Re:Google’s top search result is Google
by tomsmeding on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @12:33PM
(#23977538)
Is there any way to find out what the translation path is that GTranslate takes?
Background: I usually find I get better results when I translate from English to a random language X instead of from Y to X -- which is probably because it actually does Y -> English -> X. But I know more languages than Y and English, so it might be helpful to know what the "best" intermediary is, so to speak.
Not that I know of, except by trying to find mistakes like this:
https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=47635
> Google translates the Japanese word "migaku 磨く" (to polish, to brush) to the French word "polonais" (Polish, as in "of Poland").
Meaning Japanese to French must go through English and get confused by Polish/polish.
Yes, I know some of these are done through a intermediary (often English, but not always). So if you translate Ukrainian → Catalan it probably really does Ukrainian → Russian → Spanish → Catalan. But it can still be helpful to have the options.