Is there enough evidence to indict and convict "spell-check," for murdering the language?

The NY Times on Friday wrote:

"Wednesday brought a visit to Laugh Factory, one of a few new comedy clubs that opened this year. (Another is the Laugh Lounge, a nicely apportioned, if slightly underfed, place on Essex Street in the Lower East Side.)"

Crime-scene investigators report residue of the word "appointed" near the story. I suspect a misspelling was incorrectly re-directed to the offending word by an automated process, and the context was never checked by humans.

Corroborating evidence -- Whenever I write about the failing reinsurer "Coverium," Word offers me, ever so cheerfully, "Cover-up?" Is that an error, or an arch comment?

Do we have other suspicious doings?

When I use spell check it tells me my name, which is actually Geoff, should be "Goof." So now you all know why I use Asa Lovejoy instead!

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Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
When I use spell check it tells me my name, which is actually Geoff, should be "Goof."

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Are you sure that's wrong?

Tinman

My spell-check highlighted the word ergonomics in a text I wrote. Lurking down there in my hard drive, the spell-checker suggested that I might mean erotic!

Indeed.

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Originally posted by tinman:

Are you sure that's wrong?

Tinman

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Not entirely.

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Originally posted by jerry thomas:
My spell-check highlighted the word __ergonomics__ in a text I wrote. Lurking down there in my hard drive, the spell-checker suggested that I might mean __erotic!__

Indeed.

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So maybe you should go into dildo design!

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dildo design!

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That's the primary ingredient of pickle bread!

Dill dough.

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Dill dough.

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I'm crossthreading on the redefinitions here, but it's also the money you make in a sex shop.

In my job I often write about the differences between ADN and BSN programs. Always and forever my automatic spellcheck changes it to "AND." In fact, we fight hard about it! [I change; it changes; etc.!]

I remember when I used to write about single lung transplants (SLT), it would automatically change it to "sit." Same thing.

BTW, good to see you again, Robert! We have missed you. We'd love to see you on the chat tomorrow.

You can delete automatic corrections if you want to - or even turn the thing off completely. I use Roman numerals in certain documents and the automatic system's default is to change i at the beginning of a sentence to I - which ruins the numbering (the list number style option is not always appropriate).

Ten minutes spent in setting up the spellchecker to your own requirements is time well spent.

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Originally posted by Richard English:
You can delete automatic corrections if you want to - or even turn the thing off completely.

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Awwww, RE, that's no fun! Accept the rampant spell czecher's suggestions, then feed the results into a language translator, then spellcheck that, then retranslate into English! Maybe I'm easily entertined, but it's fun for me!

Now, first I love "czecher," but secondly, can you give us some examples? It sounds fun!

If I'm not mistaken (and I may very well be!), our place has overridden that function that we can reset our spellchecker. I will ask.

Asa asked me to cut and paste this example for him here:

Geoff ordered an Irvine engine from Just Engines in the UK last week. Paul Landels of Just Engines e-mailed Geoff and informed him that the silencer for that engine was not in stock, but one made by the Czech MVVS company could be substituted at no additional charge. Geoff agreed to Paul's suggestion and the engine was shipped.

Goof ordered an Arvin engine from Just Engines in the UK last week. Paul Landfills of Just Engines emerald Goof and informed him that the silencer for that engine was not in stock, but one made by the Czech MVP company could be substituted at no additional charge. Goof agreed to Applets suggestion and the engine was shipped.

After English to French, then French to English on Babalfish:

The blunder ordered an engine d'Arvin right engines in BRITISH last week. Embankments of Paul of the green blunder of right and informed engines him that the silencer for this engine did not n'était in stock, but one made by the Czech company of MVP could be substituted for any additional load. The blunder étée d'accord on the suggestion d'applet and the engine was embarked.

Oh, Asa, that is hilarious!

Which would suggest to me that, although translators' work might be under threat, there must be many new opportunities for proof-readers.

Oscar, are you reading this?

There are some interesting changes in the spellcheck/translation software. For example, I looked up "e-mail" in onelook, and it is listed in 16 dictionaries, including dictionary.com. One wonders why they would change that to "emerald" and then "green." Another interesting aspect that I just don't get is that the spellcheck program didn't change the first 'Paul,' but it changed the second to 'Applets' (with no apostrophe). I wonder why. Also, the translation program changed UK to British; I imagine this doesn't please the Scots!

How about taking a crack at my silly spell-check/translator game, Kalleh? Tinman? Anybody? I'd love to see who comes up with the silliest example!

Quote "...Also, the translation program changed UK to British; I imagine this doesn't please the Scots!..."

It shouldn't really bother them since Scotland is both part of the UK and of the British Isles. Now, had it changed UK to English that might have caused problems.

Regarding Asa's translation game, I must take this opportunity to plug two true innovators in this area, Jose de Fonseca and Pedro Carolino, authors of the seminal English as She is Spoke. From the McSweeney's blurb:

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In 1855, when Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino wrote an English phrasebook for Portuguese students, they faced just one problem: they didn't know any English. Even worse, they didn't own an English-to-Portuguese dictionary. What they did have, though, was a Portuguese-to-French dictionary, and a French-to-English dictionary. The linguistic train wreck that ensued is a classic of unintentional humor, now revived in the first newly selected edition in a century. Armed with Fonseca and Carolino's guide, a Portuguese traveler can insult a barber ("What news tell me? All hairs dresser are newsmonger"), complain about the orchestra ("It is a noise which to cleve the head"), go hunting ("let aim it! let make fire him"), and consult a handy selection of truly mystifying "Idiotisms and Proverbs."

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Oh, neveu, that is hilarious!

I found this about Disneyland on the Web, translated it to Russia, from Russian to French, and then back to English. Here is the original:

You've found the ultimate unofficial place to find out everything you might want to know about The Main Mouse and his Theme Parks - all four of them! If you came here by mistake and you're looking for the Official Walt Disney Site, it's one of the best sites on the web and you can go right there by clicking here.

Here is the final:

You found that the private final place learns everything that you could want to know the Main Mouse and its Thematic parks - very four of them! If you arrived by mistake here, and you search the civil servant Uolta Disnej the Site, it is one of the best parcels on networks, and you can go here, shchelkaja here

Not that funny, I guess. Anyone else?

neveu:

Excellent note on Portugese to French to English. A case where reality exceeds fiction, if you recall Monte Python's Hungarian dictionary -- "My hoovercraft is full of eels.."