I was toying with the idea of putting together a module that would enable users to translate headings in Japanese go books, on the assumption that a rather high percentage of information can be gleaned from the headings alone (e.g. Heading: White's attack fails; Body text: If White plays 1, Black jumps to 2 and runs away. White can try chasing at 3 but after Back 4 he has no follow-up.) Of course, the method can be applied to body text, too, though with some major reservations - headings use a smallish subset of the whole grammar and often employ special disambiguation techniques to compensate for the lack of the context that body text has.

But before I wedge my thinking cap on firmly, I thought I would test the state of the art in case my efforts prove to be wasted. I therefore took a whole Japanese book and part of another and translated all the headings. This was very much an instant translation, without reading the body text, although my eye would naturally pick up some useful peripheral data.

I then put each heading into Google translate. The results are given below: heading text, Google version/my version. Google of course does not have a dedicated go dictionary, but that to one side, what do you think of its results? Usable? Likely to improve substantially soon? Worth me dusting off my thinking cap? I should add that my method would not produce translations. It would produce all syntactically viable options and have a dedicated dictionary with transformation rules, but the final decision on wording would be down to the human.

Must add that Google's 'slave station' for a handicap game has certain possibilities...

うるさくなった Became annoyingly/Has become vexing
お手並み拝見 You wait and look/Issuing a challenge
かなりの打ち手 Hand out a lot of/A considerable player
しっかりした布石 Strategic move was firm/Solid fuseki
とらえどころがない Elusive/There is nothing to get hold of
どう決める How do I decide/How to settle
まず九子局から From nine first slave station/First starting with a nine-stone game
めり込んだ It sinks/Caved in territory
もたついた Was tan gled /Is inefficient
もつれてきた Have been entangled/It has become complicated
ゆっくりした布石 Strategic move was slowly/Slow-paced fuseki
ゆるんでいる Loose/Slacks off
よく現れる局面 Aspect that appears well/A position that often appears
アマの着想Idea of flax/The amateur’s idea
シノギ Tiding over/Making life
スソ空きは囲うな THe opening on the side Na Fencing/Don’t surround open skirts
ダメ場へ石がいった Stone said to no good place/The stones went to a wasteland
ノゾキは大悪手 Except for large bad move/The peep is a very bad move
バランスが悪い Imbalances/The balance is bad
プロの感覚 Sense of professional/The pro’s feeling
ボウシにケイマ The knight hat/Knight’s moves against caps
ポピュラーな型 Type popular/Popular pattern
ヨセの手 Hand of Joses/Boundary-play move
位が低くなった In is lower/The position has become low
異筋Different muscle/Wrong way
三子局用のじょうせき Castle Ruins of triplets station /A joseki for three-stone games
悩ましい一手Seductive one hand /Lackadaisical move
一筋縄ではいかないIt does not go straightforward /Doesn’t work with ordinary means
一歩もゆるまずWill not loosen from one step /Does not yield even one step
右か左か Right or left/Right or left?
下手の負けるパターンPattern of poor lose/Pattern in which the weaker player loses
怪しい雲行き Suspicious turn of affairs/Dubious turn of affairs
楽をさせた Was the easy/Has allowed opponent] to be at ease
簡明策 Straightforward measures/Simplicity policy
緩着 Wearing loose/Slack move
頑張り過ぎ Work too hard/Too feisty
基本知識の欠如Lack of basic knowledge /Lack of basic knowledge
寄り道Dropping in on the way/Detour
機略に富んだボウシHat-rich resourceful/Cap rich in resourcefulness
気合の目外しRemove eyes yell/Spirited mokuhazushi
強気のハサミScissors bullish/Powerful pincer
凝り形Stiffness form/Overconcentrated shape
筋違いIllogical/Wrong way
隅だけで生きThe live only corner/Living only in the corner
形が崩れたForm is lost/The shape is destroyed
形に似て非Non-similar to form/Looks like good shape but is a mistake
形の常識Common sense of the form/Common-sense about shape
形を決めるI decide the shape/Settles the shape
経路図Route map/Diagram of moves so far
激闘 Fierce fight/Severe fight
欠点が出ているDrawback is out/A flaw emerges
決まりがつかないDetermined does not stick/Remains unsettled
嫌なムード Unpleasant mood/Unpleasant feeling
嫌な局面Unpleasant aspects/Unwelcome position
見合いだがBut it is commensurate/Miai alternatives but...
厳しい攻め Severe attack/Severe attack
厳しい打ち込み The driving severe/Severe invasion
互先 Even game/Even game handicap
呉清源先生の六子局Six sub-station of Go Seigen teacher/Six-stone game with master Go Seigen
碁はバランス Go s balance/Go is about balance
厚みの影響力 Influence of the thickness/The influential power of thickness
攻めAttack/Attack
攻めが基調Attack is keynote/Attack is the basis
攻めてはみたが... Although expected to be attacked…/Tried attacking but...
攻めの基本Basic aggressive/The basics of attack
攻める石にツケるな Like it attached to the stone attack/Don’t attach to stones you are attacking
攻め中断Attack interruption/Attack interrupted
