The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-08-13
Mo- 8D2
q AaTRAnsLATlNG MACHINE.
1p Moses Day .'Dey 9Schwear It Vas One
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Itrwas some years ago, when typewriters
were just being introduced, and one of them
had been placed on trial in the Office of a
leading life insurance company, of which
{ vas an employee Having reached the Office
at an early hour, anxious to finish some work
which had annoyed me for some time fairly
seated at my desk, I was suddenly inter
supted by the janitor, who informed me that
: there were parties desfrous of taking look at
= the office as3irsmk rs ,osaI III "a 9a
Sure enough, and there they came, four in
number-two ladies and two gentlemen
sailing down the Office toward my desk
n.4Who were theys Well the names of the
: men might readily have been Moses, Levi,
Abraham or Isaac, They must have been in
the clothing business, and their appearance
reminded one forcibly that it must have been
a second hand clothing business at that. The
ladies-ah, the ladies they were adorned with
diamonds, rings and gold chains; wore dresses
OF expensive material, poorly made and ill
fitting t5a 1"A ~ ''@
d. The spokesman-a little bit Of a man, all
nose-in a voice which was as shrill as it was
thin, addressed me: 6 am intschured here,
und his wife und dauder. I dell dem dees
building is schost SO geot as dose wat is in
New York, undI want you to have de kindh-
ness to show dem aboud.n lag taH. l.aE#
There was nothing to be done but to show
them about At first, rather annoyed, I may
have betrayed my displeasure, but soon
warmed to my task, followed from desk to desk
and droom to room by the quartet, answering, as
oi,-
the various conundrums they propounded.
Very soon my visitors began chatting among
themselves they probably had run dry their
d, stock Of inquiries), and now; to my great
amusement, conversed in German German
tinged by an accent which had its origin in
b Palestine. IaI sa@ 5ss.#i-3 lhi &'''
Finally we reached the room in which was
placed the typewriter, and then it was that ]
casually observed: "Have. you ever seen a
tra1isiating nachines' The answer being quite
unanimous in the negative, I explained that
il only some one present were conversant with
foreign tongue, a sentence might be dictated
in English, and translated by the machine in
to any desired language. Encouraged by
firm avowal that there was nothing in the
way of testing the instrument, inasmuch as
all OF them understood German, matters be-
gan to shape themselves as; [ had foreseen.
Having spent half of my life in Germany,
fully conveiss,nt with the language, had nc
odds to ask. Each visitor then began in the
most polite manner, and deferential way to
urge upon the other, the naming of the sen
tence to be translated. After lively debate
it was decided that the spokeslnan-my little
friend with the preponderanee of nose-should
PROFOUND something nice. He cleared his
throat, placed the back of his right-hand ins
dex finger Oh such portion of the left side oi
his nose us it was able to cover, Wrinkled his
noble brow, hooked wise and said. make him
say dees i'll T,cherman: Dees is my brodher.
in-law Won New York; he like dees office very
much, u.ld his wife und dauder. also find il
fine.''
= hetr;t1lslating of this sentence into Ger
man. while the group of strangers, following
my every movement in breathless suspense.
jumping at every ring of the bell, was ac-
com,stish2l !. less time than it takes to tell it.
Before submitting the document explained
that | WIS not in the habit of running the
translate -. ;,,.'t probably the blame for any
mistake, ii there, were such, would attach tc
me rath,3r than to the instrument; that my
visitor, would be a le to tell me whether OF
not the machine was capable of, performing
whut was clainiol for it. A chorus of voices
shouted, Let us see; We viii dell youn Fear.
ing that in facing my, guests might be un.
able to control my features, and SO betray the
joke, I handed the sheet over my shoulder
without turning - '"74 it-A-,-