In 1999 I tried out some existing translation software found on the web. I input a 450-word passage from my mother's family history and translated it into French, then took the resulting text and translated that back into English. I then did the same with German and Spanish.
This year (2024) I came across the document and decided to repeat the process, using the latest version of Google Translate.
| The original English text | ||
| Via French, 1999 | Via German, 1999 | Via Spanish, 1999 |
| Via French, 2024 | Via German, 2024 | Via Spanish, 2024 |
The results show the vast progress made in machine translation over the last twenty-five years. The 1999 versions, if written by a schoolchild, would have been returned covered in red ink and a failing grade. The 2024 versions would attract no more than occasional use of an editor's blue pencil.