Thursday, July 14, 2005

Babelfishing for Taigans

Are you familiar with the translation program Babel Fish ? It may work sometimes, but usually the effect is surreal.

Background: a friend in Finland informed me that I was being accused on a site in Kirgyzstan of trying to take taigans out of the country illegally-- maybe a confusion with my actual ongoing tazi project in nearby Kazakhstan. Wanting to see what was going on, and with inadequate Russian, I "Babelfished" the forum entry. What came up was this:

"To husbands Bodio urgently is required...

"Itself Of kurmankulov, is created impression, no longer rad of this popularity by dilute and with great care guarded by it species. Only in the recent three months in its office were saved about two thousand (!) letters from the most different corners of planet. We obtain at random one. "dear mister almaz..." this family couple from THE USA on the surname Bodio places in the reputation of our compatriot about the fact that the in summer present years of miss and mister will arrive to Bishkek "for the purpose to acquire one tayganchika".

"Otherwise as triumphal the procession of kyrgyzskoy borzoi in the countries peace you will not name. According to the chapter of public fund, even now confirmed their arrival for the acquaintance tayganom as by species representatives 34 (!) the states of Europe and South America, CIS, and also USA. Accretion is planned to the autumn, when in Bishkek THE III national canine exhibition starts. But the thus far American and German specialized publications excitedly issue form into a snuff article and historical information about our taygane.

"Control, if you please, the binding".

I actually do know Almaz Kurmankulov, but as to the rest....??!!

To be continued, if I ever unravel it-- I have some friends who speak good Russian on the case. meanwhile, control that binding!

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