[morzh]

Not to steal the thread, but I found out there are ways to help Google to do better job translating:

1. Use very simple sentences. Try to avoid flowery language, phrasal verbs, idioms, words use in figurative sense.
2. Be mindful of the fact that many languages do not have articles. Try to introduce them when translating into English by using appropriate substitutes (like "Один человек сказал мне" instead of "Человек сказал мне" to get "A man told me".)
3. English does not have amplifying particles like "же", "уж" and such. Don't use them.
4. English does not have Second Person Singular. So when translating from English "Have you heard" into other languages the outcome might be ambiguous. I found out that using obsolete "thou" and the respective archaic verb forms or "you all" instead of simple "you" ensures that the outcome becomes predictable.
5. Using slang or local "technological argot" confuses Google. Example: the recent "finger tubes". Or using "lamps" for "tubes". This is upon the user to know the English or the other language's terminology: it is rarely translated well and often requires Technological dictionaries; when I came here in the US I had a huge 4lbs Electronics Dictionary which I went through.


There are tricks to the Google Translate. Working with it for a while will teach one to use it with good enough results.