"Babel"fish indeed

I don't know any language other than English, except for a little Spanish, and a few spare phrases here and there ("Bonjour," "Wilkommen," "Ahnyunghashipnika," "et cetera"). I certainly can't tell one Asian language's characters from another's. (Wait a minute, I'm going somewhere with this.) Well I was just checking my email, and I got something written almost entirely in some Asian script. I decided to copy-paste it into Babelfish, just for fun. I tried Korean-to-English first, because I happen to have some Korean friends, but that yielded an error message. So then I tried Japanese-to-English, and this is what I beheld:

The tip note 册 success empress you attach, 款, the sinking possession duty no mark? ? ! ! ! 随 Arrival minute? During proclamation IE7 military officer direct supporting sentence country? The limits name empress, it is close sentence limits name 掀 happening one crotch note in the period 跨 national company note 册 册? Tide, non-? Sentence limits name mark in note 册 企? Discernment? ? Multi, 而 且 notes 册 mark several Kazuya days? ? ? . Inclusion in 其? National treasure? Steam? Company? Country 泛 distinction such as Yasushi corporation and the Hong Kong 迪 loyal retainer nun 企? Capital? ? Note 册 Ryo it is close sentence limits name in hundred 个. 如? National treasure? Flight note 册 Ryo "treasure? Collection? Com "" Treasure? Steam? Com "And so on it is close sentence limits name in ten 个. 而 worldwide seventh major desk item 牌 之? Country 泛 Yasushi 更 right sip 气 note 册 sentence limits name in Ryo 20 multi 个. ? The inside folks finger to come out, 随 the sentence limits name importance sexual the convex in arrival? Sentence limits name note during recent times 册 emergency? Sho warm. Distinction 企? Limits name roughness? Mark incident 屡屡? Raw, white cat, sea? ? Pair happiness, Sanxing and American 其 forest, treasure? 迪 loyal retainer nun et. al. domestic 企? Equal not yet talent running away deviation from 此? . Preservation? Limits name forming? 企? Non- profitable non- acceptance it receives and 之 is heavy. ? Ryo? Time self hit sentence limits name, each large 企? Non-? Remaining strength? Arbitration? ? Isotropic system, flower? Ryo large quantitative energetic harmony gold? . Possession? Folks? ? Medium sentence limits name 已? ? Beginning resident in? Person 网? Large aspect? Sentence limits name forming in the midst of spreading and reason use profit? One 个? ? Characteristic? Source, 其 importance 逐? Suffering surpassing coming surpassing multi marks 企? Place? Knowledge. During immediate domestic each large note 册 trade capital possession offering sentence limits name mark note 册 clothes? City? 价 case capital resident in 280 origins/above year, this human work? Country? Prominent limits name note 册 trade eNom amount? Trade and yes from here? Expert offer 180 origin/year note 册 clothes? The note 册 success empress ahead the 并 且 you attach, 款 (? 淘 treasure 网? ? Trade), exhausting yes absentmindedness! This human amount? Mark limits name military officer? Possession complete independent eNom management? Number, 100%? ? Independent management? ? And so on possession operation, 也 yes from here naturally main human generation of reason? ? ? . ? ? Entrance 淘 treasure 网? Watching? Feeling:

It's hard for me to tell how much of that is evidence of spam, and how much is due to the hilarity that is Babelfish. I love the question marks, and the exclamation marks even more. This reminds me of a conversation I had with the Orz in that semi-classic computer game, Star Control 3. (SC3 is enjoyable and funny, if you aren't already so obsessed with SC2 that its sequel seems like an affront to all that you hold dear.) The question marks are apropos, after phrases like "Multi, notes mark several Kazuya days" and "This human amount."

By the way, this month's HWoP is "Treasure? Steam? Company?" I will treasure it.

Backlog Bob