broken memories are made of calm bones. Forests grow, but the same day seems a stable environment and environment.

It's almost poetic in a weird way.

I stop eating in the morning. Shadows under the sun, streets are destroyed and others remember strong. The forest develops, but the same day is a strong and rounded zone.

And finally, we arrive at this, because I'm scared to continue further.

Give it tomorrow. Roads, traffic and other things will not be prevented. Violence, but when the time goes.

I don't know. I just don't know.

[OneHappyChap]

It's like... the contemporary genre, but multiplied to modern, invisible, art level.

[Wumbl]

As soon as I get to my home computer I'm doing this with one of my prose pieces - this is priceless.

[AllynCrowe]

Oh god, I'm going to try this, I'll report results soon!

[AllynCrowe]

This is the original text:

The air was filled with the crisp fog that rose after a long night of heavy frost. Everything was caught in that grey moment just before the world woke up. A drowsy silence spilled forth with the fog from narrow alleys and over the cobblestones.
Although his breath froze, he didn't feel cold. He never felt cold, but this wasn't the same. The chill was there, but he couldn't find it in him to worry about it. To worry about anything.
With a deep sigh he looked up as his breath vanished into that deep white nothing. Even his mind fell still. From far above snow started to fall. The flakes were large and heavy, but soft like cotton. The patterns they made in the sky mesmerised him for he didn't know how long.

Putting it through 5 languages (English > Japanese > French > Russian > Danish) gives:

The sky was filled with a light drop, which appeared after a long night of long frost. Shortly before the world woke up, everything was done in the most gray moment. The narrow streets and fog of the sidewalk were full of sleepiness.
His breath was frozen, but he was not cold. He was not cold, but it was not the same. There was so much cold, but it could not be found in him to worry about it. Cut something out.
When his breath disappeared deep white, he looked up and breathed deeply. His heart always fell. He started snowing from the top. It's big and heavy, but soft like cotton. The image of the flakes made in the sky fascinated him because he did not know how long.

It's getting a bit aggressive xD

5 more languages (Danish > Bulgarian > Arabic > Chinese > Swahili)

After a long, long winter, the sky was full of a little tone. Shortly before the world got up, everything happened at the worst time. The narrow streets and fog on road roads are facing.
His breathe was preserved, but not cold. They are cold, but they are different. There is a lot of cold, but there was no worries. Cut something
When his breath lost in deep blue, he looked up and took a great breath. His heart has always fallen. He started the snow from above. It's big and heavy, but it's soft like wool. The equality scenario in heaven was astonished because he did not know how long.

My soul is frozen and I have to cut something. In a nutshell

5 more just because I want to see how bad this can get (Swahili > Luxembourgish > Icelandic > Hindi > Georgian)

After a long time in winter the sky is full of tiny tones. Anyway, it's worse in the world. There will be narrow streets and gaps in the streets.
I slept, but it is not cold. They are cold, but they are different. There are many chalers, but there was no concern. Decrease
When his breath was deep blue, he saw it and took a long time. His heart is always changing. He brought him out of the ice. It's big and hard but thick like wool. The balance of events in paradise is awesome because he did not know for a long time.

Bad roads and I think my character just pulled his dick out... so I feel like it's best to stop while I'm ahead xD

[Cronaj]

Ahahahahaha! I've actually already done this before.

Anyway, here's my attempt with the prologue of Patience in the Dark:

I went from English > Swedish > Thai > Arabic > Greek > and back to English again. The translation seems more like a surreal dream, with strange and perverted fantasies mingling with this uncanny fear. Oh dear...

[KennDemon]

I tried it for the beginning of the first chapter of Road to Lamark.

In the end, only one sentence even resembles the original. It's kind of scary.

[Wumbl]

I've gone ahead and done this for one of my Ryu Ga Gotoku fanfiction stories:

Original:

Jacques was a mess. It had been 4 years since he'd started making his marks in this business, and his patience had already worn thin enough to break. He was hitting rock bottom at 25 and it almost seemed too perfect. Many would be glad to hear it; he'd been a thorn in a lot of sides during his short career.

