bad translation

Bad Translations

Welcome to a new form of haiku, which I'm calling haikuku...
Eric Jennings
  • start with a well known poem
  • type it in a language translation app
  • have it translated into a random language
  • copy the new poem
  • translate it again into a different random language
  • repeat a minimum of 5 times
  • then a final translation back into the original language

Example:

old pond…
the frog jumped out
crying tears

The original is probably the most famous haiku of all time, by Basho:

Old pond…
a frog jumps in
water's sound


English > Maori > Urdu > Coriscan > Haitian Creole > Esperanto > Japanese > English


Of course, this can be done with any kind of writing. Poetry or prose. Short or long (but not so long that readers might lose interest). Works best for widely known works.

Share
Comments
More from killyour.guru
bad translation

it was said

This poem is widely known, much praised, and probably parodied more than any other. If you’re poetry literate, you’ll probably recognize the poem right away.
Eric Jennings

Sign Up For Emails

Sign up to receive personal stories, poetry, and invocations. Algorithmic Sabotage is on-site only.

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to killyour.guru.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.