Language is a funny thing. Ever hear someone say that the meaning of something was "lost in the translation?" Well, we were sitting around with a lot of time on our hands, looking for something socially constructive to do and we hit upon this capper idea: Let's take some famous literary passages and use cutting-edge technology to translate them into foreign languages and then back again.

What? That's right--using easily available internet resources, we were able to take a passage, translate from English to, say, French, and then take the French version and translate back into English. You'd think both English versions would be pretty much that same, wouldn't you? At least you would if you believed all your high school foreign language teachers. You'd also think we would have something better to do with our time, but that's another story.

NOTE: The name of both this experiment and the technology used (the popular Babel Fish online translator--available at several of your favorite search engines) for it is taken from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where a tiny fish--the Babel Fish--allows instantaneous translation when inserted into your ear. If you've never heard of any of this, don't worry--your cultural illiteracy won't be held against you.

So, for your reading pleasure, here is the Babel Fish Experiment, part one.

TEST SUBJECT ONE
Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Original Text
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation.

Translated to French and back into English
Call Me Ishmael. A few years there is -- never spirit how long with precision -- having little or not money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on the shore, I thought that I would navigate about and see the aqueous part of the world. It is a way which I have to drive out the spleen, and traffic control.

Analysis
Not bad. Famous first line survives intact. Although I get a little lost when Ishmael and his spleen get a ticket for making an illegal right turn on red.

TEST SUBJECT TWO
The Lurking Fear By H.P. Lovecraft

Original Text
There was thunder in the air on the night I went to the deserted mansion atop Tempest Mountain to find the lurking fear. I was not alone, for foolhardiness was not then mixed with that love of the grotesque and the terrible which has made my career a series of quests for strange horrors in literature and in life. With me were two faithful and muscular men for whom I had sent when the time came; men long associated with me in my ghastly explorations because of their peculiar fitness.

Translated to German and back into English
There was thunder in air on the night, which I went finding lurking the fear to the abandoned mansion on Tempestberg. Of I was not alone, because foolhardiness with this love grotesque and the terrible were not then mixed, which formed my career for series searches for strange Grausigkeiten in the literature and in the life. With me two were reliable and muskuloese men, for whom I had transmitted, when the time came; Men connected long with me in my graesslichen research because of their strange suitability.

Analysis
Surpisingly accurate take on this X-Files-like passage. In some ways the translation is almost better than the original, with the narrator's henchmen described as having a "strange suitability" as instead of a "peculiar fitness."

TEST SUBJECT THREE
U.S. Constitution

Original Text
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Translated to Italian and back into English
People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, we establish the justice, assure the tranquility domestic, supply to the common defense, promuoviamo the general well-being and assure blessings of the same freedom and to our Posterity, we make the ordain and we establish this constitution for the United states

Analysis
Uh...yeah...sounds good to me.

Dan Ackerman, translated into Lithuanian and back, reads exactly the same.