甲州の親分の三子局Triplets station boss of Koshu/Three-stone game with the Koshu boss [= Hoshino Toshi]
黒、頑張る Black, work hard/Black is feisty
黒３とツメて十分 Te enough nails and black 3/Checking at Black 3 is sufficient
黒苦戦 Black struggle/Hard fight for Black
黒番Black n umber/Black to play
今少し穏やかに Gently a little now/Now a little too gentle
差し手争いPointing hand fight/Hand to hand fight
再び九子局Nine slave station again/Again a nine-stone game
細碁 Narrow go/Close game
錯覚Illusion/Hallucination
三子の効力失う Lose efficacy of triplets/Loses the effectiveness of the three stones
参考になるサバキ Judgment it would be helpful/A text-book sabaki
枝葉は捨てる I throw away the branches and leaves/Discards the branches and leaves
死活の認識Recognition of life and death/Recognition of life and death
次の狙いがない There is no aim of the following/There is no follow-up aim
攻めているつもり？ Going to have attack/Intending to attack?
失敗Failure/Failure
捨て石Riprap/Sacrifice stones
捨小就大[no output]/Sacrifice small, take big
弱気で攻め損なうI hurt attack by bearish/Attacking fails because of weak spirit
弱点を見極めるI discern a weakness/Probes for the weak points
守りだけ /Only defense/Only defence
手筋に似て非Non-similar to tactical move/Looks like a tesuji but is a mistake
手厚い形勢Hospitable situation/Thick position
重いHeavy/Is heavy
序盤戦の布石構想Stepping stone concept of early stage of a campaign/Fuseki ideas in opening battles
正解Correct answer/Right answer
石が逆 Stone reverse/Stones face wrong way
石の軽重 Light and heavy stone/Relative importance of stones
石の方向 Direction of the stone/Direction of play
積極的な好手 Good move aggressive/Positive good move
全局的に手厚い/The generous manner to all stations/Is thick over the whole board
狙いが外れるAim is outside/The aim is off
相談碁 Go consultation/Consultation game
打ちにくい碁 Go is hard to beat/A game difficult to play
大斜を誤る I mistake the large oblique/Making a mistake in the taisha
大斜百変Hundred change 100 large oblique/100 variations of taisha
第２章 Chapter 2/Chapter 2
第一題First problem/Problem 1
単にアテでは... At the destination simply…/If simply the atari...
恥ずかしい碁 Embarrassing go/Shameful game
着手の方向 Direction of launch/Direction of play
中盤のポイント Middle point of/Keypoint of the middle game
中盤戦への視点 Perspective on middle game/Focus on middle-game fighting
調子が悪いOut of whack/The momentum is poor
直ちにカカりたいI want to Ri Kaka immediately/Should approach immediately
定石も時によりけり Standard tactics also yorikeri at/Josekis also depend on the time
踏み込み不足 Depression shortage/Insufficient penetration
踏ん張る所 Place to hold out/Place to make a stand
働きの無い石 Stone without working/Stones that have no effect
得をしていない Has not been obtained the/Makes no profit
特殊な型 Partcular type/special shape
読み不足 Lack of reading/Insufficient reading
二間高バサミ Between two high- shears/Two-space high pincer
二連星と呼応 Concert with two binary star/Acting in concert with the nirensei
配石を生かす I take advantage of the distribution stone/Activating the arrangement of the stones
白、ヨミ損じ White, Sonji Reading/White miscalculates
白に楽をさせた I was comfortable in the White/Has allowed White to be at ease
白は余裕ができるWhite can afford/For White composure is possible
白治まる Subside White/White settles himself
不急の愚形Bad shape of non-urgent/Non-urgent bad shape
浮き石となるIt is floating stone/Becomes a floating group
本因坊直系の指導碁Teaching game of Honinbo lineal/Teaching game with direct successor of the Honinbo family
無難な進行 Safe progress/Safe sequence
無用の頑張り The hard work useless/Useless tenacity
目論見、水の泡 Prospects, naught/Plans turn to nothing
問題のノビ Novi problem/Questionable extension
利かし Forcing move/Forcing move
流れるような構図 Composition, such as flowing/A plan that seems to flow
力戦派の面目 Face of war faction/Characteristic of the hard-fighting brigade
六子以上の定石 The Art of six children or more/Joseki for six stones and above
白死 White death/White dies
白の侵入は無理Intrusion of white wonder/White’s invasion is unreasonable
白を撃退 To repel white/Repulsing White
出を決めても When you decide to leave/Even if he decides on the push-out
急所のアテコミ Wedging in Key points/Atekomi is the vital point
脱出 Escape/Escape
ハサミツケ Hasimtuske/Clamp
ソイも Also Soi/The soi too
攻め合い勝ち Winning attack each other/Wins the capturing race
トビの形 Form of tobi/Good shape with the jump
手をつけると If you put your hand/If a move is to be added
形が戻る Form returns/The shape reverts
オキ Oki/Placement
根拠 Basis/Base
カケ Bet/Press
妥協 Compromise/Compromise
白のシノギ Surpass white/White manages to live
一つのワカレ Farewell of one/One division of the spoils
黒まあまあ Mediocre black/Black OK
白ツブレ White crushed/White crushed
白がんばり過ぎ Too do my best white/White tries too hard
白の最強 Strongest of white/White’s strongest resistance
ツケからの攻防 Offense and defense from the charge account/Attack and defence after the attachment
白は生きるが White is live/White lives, but...
同じくツブレ Collapse also/Similarly crushed
隅を生きてくれば However, as you live the corner/If he allows life in the corner
黒十分 Black enough/Satisfactory for Black
守り方 How tp protect/A way to defend
サガリで取れる I take on the falling/Captured by the descent
遠慮 /Reserve/Diffidence

