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I've been fielding a lot of questions about Google Translate and its shortcomings. Of course it has shortcomings...it's technology! However, for the most part, the good far outweighs the bad. I've been able to communicate far more with A. than I ever thought possible because I can speak into my phone and have my words translated instantly into his language. We use it less and less as he understands more and more, but sometimes, we need to figure out the answer to a question and we can do that fast with a handy little app.
I was running late this morning, and when I got to A's school to work with him, his class was about to head to P.E., a part of the day he really likes.
"They're doing presentations in class today," his teacher said. "He might rather work with you. It's going to be a lot of sitting and listening."
I didn't disagree, and I beckoned for A. to come with me. He grabbed his iPad, gave me a smile and thumbs up, and headed toward me.
We sat down, ready to get to work, but I wanted to make sure he was okay with missing P.E. I'm not always sure he understands "would you rather" questions, so I used my translate app.
"Would you rather work together or head to P.E.?" I asked. "They're doing presentations so it might be better for us to work together."
"P.E.," he said.
"You'd like to go to P.E.?" I said, wanting to make sure he understood, but not realizing that the translation app was still in play.
You'd like to pee? flashed across the screen with the voice in Ukrainian asking the question.
The two of us burst into laughter.
"I said P.E., and not pee," I said.
He knew exactly what I meant, and I walked him to the gym with both of us still sharing a good giggle.
All good things,
I suppose that's also a helpful phrase to know. Thanks, Google.
ReplyDeleteYou know kids language skills are really growing when they get that kind of humor!
ReplyDeleteSo cute and funny! We would not have survived without Google Translate this year. It is not perfect but definitely saved us a few times!
ReplyDeleteI totally saw that coming!!! When I lived in Chile, I volunteered at a preschool. This was long before Google translate. The kids asked me what was for breakfast. I told them, "patas and huevos." They laughed so hard they almost peed themselves. They asked me again, and I said the same thing. They had the same reaction. I finally realized that instead of saying potatoes and eggs, I was saying paws and eggs. Translating laughs happen... Google or no Google.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Hilarious. And glad he got to make the choice himself.
ReplyDeleteTechnology can be amazing! What a funny moment. So great that A got the humor of the situation! ❤️ Jess
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