As you're all probably already aware, the good folks at babelfish.altavista.com provide a translation service free of charge to those who might wish to have things translated. Simply enter some text, tell the site which language the text is in and in which language you wish it rendered, and the magic little men that live in the Internet pull out their language dictionaries and scribble away until they have a translation for you. It's remarkable; the sort of thing that we take for granted now but would have seemed like magic twenty years ago.

It's not perfect, though, and particularly it's not reversible - translating into another language and then back to the orginal doesn't yield the original text. Instead, often, it yields mightily more amusing variants of the same text. For your reading enjoyment today, I've set the little translating men at altavista.com to work translating a couple of Matt Hibbard's more popularly received lyrics. Here we see that the genius of poetic composition is still beyond the realms of machines. Plus it's really funny. Particularly, I find, if you know the tune it's quite entertaining to try to sing the new lyrics. Enjoy!

Long Way Home - original quote (lyrics from our Electronic Press Kit): "Let's take the long way home tonight, the road that winds along the river, and let's leave the windows down. Let's just take our time tonight, and let the cool September air blow the hair out of our eyes."

English-Spanish-English:

"Tonight let us take the long home from the way, the way which the winds along the river and let to us leave the windows down leave to right taking our time us tonight, and lets the September air fresh blow the hair outside our eyes."

English-French-English:

"Let us take this evening the long house in manner, the road that the winds along the river and let to us leave with the windows leave us to the bottom catch right our time this evening, and leave the fresh air September blow the hair out of our eyes."

English-German-English:

"Let us long way house, the road this evening take, the hoist abandoned along the river and us let the windows leave us down fair taking our time this evening, and you let cool Septembers air the hair from our eyes burn through"

English-Greek-English:

"Take the long-lasting house of ways tonight, the street that winds at length of river and you leave the windows under precisely you take our time tonight, and leave the cool air September to blow trj'ha from our eyes."

English-Dutch-English:

"The long manner house vanavond, the way take that winds along the river and leave the windows downstairs demand only to our time vanavond, and let the cold air of September it its from our eyes blow."

English-Dutch-French-Spanish-English:

"The long one if way house, the highway tonight takes that winds along the river and leaves partly lowers the windows only demands of our time tonight, and lets to the cold air of September he his of our eyes blow."

Fun, huh? Now let's try a longer quote.

Mwah - original quote (lyrics from my webpage): "I don't know what to say or do, but I think I'm in love, in love with you. I hope that you really feel it too, I want to spend every minute with you. I know I've said it lots before, but I still think I kinda need to settle the score and let you know what all my words are for. Tell me, do you love me, I implore?"

English-Spanish-English:

"I do not know what to say or does, but think I is in love, in love with you the hope of I that you really feel it also, I wishes to spend every minute with you that I know have said he draws for before, but I still think I a little need to place the account and déjele to know for which they are all my words dígame that, you love to me, imploro?"

English-French-English:

"I what with saying or made, but I think I am in the love, in the love with you the hope of I that you really also smell it, I want to spend each minute with you that I know I said it divides into front batches, but I always I must arrange the points a little and do you let think do not know know for what are all my words say to me that, you like me, I beseech?"

English-German-English:

"I do not know, what to say or you do, but I think, I in the love, in the love with you I hope that you really believe it also, I would like each minute with you are to spend, whom I know I have said, forwards drawn by lots it, but I to still think, I the bischen notch to agree have and you inform you which all my words are for, explain you me that, her me dear, flehe I on?"

English-Greek-English:

"I don't know what in order to I say or, but think that I am in the love, in the love with you I hope that you him I really consider also, I want to pass each thin with you I know i him they have said the parts before, but think still the need kinda I to install the result and you to inform what all my words are for Tell i, me do love, do implore?"

English-Dutch-English:

"I weet to none what say if, but think am I I in love, in love with you I hope that you feel it really also, wants I each minute with you I spend weet I it the parties voordien has said, but thinks I still kindabehoefte of I the score and you to regulate what already my words for Tell knows does me let be, do you love me, do I implore?"

English-Dutch-French-Spanish-English:

"ME weet no what with the purpose of saying if, but it thinks is me in the love, the love with you I hope that siéntaselo truely also, I do not want to pass every minutes with you weet to me the parties I have said it before, but I still think for kindabeho of I the result and to regulating itself what my words for Tell know already I let be, likes me, implora."


Her me dear, flehe I on indeed. Couldn't've said it better myself.