About Languages

There are several linguists named Lindqvist out there. No, I don’t have a point.

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I found it particularly brilliant how “Spın̈al Tap” managed to mix in both unnecessary additions of diacritics (n̈) while also using the “dotless i” (ı) for good measure.

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Überflüssiger, ärgerlicher Schnickschnack.

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Lindquist is also a last name.

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:thinking:

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called transformative by historians

But what do the epigraphers think? You know, the ones that actually work with inscriptions?

(Sorry, nothing against historians, but I see it too often that other professionals that work with history are misidentified as historians)

On another note:

“The only way you can do it without a tool like this is by building up an enormous personal knowledge or having access to an enormous library,” he said. “But you do need to be able to use it critically.”

Yeah, but that’s the problem with such tools, isn’t it? The only way to use it critically is by being able to do what it does without its help. For which you need an enormous personal knowledge or access to an enormous library. But the knowledge will atrophy when more scholars use it without training and the libraries will be defunded because the computer can do it (in the process turning public university research into the property of a private company, btw). This is like a microcosm of the larger ai debate. It will make some things easier but in the long run, I fear it will degrade rather than improve quality of research

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That’s exactly what I argue with the LLM idiots, these bits of software can do an incredible job of accelerating something only an expert knows how to do, and something only an expert can instruct them to do, the LLM won’t ever be that expert, and there’s no shortcut for humans.

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Spot the translation errors.

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I speak fluent Grape, but I do struggle a little with the European Union language, and also Tangelo (what even is a tangelo?) /s

But seriously, work is pushing this idea of auto-translating everything via AI so we can reach more markets. Because LLM AI is known for being accurate in its interpretations of safety regulations and measurements, right?

I have a meeting in a couple days to try to convince my boss that this is a very stupid idea. Luckily, I already know that he agrees, but we have to figure out how to convince the higher-ups. While also saying that yes, AI is helpful in our day-to-day work, but it’s not magic. And even if it’s a good tool, using a tool very wrongly is not good.

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Also:

Flag of Indonesia: :indonesia:
Flag of India: :india:

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A subtle difference I did not appreciate is that while the English, Russian, French, and English flags are all red, white, and blue, the Thai flag is actually red, blue, and transparent.

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Also… the thing supposedly being translated.

:us: Hello, my idea is…
:es: Bueno, el siguente… [OK, next up…]

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TIL Hong Kong and Canada are languages. Here I’d been thinking they were countries!

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It’s a citrus hybrid, so you can probably get by if you speak Mandarin.

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wiki say:


The tangelo (C. reticulata × C. maxima or × C. paradisi), Citrus × tangelo, is a citrus fruit hybrid of a Citrus reticulata variety, such as mandarin orange or tangerine, and a Citrus maxima variety, such as a pomelo or grapefruit. The name is a portmanteau of ‘tangerine’ and ‘pomelo’.

Tangelos are the size of an adult fist, have a tart and tangy taste, and are juicy (with less flesh inside). They generally have loose skin and are easier to peel than oranges, and are readily distinguished from them by a characteristic bump at the stem. Tangelos can be used as a substitute for mandarin oranges or sweet oranges.

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Glad to see that travelers from Mexico will have no trouble with Italian

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