Hofstadter reading

Hofstadter talks about how machine translations replace human translators and how he does not agree with this idea. Although I understand that machine translations such as Google translate are very useful, I am also against the idea of machine translators fully replacing humans. Google translate does a great job when translating simple sentences, in fact, Google translates helped me a lot when I was learning English. However, when it comes to complicated sentences like in literature, I feel that Google translate often fails to capture the actual meaning. Hofstadter mentioned how machine translation has always to “decode” instead of focusing on trying to get machines to translate well, and I thought this is a great statement and I fully agree with this. Hofstadter then gives some examples of machine translation versus his own transaction. I was not familiar with the foreign language used there, German, however, I was able to see the clear difference between Hofstadter’s translation and the machine translation. I was able to see how the slight difference in phrasing can change the impression of the sentences even if it conveys the exact same meaning such as “defeat” and “lost war.” He also emphasized how we, humans, internalize ideas and not words, while machine translations only translate words. When thinking back, I also internalize ideas as a whole when translation rather than just words. Lastly, I thought the statement he makes, which is “translation is an incredibly subtle art that draws constantly on one’s many years of life experience, and on one’s creative imagination,” is very interesting because I never thought that translation is imagination. 

Example of machine translation:

バイデン米大統領は29日、新型コロナウイルスの新たな変異型「オミクロン型」の感染拡大を巡り「現時点でロックダウン（都市封鎖）は考えていない」と述べた。米経済の回復に水を差す行動規制の導入を避ける意向を示した。

US President Joe Biden said on the 29th that he was "not thinking about lockdown (city blockade) at this time" over the spread of the new variant "Omicron type" of the new coronavirus. He has indicated his intention to avoid introducing behavioral regulations that would impede the recovery of the US economy.

バイデン氏はオミクロン型について「懸念する理由だが、パニックになる理由ではない」と強調し、国民に冷静な対応を呼びかけた。米国内では感染例が確認されていないが「遅かれ早かれ米国で見つかるだろう」と指摘した。

Mr. Biden emphasized that the Omicron type was "a reason to worry, but not a reason to panic," and called on the public to respond calmly. No cases of infection have been confirmed in the United States, but he pointed out that "sooner or later it will be found in the United States."

既存のワクチンがオミクロン型にどれくらい効果があるか把握するには「数週間かかる」と語った。同型に対応する新たなワクチンが必要になった場合、「あらゆる手段を使って開発や供給を加速させる」と意欲を示した。

He said it would "take weeks" to figure out how effective existing vaccines are against the Omicron type. When he needed a new vaccine for the same type, he said he would "accelerate development and supply by all means."

現時点で既存のウイルスに対応するためにも、接種完了から半年たった人にはブースター接種（追加接種）を受けるよう求めたほか、未接種の人は早く受けるよう促した。屋内の混雑した場所ではマスクを着けるよう呼びかけた。

In order to deal with the existing virus at this point, we asked people who had been vaccinated six months after the completion of vaccination to receive booster vaccination (additional vaccination) and urged those who had not been vaccinated to receive vaccination as soon as possible. He called on him to wear a mask in crowded areas indoors.

米疾病対策センター（CDC）のワレンスキー所長も29日、18歳以上の人はブースター接種を「受けるべきだ」と推奨する声明を出した。これまでは各個人のリスクに基づいて決められるとしてきた。

Warensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also issued a statement on the 29th recommending that people over the age of 18 "should" be vaccinated with boosters. So far, it has been said that it is decided based on the risk of each individual.

バイデン氏は、今冬の新型コロナ流行を抑えるための計画を12月2日に発表すると明らかにした。「ロックダウンではなく、ブースター接種を含むワクチンの普及や検査体制の拡充で対応する」と説明した。

Biden said he would announce plans to curb the new corona epidemic this winter on December 2. "We will respond by expanding vaccines and testing systems, including booster vaccination, rather than lockdown," he explained.

米国は29日から南アフリカなど8カ国からの入国禁止措置を実施した。バイデン氏は「（米国内での感染拡大は）止められないが遅らせることができる。多くの対応を迅速に取れる時間ができる」と措置の正当性を訴えた。

The United States has implemented immigration bans from eight countries, including South Africa, from the 29th. "(The spread of the infection in the United States) is unstoppable but can be delayed. We have time to take a lot of action quickly," Biden said.

一方、ニューヨーク市は29日、オミクロン型の感染拡大をにらみ、ワクチン接種の有無にかかわらず屋内でのマスク着用を「強く推奨する」と発表した。同市はすでに公共交通機関や病院、学校でのマスク着用を義務付けている。同市の保健当局幹部は「ニューヨークでも近くオミクロン型の感染が確認されると予測している」との認識を示した。

On the other hand, New York City announced on the 29th that it is "strongly recommended" to wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination, in view of the spread of Omicron type infection. The city has already mandated masks on public transport, hospitals and schools. A senior health official in the city said, "We expect to see an Omicron-type infection in New York soon."

 

Mitsy