Previous postings have explained my admiration of Pearl Jam. But what happens when you indiscriminately run their lyrics through language translation software?
Take their single Wishlist from the 1998 album Yield, starting with the first few lines from the first verse.
I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top
Translate from English to Afrikaans. Then from Afrikaans into Spanish. From Spanish into German. From German into Haitian Creole. From Haitian Creole into Norwegian. From Norwegian into French. From French to Irish. From Irish to Russian. From Russian to Greek. From Greek to Italian. From Italian to Icelandic. From Icelandic to Japanese. From Japanese to Swahili. From Swahili to Indonesian. From Indonesian to Turkish. From Turkish to Czech. From Czech into Hindi. From Hindi into Welsh. And finally from Welsh back into English.
Final result:
Again, I want to be a neutron bomb
I want to be a victim, but for some reason it's still alive
my necklace
Christmas tree, star type
Lesson: If you're traveling overseas, learn the language or hire a translator with a heartbeat.
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