Amaryllidaceae website

Rodger Whitlock totototo@telus.net
Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:11:59 PST
On 19 Jan 2010, at 14:54, Justin Smith wrote:

> Google translate must to pretty good because even I could understand
> most of it.

Google translate is surprisingly good, in fact. I've been using it to
explore Russian online content relating to cyclamen of the Caucasus,
with excellent results.

But sometimes the translation leaves one wondering. At

http://www.ciklameny.ru/99.php

the Russian text is

> В России распространен в Краснодарском крае: в окрестностях Красной
> Поляны, в ущелье Ахцу, Хосте, южнее Туапсе, в окрестностях Камышановой
> поляны Апшеронского района. Кроме того, встречается в
> Карачаево-Черкесской республике, Грузии и Азербайджане, в Восточном
> Средиземноморье, на Балканах, в Малой Азии.

which Google translates as

> In Russia it is distributed in the Krasnodar region: in the vicinity
> of Krasnaya Polyana, in the gorge Ahtsu, Khost, south of Tuapse in the
> vicinity of Kamyshanovoy clearing Absheron district. In addition,
> occurs in Karachay-Cherkessia republic, Georgia and Azerbaijan, in the
> eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, in Asia Minor.

which left me wonder if the text "in the gorge Ahtsu, Khost, south of
Tuapse in the vicinity of Kamyshanovoy clearing Absheron district" 
refers to distinct locations Ahtsu gorge; Khost; south of Tuapse; in the 
  vicinity of Kamyshanovoy; and "clearing Absheron district", or whether 
it's all one location carefully specified with respect to nearby 
locations. I suspect it's a list of distinct locations.

Google Translate is much like the little girl of legend: when it's good, 
it's very good, but when it's bad, it's awful.

Incidentally, if anyone is fluent in Russian *and* has a good grip of 
Caucasian geography, I'd be grateful if you would tell me how to 
interpret that text.


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