the BPA? 23″
Second machine translation:
“The net result progresses of 48% but the BPA of 27% only owing to exceptional students. The net result should surpass € 243 million in 2003, and the BPA € 23.”
Comments:
* Both systems failed to recognize and translate the abbreviation “BPA” (bénéfice par action = EPS).
* Both also translated “exceptionnels” as an adjective rather than a noun – with the second system then introducing a totally irrelevant noun (“students”), making the entire sentence nonsensical.
* Both translations also contain grammatical errors (of/by).
We then decided to see whether the systems coped better with a short legal text. In fact, as you will see, the results were even worse, with the machines producing completely meaningless sentences in a mixture of French and English.
Original French:
“Il est rappelé au(x) destinataire(s), conformément aux articles 56 et 853 du Code de Procédure Civile :
Que les parties se défendent elles-mêmes ou qu’elles ont la faculté de se faire assister ou représenter par toutes personnes de leur choix ; que leur représentant, s’il n’est pas Avocat, doit justifier d’un pouvoir spécial.
Que faute de comparaître ou de se faire représenter, elles s’exposent à ce qu’un jugement soit rendu contre elles sur les seuls éléments fournis par leur(s) adversaire(s).”
This is a standard note taken from a Summons to appear in court (“Assignation”), notifying the recipient that legal proceedings have been started against him/her/it.
Here is the correct