The truth was, he couldn't stay any longer.

Sure, it paid well to work for Alsace. He made six figures and had access to a whole encyclopedia of benefits. However, there was a certain emotional toll to working for the man that chipped away at his very spirit. He felt he'd lose his mind if he had to hear the man's lifeless voice again.

Alsace was an old man who was glued to his 20-years-rotted glory days. There was only so much that Jacques could take, dirtying his hands time and time again to the point where they would never be clean only to see Alsace bathe in the glory of it. It wouldn't suck so much if Alsace ever had anything profound to say.

It felt like the glory was the only thing that had made it worthwhile, to begin with.

Jacques had found himself grasping for it, scrabbling for any drippings that may fall from Alsace's large, greasy hands.

He was starving for it.

Translated to chinese, polish, finnish and then back to english:

Jacques is very dirty. It has been four years since he began to achieve his results in this business, and his patience was thin enough. He struck down at age 25 and almost felt perfect. Many people are happy to hear this, during his short career he was in many respects a spike.

It is true that it can not stay longer.

Of course, he paid much for Arthas's work. He created six characters and benefited from the entire encyclopedia. However, man's work, which weakened his life, will have emotional effects. If he had to hear the lewd voice of the man again, he felt that he would lose his mind.

Arthas is an old man who has survived 20 years of glory. Jacques can only last so much, his hands are stained again and again, they are never clean, just to see Arthas sowed his glory. If Arthas has deep words, it would not be so bad.

It seems that praise is the only thing that makes it worth starting.

Jacques grabbed him and fought the water drops that could fall from Arthas's great, heavy hand.

He dies of hunger.

It went from 'oh boy I can't wait to have a career change bc I hate the french mafia' to 'I'm unhygienic and dying of starvation'. Also Alsace's name got changed to Arthas for some reason.................. and he went from "lifeless" to "lewd"............ it's not THAT kinda fanfic google

It's still like... ALMOST readable though

[ItsMuffin]

I went through just four and I'm d y i n g

Original:

All creatures of this world have a job;
Either to destroy;
To dispose of what’s been destroyed;
Or to create;
And neither of those could work without the other;
And neither is more or less important than the other.
Good morning to you too. I see you’ve been up for a while, having time to think of that.
I woke up a minute ago.
Well, good for you. For once we get up at the same time and don’t bother each other.
So, what got you up this early?
Time. It passes, and I wake. I believe it’s called sleeping. You?
. . . Big day.
The bedsheets fell off, having been on the verge of falling for most of the night.
Well, that’s our cue. Up we go.
He got up and went into the empty kitchen. The sound of boiling water soon filled it.
I always hated drinking coffee before breakfast, but we're in a bit of a rush here.
So, when are we heading off? And where?
Very soon. And I don’t know. And I should’ve made this stronger. I’m really sleepy.
How many hours?
Three. Maybe three and a half.
He took a sip.
Y'know I always did find it weird. The dream world.
Oh, here we go. . .
It always seemed so. . . real. And it always seems to correlate to reality somehow. And we wake up having changed ourselves a bit. And it’s like that every time. Every time we change a little bit, not noticeably, but enough. And we still carry the feeling of the dreams to our daily lives, and we think about them, even when our brain tries to forget it. We force ourselves to remember, as if it has an importance.
And to us, it does.
Even when our brain tries to forget, sees it as memorial dump, we still hang on to it. Meaning. . .
Meaning?
Meaning they really do have an importance. They matter, and they should be kept, cherished. We should not think of them as matters of this world, and we shouldn’t let them affect our perception of it, but we need to give them some importance in our lives.
Because they give us chances we didn’t have in this life, and never will.
Do you think that, maybe. . . dreams are a reality of their own?
Maybe. If it soothes your feeling of being trapped in this reality, you might say yes.
. . . Do you ever dream?
. . .
. . . Yes.

