Mangled Wisdom:

“The Road Not Taken” in Translation

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost (“The Road Not Taken”)

I know that poems are often “lost in translation” — especially when grinded through a literalist machine such as “Google Translate.” Yet sometime this poetic mangling can lead to strange fragments of wisdom. To illustrate, I took a single stanza from Robert’s Frosts iconic poem “The Road Not Taken,” pushed it through the Google Translate “meat-grinder,” and came up with these accidental and unedited gems —

Zulu The two roads intersected with wood, and I — I took what I slowly said And that made all the difference

— What you say may have greater consequences than the road you choose.

Sundanese Two roads divided in wood, I took less on the trip, And that has made a difference.

— What you take on a trip may be more important than what trip you take.

Korean The two paths were divided into trees. I took someone who traveled less. And that made all the difference.

— Who you take on a trip may be more important than the trip itself

Burmese There are two roads in the forest I took a trip I did not take He has made all the difference

— Perhaps the road we thought we chose was not the road we ended on.

Hawaiian Two roads were like firewood, and so was I. I take the one who goes a little farther; And it made all the difference.

— How far you take the road may be more important than what road you take

Chinese Two roads diverge in the woods, I missed one And all this is different.

— Maybe you never even saw the road