Fun with Google translate

I was pretty excited to receive an email from Nakagawa-san, whom i met in Tokyo while eating at a Yakitori joint in Shimbashi. However, the email was written almost completely in Japanese and there was very little Kanji involved so i needed the service of Google translate.

Here’s the content of the email:

メール（写真）ありがとうございました。

先日は　たのしい　ひとときを　ありがとうございました。

また　あえるひを　たのしみにしています。

ワシントン州へ　いくことがあれば　れんらくいたします。

おからだを　たいせつに　してください。

ごけんこうと　ごかつやくを　おいのりもうしあげます。

And here’s Google’s translation of that in English:

Mail (photo) Thank you.

Thank you for your cheerful moment the other day.

Hi We look forward to the dress again.

If getting in touch we will be to Washington.

It’s so want to please your body.

Moushiagemasu glue and leave the reservation for us and do simultaneously.

“we look forward to the dress again“, “so want to please your body“, “leave the reservation for us and do simultaneously“: If i had trusted Google’s translation of Nakagawa-san’s email, i would have thought he wanted something sexual! Fortunately, i was able to employ the help of my friend Chikako. This is what the email is supposed to mean:

Thank you for your mail and pictures.

I had a great time with you.

I’m looking forward to seeing you.

If I have a chance to go to the Washington (State), I’ll let you know it.

Take care yourself!

I’ll pray for your health and success.

Update:
I was asked to try out the translation service at Bing.com by a good friend of mine (naturally, he works at Microsoft) to see if i would get a better translation result than Google’s. Here it is:

Thank you very much for your mail (see picture).

Thank you for the other day happy time.

Also dress lamplight, intended for happiness.

れんらく will be if you go to Washington.

And important to your body.

And your けんこう to your かつやく, いのり もうしあげます.

The translated text by bing.com is definitely less sexual than Google’s but i can’t say that it is too much better. Quite of a bit of the Japanese text remained not translated.