User:Angryyoungalex/sandbox

The Wikipedia translation trick is a quick and easy method to get an accurate translation of ordinary words, proper names, scientific terms or anything that is likely to have an entry. As Wikipedia entries are generally written and always checked by native speakers, and clearly linked to equivalents in other languages, a translation can be obtained by simply searching for the entry and selecting the appropriate language.

This method quickly overcomes some complications in finding translations. Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, for example, would be unlikely to be listed in any dictionary, and use of a digital translation tool would give only a literal translation, word-for-word. Via Wikipedia it quickly translates to Les Tableaux d'une Exhibition in French and Картинки с выставки working backwards to the original Russian. Translation of 'The Holocaust' outside of Indo-European languages is difficult as, although the word 'Holocaust' or an equivalent construction may exist in a language, it may not be used to describe the Nazi genocide. For example, rather than use the Greek word 'ὁλόκαυστον', 'holókauston', meaning 'mass burning' or 'sacrifice' the Hebrew term is 'השואה', 'he-Shoah', meaning 'the upheaval'. As Wikipedia connects the two words via the event, rather than linguistically as dictionaries or word-for-word translation tools, this problem is avoided.

Naturally this method is not suitable for long texts.