Translation cards vs free online translators

Hoodwinked · **Joined:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:28 pm **Posts:** 737

I am traveling soon and wanted to get either the Vegan Passport or vegan translation cards to help with ordering food (I have had lots of problems in the past and would like to avoid that again).
The cards are $7 each and I would need 3 (Polish, Hungarian and Czech). I don't want to cheap out on this but I was wondering if those free online translation sites produce the same English to xx language translations that are accurate and colloquial so restaurant staff would have no questions that I am veeggaannn. Does anyone has experience with those online versions, like Babylon, to know if they would basically be the equivolant?
thanks

vijita · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:50 pm

I feel like my vegan passport (Japanese) was a rip-off, because the only time I tried to use it the server had no idea what it said. I would try and track down a native speaker and offer to pay them for a version!

Veg_Eric · **Joined:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:34 am **Posts:** 2203

Hoodwinked wrote:

I would need 3 (Polish, Hungarian and Czech).

Polish http://www.lekkerplantaardig.net/vgp/32.htm

Hungarian http://www.lekkerplantaardig.net/vgp/24.htm

Czech http://www.lekkerplantaardig.net/vgp/14.htm

I never tried this, but apparently there's an Iphone app
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/veggie-p ... 16080?mt=8

or a download http://rapidlibrary.com/files/vegan-pas ... ix9on.html

Hoodwinked · **Joined:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:28 pm **Posts:** 737

wow! thank you so much.
unexpected and deeply appreciated

torque · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:44 pm

Hoodwinked wrote:

those online versions, like Babylon, to know if they would basically be the equivolant?

I am super glad to see you got your thing resolved, but just for future reference:
Babylon and other online things tend to be OK with individual vocabulary words, as long as you remember that sometimes words have multiple meanings and these programs may just arbitrarily choose one. Phrases, sentences, grammar, etc can be much trickier, in my experience always screw things up somehow, and it's always worth having a native speaker proof it juuuuuuust in case. (CF the guy i met recently whose company name includes the phrase 'hand.job', who still insists that it means nothing bad because he used google translate to check it.)

primesaut · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:59 pm

torque wrote:

Hoodwinked wrote:

those online versions, like Babylon, to know if they would basically be the equivolant?

I am super glad to see you got your thing resolved, but just for future reference:
Babylon and other online things tend to be OK with individual vocabulary words, as long as you remember that sometimes words have multiple meanings and these programs may just arbitrarily choose one. Phrases, sentences, grammar, etc can be much trickier, in my experience always screw things up somehow, and it's always worth having a native speaker proof it juuuuuuust in case. (CF the guy i met recently whose company name includes the phrase 'hand.job', who still insists that it means nothing bad because he used google translate to check it.)

As a fellow professional translator, I second Torque's opinion and advice re. automated translations. They're mainly useful as a source of entertainment.

Hoodwinked · **Joined:** Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:28 pm **Posts:** 737

primesaut wrote:

torque wrote:

Hoodwinked wrote:

those online versions, like Babylon, to know if they would basically be the equivolant?

I am super glad to see you got your thing resolved, but just for future reference:
Babylon and other online things tend to be OK with individual vocabulary words, as long as you remember that sometimes words have multiple meanings and these programs may just arbitrarily choose one. Phrases, sentences, grammar, etc can be much trickier, in my experience always screw things up somehow, and it's always worth having a native speaker proof it juuuuuuust in case. (CF the guy i met recently whose company name includes the phrase 'hand.job', who still insists that it means nothing bad because he used google translate to check it.)

As a fellow professional translator, I second Torque's opinion and advice re. automated translations. They're mainly useful as a source of entertainment.

thanks so much for the words of caution. That is why I was asking about the online translations. I assumed there would be some difficulties in getting colloquial/accurate phrasing just because of the nature of language/words. I will be super careful and rely on the pages that Veg_Eric provided. Will also ask for assistance from the people I am renting apartments from just to be sure. I don't want to end up with a fish on a plate!
thanks again

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