On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 13:04:50 -0800, i18n@... <i18n@...> wrote:

>
> Mark E. Shoulson wrote:
>
> > in order to understand language well
> > enough to translate it believably, you essentially have to be working
> > with approximately human intelligence and thinking patterns (think Cmdr.
> > Data).
>
> I don't know what "Cmdr. Data is. Is it a Star Trek reference?

Yes -- specifically, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (TNG). Cmdr Data
is an android with, as Mark Shoulson said, "approximately human
intelligence and thinking patterns". Because of his computer brain,
his intelligence may be described as superhuman, but his thinking
patterns are sometimes, for comic effect, not quite human and miss
some "real world" context (e.g. in detecting undertones, sarcasm, or
metaphor).

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>