GP Cushy Jobs

I thought this might amuse someone. I was doing research into Pierre Veyron so I did the usual thing, I linked with Google. There is very little about Veyron out there, but the was a French website with 'translate this' attached. I recall French lessons as an occasion to design dream cars. I learrned little of the language, they all speak English behid our backs. Therefore I clicked on 'translate this'

It appears that the first 15 runnings of what I know as the Albi GP were GP Cushy Jobs. It then became GP Raymond to Summon (it was renamed for Raymond Sommer). Among the winners were Louis Rose Tree and Olivier Panic. neither Louis Rosier nor Olivier Panis need translating from French. Eventually Albi became the GP The Sequestration, which must mean something to someone.

Someone has created this programe and has sold it. If only I could do something like that.

love it!

Mike,

When I was at school our senior French master, who had at a previous school written on some lad's report, "he is resting on laurels which he has yet to attain" told us of a rudimentary computer in the Secret Service for translation.

Routine things like, the boy is here, the cat drinks milk, he is my father etc went reasonably well.

Then came the more interesting things

For "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" it produced as translation the equivalent of "the whisky is agreeable but the meat is past its prime"

and the real gem

for "Out of sight, out of mind" you've guessed it, came "Invisible Idiot"

Nuff said

RL

There's a marvellous chapter in Philip K Dick's science-fiction novel Galactic Pot-Healer (he tended to have titles foisted upon him by editors, but it really is a book about a ceramics expert sent to restore a temple on an alien world!) in which bored civil servants and the unemployed challenge each other with titles of books, films etc. sent through primitive machine translation a few times.

Here's a selection ranging from the easy to the villainous - although being aware of 50s/60s American slang might help.;)

"The Male Offspring In Addition Gets Out Of Bed"
"The Lattice-work Gun Stinging Insect"
"The Cliché Is Inexperienced"
"Quickly Shattered At The Quarrelling Posterior"

The last is particularly good, I thought.

Tell us, Pete. I got 'The Son Also Rises' (Hemingway) though it was published in the UK as 'Fiesta'. That nugget helped to get me into college. I had not only read Hemingway, but I had noted the title changes.

I see that you were a regular at Aintree in the 1970s, we must have passed each other, there weren't many of us there. The ladies in the canteen made great soup, served in cups, and it was grand.

Originally posted by Mike Lawrence
Tell us, Pete. I got 'The Son Also Rises' (Hemingway) though it was published in the UK as 'Fiesta'. That nugget helped to get me into college. I had not only read Hemingway, but I had noted the title changes.

I see that you were a regular at Aintree in the 1970s, we must have passed each other, there weren't many of us there. The ladies in the canteen made great soup, served in cups, and it was grand.

Aha, you got the "Serious Constricting-Path" book ;)

The others were (and don't blame me)
"The Great Gatsby" (The Grate Gat Bee)...
"The Corn Is Green" (The Cliché is inexperienced)
"Breakfast At Tiffany's" ("Fast Break at Tiff Fanny") - only works if you use American slang ;)

Nobody said they were any good, but it was amusing to see someone anticipating poor machine translation 40-odd years ago!

I was young enough to be shorter than some of the long grass at Aintree in the 70s although there are those that would say I'm not that much taller now ;)

My spell checker once suggested Christine Uglier in response to Christine Aguilera.

I make no further comment other than to say I was using her as an example of music I hate.... honestly..... Metallica rock..... really .

Gerald.

www.lolaheritage.co.uk

Originally posted by Mike Lawrence
...Among the winners were Louis Rose Tree and Olivier Panic. neither Louis Rosier nor Olivier Panis need translating from French. Eventually Albi became the GP The Sequestration, which must mean something to someone.

Hmm, I always thought the correct translation of Olivier Panis was Oily Penis.

I once sat behind a guy in the Silverstone grandstand who had a whole grid-full of these mis-nomers; I recall a few; Oily Dick, David Cooltart, Martin Bungle. I wish I remembered more.

I think I videod the shirt - I'll have to see if I can locate the tape.

Originally posted by Barry Boor
I once sat behind a guy in the Silverstone grandstand who had a whole grid-full of these mis-nomers; I recall a few; Oily Dick, David Cooltart, Martin Bungle. I wish I remembered more.

I think I videod the shirt - I'll have to see if I can locate the tape.

Shinji Nakano for some reason was always dubbed 'Rusty Meccano' amongst the crowd I used to watch GPs with...;)

Originally posted by Mike Lawrence
Eventually Albi became the GP The Sequestration, which must mean something to someone.

Oui petit-moi.

The original Les Planques road circuit to the east of Albi was replaced by the airfield circuit at La Sequestre to the south west. I drove around the Les Planques circuit last summer but sadly it bears little resemblance to how I imagined it looked when Fangio, Gonzalez & Wharton raced the V16 BRM in 1953 with the exception of the section from Montplaisir towards Albi city which is still very narrow and lined by rather large & solid trees

http://www.circuit-albi.com/