Google seems to have quite a bit of trouble with the headings of more than two or three words. Despite a few quirks such as expressing the heading in the first person (I throw away the branches and leaves) or grammatical nonsense: (Stone without working) or getting some things exactly backwards (黒まあまあ Mediocre black/Black OK) I found about 1 in 4 to make enough sense to be of use. Of these, I particularly liked: もつれてきた Have been entangled and 石の方向 Direction of the stone.

Here are the ones I found to be halfway acceptable:

_________________
Patience, grasshopper.

Some of the Google translations are pretty good but I think many of them would not be understood by weaker players. In other words, if you already understand the go meaning you can understand the Google-translated heading but if you aren't familiar with it it might be confusing.

While interesting, I don't think this is the ideal way to approach a machine translation problem or to evaluate the "state of the art." The first question is: how much better would your results be if you sent each heading to an independent human translator and provided no context that it was about translating a go book? The humans would still do better, but you would doubtless get many hilarious translations. Of course it would be silly to cripple human translators this way.

What may not be so clear is that it is becoming less and less justifiable to cripple machine translation by withholding context. The machine translation can be improved by using a domain-specific vocabulary and context, among other things. This is used in a number of fields, notably medicine. Now it takes some work to build up a nice corpus of cues, specialized terms and weightings, but every project has to start somewhere.

As a language and go translation expert, if you collaborate with a natural language processing expert, you might be able to produce something great, learn more about what the state of the art really is, and maybe even help advance it. If you are serious I can try to put in contact with some researchers.