-You’re late. – The voice said.
Five more minutes.
-You really should get up. – It persisted.
Just five more minutes.
-I’m not going to be here all morning to wake you. – The voice turned stern.
OH, JUST FIVE MINUTES!
-Five. . . minutes. – She managed to whisper.
-Fine. But I’m leaving, and you have to get up on your own in those five minutes. – The voice warned.
Okay.
-. . . Okay?
-Okay.
That’d be the door. She’s gone.
I should probably get up. Eh, four more minutes.
. . . Three.
. . . Two.
. . . One.
. . . Maybe just five more.
No.
I should get up. Shit.
Today’s the hunt.
Now I really have to get up.
Oh yes, bright sun. Just what my newly opened eyes need; something to stab them.
Breakfast? Perhaps. How late am I even?
Oh.
No breakfast.
Where are my clothes?

Google:

All the animals in the world have work;
Or destroy;
Destroy what was killed;
Or created;
And they are unable to work without someone;
And more important than others
Good morning I realized that for a moment you have time, you have the opportunity to think about it.
A few minutes ago I got up.
Well, good for you when we arrive at the same time and do not worry about each other.
So what are you doing for the first time?
Weather. It was in the past and I stood. I believe she is said to be asleep. You?
. . . Hello
The Christian is because it causes the fall of most of the night.
Well, that's our name. Down, let's go
She got up and went to the kitchen. The word of the river broke up quickly
I always hate coffee before dancing, but we run on that little one.
So when should we go? And where?
Very fast and I do not know. And I have to support him. I'm really awake.
How many hours?
May 3 we are half
It took a soup.
I know it's always strange all over the world
Lets go. .
It really is. . . He says. And it really does seem to be a reality in some cases. We brought a little change. Every time we make a little change all the time, we do not see it, but enough. We still have dreams in our everyday life and think about them, even when our brain is trying to forget it. We ask that we remember how important it is.
And ours
Even if our mind reaches, it shows memory and we hold it. Money. .
What is the meaning?
Therefore, they are important. They should be important and keep, maintain We do not have to think about things in the world and we should not let them do our ideas, but we will give them one in our life.
Because he gave us the opportunity to have nothing more in this life and he would never be.
What do you think? Is the dream true?
Perhaps, if you think you are not in your situation, you can say it.
. . . You dreamed
. . .
. . . Yes

• You're late. - The voice says.
  Five minutes
  You are going to get up - it will go.
  Only five minutes
• I can not stand this morning to wake you up. - Sound
  Five minutes!
• Five. Minute It's a whisper.
• Well, I'm leaving, and you'll get yourself in five minutes. - Her voice is warming up.
  Good.
• it is? . . Good
• All right
  That would be the case. Is gone
  I want to stand up. Oh, four minutes
  . . . Three
  . . . Two
  . . . One
  . . . Maybe another five.
  No
  I'll go brilliant.
  Become a victim today
  Now I have to get up early.
  Oh, very sun, I want new discoveries; Some of their complaints
  Breakfast? How long have I been at home?
  Oh
  Without breakfast
  Where's my dress?

[utdragongirl]

Original:

After a moment, the group opened the doors of the gathering hall and found nearly the entirely town was present. Chester noticed some slight glares directed his way, but many were looking at Alison. She looked familiar, even though they were sure that they had never seen her before. The elders stood in front of the crowd, waiting so they could go to the border.

Alison walked over to the elders, ignoring the stares she was getting. Jeremiah smirked and followed as well. The elders nodded before turning around, expecting the group to follow them. Lizzy ran to the side of Alison and walked in pace with her. The other four led the horses behind them

Once they were out of the village, Alison took a deep breath of relief before climbing onto Jeremiah's horse. The forest normalized again after they passed the wall. In an interest to remain stealthy, no one said a word. The elders quietly led them through the forest before showing them a cleverly hidden trapdoor.

Googled:

As soon as it was opened, the city bed was a wonderful place for redemption. Most of his eyes are looking at Chester Paul soon. Remember, this seems to confirm that they have never seen before. Priest prior to the game end.

