Here’s another reason that you shouldn’t be using the online dictionary to help you with translation. You can also read “Three Good Reasons Not To Use The Online Translator”.
The above is a screenshot from a video on Youtube. It is a demonstration on how you can use Google Chat to translate Mandarin to English. The Mandarin sentence：
me: 在这里打中文
is literally translated as
zh2en: Chinese fight here
Although it has its purpose, it does not serve a good cause. “打” literally means “beat” in English. “打架” means “fight”. Both are verb forms. Apparently, in this case, the character has been translated by Google. The result as you can see for yourself is disastrous. I tried using Google Translate for “在这里打中文 ” and it says “Typing here”. The correct translation is “Type here.”
If you have to use translation while on Google Chat, make sure that you ‘double confirm’ (Hossan Leong’s populare “Singlish” phrase) with your chat mate what they actually mean or you may just get into a real fight online.
To check the Youtube video, click here.