That is good point, many human translators don't get it correct when it comes to go terms either. I have been looking at various problem books offered by yesasia, and many of the translations are quite interesting for example it took me a while to figure out they were calling joseki jesoeki, I also quite often have google translate a page and often the reviews from Amazon Japan. One thing I think is funny, is how plainly the denigrations come through when all other content is hopelessly mangled, many of the translated reviews read like this for example:

Blah blah... Strategic theory ignorant... I can recommend this book because blah blah opening is worthless blah blah stupid blah blah dumb....

Some comments of mine, despite I am neither a native speaker of English nor of Japanese. But sometimes I have the feeling that a native speaker (of one of both languages only !!!) might be "too deep inside" with translation issues like this one here, while a non-native speaker will have similar problems with either of both languages.

First of all -- as snorri already mentioned -- you must not forget at all that there is a issue-related (here "Go") specific vocabulary.


Another idea might be to let Google "re-translate", and to see what happens. In many cases, there might be a "n to m relationship" between a term in English and a term in Japanese. This means that a single English term might have n expressiones in Japanese, while the choosen Japanese translation (1 of n) might have m expressions in English.
In my opinion, if you let translate an English text into Japanese, and thereafter let re-translate the Japanese result into English, and the resulting English text is quite similar to the English original, we can assume that this text is similar to "common usage".


Additionally, one must be aware not to overstress the own knowledge of context.

Let me explain this with one example.
"白の最強" literally translated with only my rudimental knowledge of Japanese gives something like "highest/most strong of White".
Google translate results in "Strongest of white", of course not knowing that "white" is used as a proper name, so assuming the colour here.

John's translation is "White’s strongest resistance", but perhaps this is overdoing things (i.e. overstressing the knowledge of contents) ?

Google translate's result of "White's strongest resistance" in Japanese is "ホワイト最強の抵抗".

Google translate seems to have recognised that "White" has been used as a proper name, so the translation is in Katakana ""ホワイト", not the Kanji "白" for the colour.

"抵抗" is new to us, and this is "resistance" in English. However, in my opinion, this addition to clarify the context is not mandatory, "move", "reply" or "answer", etc., might be possible, too.

_________________
The really most difficult Go problem ever: https://igohatsuyoron120.de/index.htm
Igo Hatsuyōron #120 (really solved by KataGo)

May be related: IBM Watson in medicine

I skimmed the translations, but my overall impression is that you're not out of a job yet.

_________________
Occupy Babel!

It's a mess. An example from Irish that tricks it up terribly:

"Ba mhaith leat na madraí a bhualadh" is correctly translated to "You want to hit the dogs."

"Ba mhaith leat na madraí a bualadh" is screwed up as "You want to meet the dog" ("a bhualadh" is "to hit" but "le bualadh" is "to meet" so this is a bad mistake but understandable but how "na madraí" which is always "the dogs" becomes "the dog" in the second statement is beyond me).

"Ba mhaith leat an madra le bualadh" would be "You want to meet the dog." You can see how a beginner could mix these up but a translation problem shouldn't be screwing up singular/plural of common regular nouns.

Unless it's a case of a noun that is spelled the same as a verb, like 'record', this seems like a really basic and bizarre mistake.

Does the punctuation have to do with anything?

No, those punctuation marks shouldn't change anything.

Trick question.
So Google translate has special code for idioms and proverbs. We should try some Go proverbs.

No, it just means dog. Madraí is also unambiguous. "Na" can be ambiguous, it isn't just used for plurals, but here it shouldn't cause issues because madraí is only used with na when you want to say "the dogs."

It's just really bad. It also translates English to Irish in a way that sounds like someone directly translating English word for word into Irish utterly ignoring that phrasing is a lot more different than just word order.

More testing.

Boidhre, did you try the button "Rate translation" ? Screenshot:

Very interesting to Listen to different languages through the computer generated voices. Screenshot:

Yes, but it's rather pointless. "Not helpful", "Helpful" and "Offensive" aren't very useful tags. If I mark it as not helpful, it's not necessarily going to be clear what I'm talking about unless they rope in a native speaker (I do know one native Irish speaker working (or at least who worked for, I haven't spoken to him in a few years) for Google but I don't think he has anything to do with this project).

Yes, I agree. I was also a bit disappointed by it.