However, the elderly who is excited indeed is a powerful center. : Jeremiah smiled the best way and they went. The old people walked around and waited for the crowd to continue. Lizzie runs away and throws him down. : After another team

Paul was Jeremiah before Peter took a deep breath without the help of the city. DUI went back to the tree and crossed the wall. To be an evil service, no one said the words. I immediately ignored that field to show that this made him astray in crafty tactics.

[OneHappyChap]

I love all of these.

[DiegoPalacios]

For the first page of my comic i did: English, then Norwegian, then Hebrew, and after that google translate only worked on english. And i got this:

"It is the legend of the whole ... Impossible ... He is unstoppable in battle ... His speed can not be perceived by the human eye ... No His wisdom and words trascends ... He is the chosen fear and our Savior ... A rocky stone The mighty thing ... can do it"

[OneHappyChap]

Guess Rocky's dominance is recognized no matter the language.

[baasinsimple]

Grammatically it already is a disaster so I don't think much would change.

[Cavechan]

I used the first page of my comic:

In the year 1999, a message was sent out into space. It traveled alone in silence and darkness for 70 years. There was never an intention for it to be found. Yet in 2141, we received a message back. The answer to an age old question was finally found. We were not alone.

Here's after a bunch:

In 1999, mail was sent to the sky. For 70 years, they are quiet in the dark. Can not find it. However, in 2141, a memo came. In the end, answer the answers to the previous questions. We are not alone.

After a few more... looks like it got cut off at the end:

In 1999 the e-mail was sent. For 70 years they are quiet in the dark. But in 2141 it was registered. Finally, answer the last answers. We are not just

Just did a few more. What is this. XD So much gets lost.

.1999. Addressing at Tahira at the age of 70 years old. However, 2141 reports. Finally, the final answer. Exists

Still going with this. Now I want to see how long it takes to get to one word left. lol

.1999. Approx. 70, but 2141 shows. The last answer is the last

.

70 but seems to be 2141. Last answer is final

I think that's about the end.

[Zaboem]

I liked the first translation the best, the "mail was sent to the sky" version.

[Zaboem]

To be fair, my writing style is already close to avante guarde nonsense. Google Translate was never intended for this, and it doesn't really stand a chance. That said, let's generate some Engrish.

The original, an excerpt from the novel, Alien Fiction.

Candide, hero of heroes, strode out the doorway like he was the king of the world. His opponent, the actual king of the world, took a long and hard look at the muscular young fireman. Candide's stride – long, confident, purposeful, sexy – left little doubt he knew how to walk. His obviously subtle smile would come to define smirks for generations afterward. His heavy steel axehead twinkled in the stadium lights whimsically.

Candide raised his axe above his head. A crowd of hundreds of thousands of spectators roared with approval. Lungs bellowed until their air was exhausted. Then, they gasped and cheered more.

Got that? Good. I tried English --> Haitian Creole --> English. Then I tried English --> Haitian Creole --> Mongolian --> English. I noticed something peculiar happening. The transition from English to Creole reversed the gender of Candide to all female pronouns, and then the change to Mongolian switched them back to male.

Here is the result.

Charlie and the heroes of heroes opened the door like the king of the world.

Yes, those tricky Mongolians changed his name from Candide to Charlie. They only did it this once though. Every other time he appears, he remains Candide. Beside that casting change, this sentence remained pretty much intact and remains as sensible as it ever was.

His rival, the real king, had a long and hard look at the young muscles of the fire.

Young muscles of fire...

Candide's long, faithful, realistic and sexy person. He knew how to walk.

You know it, baby.

Sometimes smiley smiles have been late.

Is there any other type of smile?

At the station's stadium there was a heavyweight marble.

Where the hell did you come up with "heavyweight marble"?

Candide raised the ax over his head. Hundreds of thousands of viewers roared and confirmed.

Yes, that is actually a pretty close to accurate translation.

Lung is closed until it is operational. Then they will flee more.

I'm sorry, Ma'am. You may not use this lung. It is closed until operational. You should flee more, ma'am. We all should.

Overall, I am slightly pleased with the story of Charlie and his muscles of fire. It ends with a nice moral: flee more.