Please review La Treille Gites

[kitkat]

http://latreillegites.weebly.com

Hi, a while ago I started a thread about getting our website translated into French. The prices I was quoted were, although a lot, I now realise justified because of the amount of work involved. I can't afford to get it done this year but have had a go at doing it myself using a freebie website creater, Babel Fish and checking-out some genuine French gite ads.

No doubt there's many mistakes etc but at least its something that I can give my small but growing number of French enquirers something to look at.

I'd really appreciate any feedback or critisism etc that you may have regarding it's content.

Cheers!

ps my UK version is www.gitesatlatreille.com

[la vache!]

I'm not quite sure what you are after - do you want us to correct all the mistakes made by babelfish free because you didn't want to pay for a proper translation?

[kitkat]

No need to be like that... If you don't want to help just do nothing!!!

[la vache!]

No need to be like that... If you don't want to help just do nothing!!!

I take it that's a 'yes', then.
As I'm not a native French speaker, so I wouldn't presume to attempt your translation for you, but even I can spot some glaring errors as it is
I don't think you get houses having a rest 'se reposer', for example.

[vrooje]

kitkat,

I'm sure that what LV is saying (and she's right) is that free website translators like Babelfish and so forth are generally so bad that asking us to point out the errors is rather like asking us to translate your site for you.

If you speak any French, I would suggest that you simply write the copy yourself. The pages will be simpler than your English pages, but at least it would be clear to your French-speaking visitors that someone has gone to the trouble to translate the site as well as they could.

If you don't speak French, why do you want a French website? Anyone who needs the French part of the site to find out about your rental won't be able to communicate with you anyway.

[paolo]

Kitkat,

I had a quick look at the French and it looks adequate to me for the purpose. There are some errors but the meaning is still apparent. If you want a 'clean' translation for free, how about offering an exchange with a French owner who has a bad English version? There are plenty of those about.

[la vache!]

Kitkat,

I had a quick look at the French and it looks adequate to me for the purpose.

Perhaps, but it looks as if it has been cheaply translated word for word from the English version. It is like the phrase 'He plays football well' and 'He plays well football'. The meaning is apparent, but the second, translated directly from the French, is still wrong.

[Hells Bells]

I don't have a French version of my website at all (although I was considering adding just a single page) I have had four bookings from French people over the winter, three of them spoke no English, but still managed to get enough info to book (one of them using online calendar). They are obviously not put off at all by co.uk websites, blogs or anything else. Google will translate the page for them if they need it to. Adding your property to some French listing sites might be a better use of your time.

[J&J]

Ouch, ouch, ouch. The translation is hopelessly wrong - even from the first line. If I'm not mistaken it is LE departement DE LA Dordogne. Genders scream at a French person if they are wrong. The rest of the text needs going through carefully because it wont give a good impression as it stands.
I am a French graduate and have done professional translations for the European Police. Yes, we do charge a lot for the service and our expertise. You might not be looking for perfection, but to me it seems a shame to spoil your property with poor language.
Judith

[Hells Bells]

Which is why I haven't even attempted my page yet!! Hoping to persuade undergraduate French (and German) student son to do it for beer money.

[catherinedonegal]

kitkat: can't advise on the translation but i know that someone here told me google translator is a lot better than babelfish. plus, i would agree with helen and try to find someone who is fluent who will translate the small amount of words for an exchange of talents/beer money/whatever.

but all i wanted to add practically is that the pics in gite 3:

the way that little red lamp is sitting at the far side of the bed makes me think the room must be very tiny. so i would take the lamp away altogether or if the room is in fact bigger then move back to take the pic and put the lamp on a table.

and pic 4 on gite 3 i would suggest you dress it. you know, put a bowl of colourful salad, a few plates, wine glasses with wine in them, that sort of thing.

oh, and like a lot of sites, i can't click to enlarge the pics and if i were renting i would really like to do that.

[Hells Bells]

Secret with the auto translators is to do it a small amount at a time, and translate it back into the original language. If it still makes sense it will be a miracle.

[tuiuiu01]

Hello All,
I am a French native living in the US and would love to trade my French language skills for some other services.
I would be very interested in helping people on this board with any French language needs (translation, proofreading, content updating etc...) and gain something else in return. I don't have anything specific in mind but am open to any creative suggestions/offers.

Thanks!
Joelle Miller

[Windy]

Well I'm a French graduate too, and I think that the translation, whilst not perfect, conveys the meaning well enough.

As you seem to live in France have you not made any French friends who you could ask to polish it?

Put it into a word doc and give it to one of them with a nice bunch of flowers, or use it as an excuse to invite them round for dinner.

Getting what you already have into correct, fluent colloquial language should only take a native speaker about 20 minutes.

[Holiday Ray]

The best idea yet Windy.

A bunch of flowers and an evening in with the french friends/neighbours sounds like a lot of fun to me.

If they are anything like the neighbours we have in France, whose English is worse than my french, you'd probably all end up rolling around on the floor in histerics .

Does sound like an inexpensive and fun way of acheiving your objective .