Solutions [discussion thread - moved]

[MarcoP]

Has anyone yet tried to develop an example of this type that applies the usual methodology, as persuasively as possible, to some solution that couldn't possibly be correct?

Hi Patrick,
several years ago, I worked on a translation project based on modern English, which I nicknamed LES (Lost English of the Smurfs - the idea was to create a background story suggesting that the Smurfs were inspired by a lost English-speaking historical community).

It was based on the method used by most translators and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

A simple substitution based on the character frequency of the target language; then hammering whatever garbage you get into target-language words (I used a dictionary and edit distance).

I ran the process on the whole text, but 3 lines are enough to get the idea:

EVA<f1r.P1.1> fachys ykal ar ataiin shol shory cthres y kor sholdy
LES<f1r.P1.1>    riced erit in ilis fat fane bnod e ran fatthe
  <f1r.P1.1>      rice exit in ills fat face body ran cattle
<>
EVA<f1r.P1.2> sory ckhar or y kair chtaiin shar are cthar cthar dan
LES<f1r.P1.2>      dane vin an e riedn clis fin ino bin bin thi
  <f1r.P1.2>        done in and red clip fin in bin bin the
<>
EVA<f1r.P1.3> syaiir sheky or ykaiin shod cthoary cthes daraiin sa
LES<f1r.P1.3>      deisn fore an eris fath baine bod thinis di
  <f1r.P1.3>    deity for an(d) era swath bane god things did

At the time LLMs did not exist, but now one can ask ChatGPT to do the last step and use the words for some creative writing:

In a time of hardship, bodies weakened by illness and hunger. Cattle were lost, and the land's bounty faded. A deity watched as red-tipped fins flashed in dwindling waters. A dark force cast its shadow over the era, shaping the fate of both gods and mortals.

Modern English makes it easy to see the amount of cheating required to create anything grammatical with this method. Knowing the grammar of the target language is necessary to understand what is happening. In the end, I don't think I ever published LES, since I concluded that translators would be totally undeterred.