Babbling net software sparks international incident
Translation engine insults Dutch Consulate
By Cade Metz in San Francisco
Published Wednesday 7th November 2007 22:47 GMT
Updated A word of advice: Never use an online translation engine to communicate with the Dutch Foreign Minister.
Last weekend, a group of Israeli journalists used a translation engine in sending an email message to the Dutch Consulate in Tel Aviv. They wanted to discuss an upcoming visit to The Netherlands for a seminar on Dutch politics, but they ended up asking the minister several nonsensical questions about his mother.
"Helloh bud, Enclosed five of the questions in honor of the foreign minister: The mother your visit in Israel is a sleep to the favor or to the bed your mind on the conflict are Israeli Palestinian, and on relational Israel Holland," the email began, before making several more references to the minister's mum. Click here for more
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