The dangers of babelfish translation...

[_]

(beware long url)

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100...--bladder-disease-has-returned-name_page.html

 

[Tony Raven]

_ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
> (beware long url)
>

http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

 

[Josey]

"_" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> (beware long url)
>

I don't think babelfish does welsh. Its a good idea to take the translated
text and turn it back into English and make sure it still makes sense.


JC

 

[Ambrose Nankivell]

Josey wrote:
> "_" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> (beware long url)
>>
>
> I don't think babelfish does welsh. Its a good idea to take the translated
> text and turn it back into English and make sure it still makes sense.
>
Or indeed use machine translation software which asks you about the
ambiguous words in your sentence before you translate it, such as at

http://translution.com/

(disclaimer: I worked for them for a couple of months a couple of years ago)

I've a feeling that the translator of the original sign (bladder disease
has returned) was merely a stool pigeon for the militant CTC, though.

A

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, _
('[email protected]') wrote:

> (beware long url)
>
>
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100...--bladder-disease-has-returned-name_page.html

You're ten months out of date!

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Want to know what SCO stands for?
;; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030605

 

[graydoe]

"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>_ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
>> (beware long url)
>>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.

I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the URL
leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by enabling a cookie
on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase cookies after 1 session,
so pointless.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In news:[email protected],
graydoe <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:
> "Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> _ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
>>> (beware long url)
>>>
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
>
> I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the
> URL leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by
> enabling a cookie on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase
> cookies after 1 session, so pointless.

Though there is always the option of writing something like:

http://tinyurl.com/2e7s9x

(Resolves to streetmap.co.uk). If one is sufficiently paranoid to ponder
the possibility that the OP has actually linked to the Deltic **** Goes To
The Reeperbahn page, then there is little hope left...

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Maffeo Barberini (1568-1644) was made entirely of salmon.

 

[Paul Rudin]

"graydoe" <[email protected]> writes:

> "Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>_ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
>>> (beware long url)
>>>
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
>
> I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the URL
> leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by enabling a cookie
> on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase cookies after 1 session,
> so pointless.

.... and incidentally, the thing to do with long urls is put angle
brackets around them. Most news/mail clients know not to line-break
things so decorated and hence clickability isn't broken.

 

[Roger Merriman]

Paul Rudin <[email protected]> wrote:

> "graydoe" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > "Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >>_ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
> >>> (beware long url)
> >>>
> >>
> >> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
> >
> > I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the URL
> > leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by enabling a cookie
> > on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase cookies after 1 session,
> > so pointless.
>
> ... and incidentally, the thing to do with long urls is put angle
> brackets around them. Most news/mail clients know not to line-break
> things so decorated and hence clickability isn't broken.

yup, and the thing about tinyurl etc is you don't know or at least guess
where the link goes i tend not to click them.

roger

 

[Mark McNeill]

Response to Dave Larrington:
> >> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
> >
> > I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the
> > URL leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by
> > enabling a cookie on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase
> > cookies after 1 session, so pointless.
>
> Though there is always the option of writing something like:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2e7s9x
>
> (Resolves to streetmap.co.uk). If one is sufficiently paranoid to ponder
> the possibility that the OP has actually linked to the Deltic **** Goes To
> The Reeperbahn page, then there is little hope left...

What's wrong with

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2e7s9x

? Or have I missed a point somewhere along the way?

--
Mark, UK
"I like also the men who study the Great Pyramid, with a view to
deciphering its mystical lore. Many great books have been written on
this subject, some of which have been presented to me by their authors.
It is a singular fact that the Great Pyramid always predicts the history
of the world accurately up to the date of publication of the book in
question, but after that date it becomes less reliable."

 

[Tony Raven]

graydoe wrote on 14/05/2007 12:36 +0100:
> "Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> _ wrote on 13/05/2007 21:51 +0100:
>>> (beware long url)
>>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
>
> I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the URL
> leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by enabling a cookie
> on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase cookies after 1 session,
> so pointless.
>
>

There are two things you can do to overcome that. One is, when you make
a TinyURL, cut and past the URL with preview.tinyurl.com in it. That
takes you to a page which displays the full link you are being sent to
and asks if you want to go there. The other is to set your TinyURL
preferences so that whenever you click a TinyURL it takes you to the
preview page regardless of whether it is a direct or preview link.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

 

[Roger Merriman]

Mark McNeill <[email protected]> wrote:

> Response to Dave Larrington:
> > >> http://tinyurl.com/ is your friend.
> > >
> > > I disagree, then your objective readers don't have a clue where the
> > > URL leads, which is offputting. I know you can change this by
> > > enabling a cookie on the tinurl wesite, but most browsers now erase
> > > cookies after 1 session, so pointless.
> >
> > Though there is always the option of writing something like:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/2e7s9x
> >
> > (Resolves to streetmap.co.uk). If one is sufficiently paranoid to ponder
> > the possibility that the OP has actually linked to the Deltic **** Goes To
> > The Reeperbahn page, then there is little hope left...
>
> What's wrong with
>
> http://preview.tinyurl.com/2e7s9x
>
> ? Or have I missed a point somewhere along the way?

2 stage why not just use < * > then one can see where your going,
tinyurl and such are solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

roger

 

[Clive George]

"Roger Merriman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1hy5ks7.c82w51rdw5xvN%[email protected]...

> 2 stage why not just use < * > then one can see where your going,
> tinyurl and such are solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

< * > doesn't reliably work.

Tinyurl with previews is IMO the way.

cheers,
clive

 

[Roger Merriman]

Clive George <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Roger Merriman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1hy5ks7.c82w51rdw5xvN%[email protected]...
>
> > 2 stage why not just use < * > then one can see where your going,
> > tinyurl and such are solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
>
> < * > doesn't reliably work.

does here, on a number of browsers newsreaders etc
>
> Tinyurl with previews is IMO the way.

personaly i know i'm not the only one i don't like tinyurl and it's ilk.
i don't like having to be redireted, its a waste of time, and makes
things less clear.

>
> cheers,
> clive

roger