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Thread ID: 54630	2005-02-17 22:28:00	Typing in English...but words come up in different language....	csinclair83 (200)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
325986	2005-02-17 22:28:00	I'm keen to learn a different language, and I was wondering if this is possible... Can I download some sort of add on, to add to word or notepad or watever, and when i type on my keyboard, maybe I type H-E-L-L-O...hello, the word would come up in notepad as bonjour (if i learn french)...as I wanna teach myself basic words but not sure if i wanna learn french or spanish or italian...but one of those 3... I looked at websites for some, and they want a fee for a standalone translation, or u gotta be online but even if i always am, i'd rather teach myself using word or something... Thanks in advance for ya help :)	csinclair83 (200)
325987	2005-02-17 22:47:00	Any translator can translate individual words, but as the whole structure of sentences are different between languages, you will only end up with garbled sentences with literal translations. Most cannot handle the grammatical rules that each language uses. Your best bet would to use a CD based language learning program. The Warehouse or DSE might have some of these cheaply. Books from the library will also get you started. :)	Jen (38)
325988	2005-02-17 23:08:00	Your best bet would to use a CD based language learning program. The Warehouse or DSE might have some of these cheaply. DSE has some of these learning language CD for $9.99 French (www.dse.co.nz) Italian (www.dse.co.nz) I would ask the shop if you could have a look at this software on one of their machines first to make sure it has sufficient written lessons rather than all audio based lessons to suit your needs. :)	Jen (38)
325989	2005-02-18 01:50:00	Just wait until you get to my age and it'll happen naturally. I've been finding recently that stuff I type on the keyboard seems to come out on the screen as a foreign language. OK, seriously. That sort of program would be a real biggie because it would have to interpret and translate whole sentences rather than words. As a really basic example of why it can't be easily done ... and as you nominated French ... if you wanted to type something like "the black horse" you would get as a literal word by word translation "le noir cheval", However, the structure of French language (and many others) means they put the noun first so they would actually say "le cheval noir". Our literal translation would make as much sense to them as it would to us if they were to say in English "the horse black". Sorry. It's not the words that are the problem, it's the structure of the language. (Yes, I can still remember my 4th to 6th form French teacher threatening dire consequences on anyone who tried to get by using literal translations from an English to French dictionary. Seem to remember getting my nose rubbed in the blackboard too just to make sure I got the point.) Happy days at Waitaki Boys High!	Oggy (5399)
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