US Government Seeks Open-Source Translation

valdean writes "The Boston Globe is reporting that last week the United States Government began publishing captured Iraqi documents on the web in order to harness the translating talents of the bilingual public. The article calls it 'the same open source principle' that created Linux. Check out the Foreign Military Studies Office's document portal."

Here it is

[Tablizer]

"I want to rip the American's throats out and shove it up their asses -- Anonymous Pissed Sunni"

"I want to rip the American's throats out and shove it up their asses -- Saddam"

"I want to rip the American's throats out and shove it up their asses -- Bin Laden"

"I want to rip the American's throats out and shove it up their asses -- Iran"

I think I'm getting the hang of this translation stuff.
       

And here's where we put the Ark of the Covenant...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing to see here, move along... this piece of document is just a grocery list and does not hint at any secret treasure caches in the very least. Oh, and on an unrelated note, I won't be available for translation in the next couple of weeks, as I'm planning to visit my, uh, family in Iraq.

See you, suckers!

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Of course!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the "I'm too cheap to do it myself" open-source movement.

are we changing the definition?

[the_skywise]

So "open source" is now anything that's a free/community project?

Do the Amish then have "open source" barn raisings?

Re:Classification?

[plumby]

... such as proof Hussein hid stockpiles of chemical weapons.

I think that's a pretty safe bet.

Work for free?

[Beuno]

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking about doing, working for free for the US government ...

They need help!

[NXIL]

Just worked on one, got this: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP first, i must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. this is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and 'top secret'. i am sure and have confidence of your ability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of this great magnitude involving a pending transaction requiring maxiimum confidence. we are top official of the iraqi government contract review panel who are interested in imporation of goods into our country with funds which are presently trapped in fallujah. in order to commence this business we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into your account the said trapped funds. the source of this fund is as follows; during the last military regime here in iraq, the government officials set up companies and awarded themselves contracts which were grossly over-invoiced in various ministries. the present civilian government set up a contract review panel and we have identified a lot of inflated contract funds which are presently floating in the central bank of iraq ready for payment, some to halliburton, some to you.

Re:are we changing the definition?

[Quixote]

Do the Amish then have "open source" barn raisings?
... until it is raised; then it becomes closed source.

Whew! That's reassuring!

[woolio]

Whew! You had me scared for a second.

Luckily, your expert usage of English grammer re-assures me.

Apparently they are only upset at one (unnamed) American who has multiple throats, and they wish to shove each of these up the asses of an (unnamed) third party that consists of more than one person. Or it could be that this particular individual's throats also have asses... which makes the action somewhat circular...

Well, I don't have multiple throats, so my neck must be out of danger... But my ass might be the target of their threat.

pedants, unite!

[Anonymous Coward]

The American government already knows what those documents state, in the Iraqi language

The Iraqi language is commonly known as Arabic.

Basically, Washington is doing psy-ops (psychological warfare)

Actually psy-ops is psychological operations.

Will this do?

[FishandChips]

Esteemed Sir

I am seeking a person of the utmost trustfulness, which I believe you to be the same, to resolve a most delicate matter that has come to light in recently translated documents. I am the personal Financial and Securities Manager to Mr Tariq Aziz of Baghdad City who deposited the sum of 20 million dollars specie in the Bank of Santa Maria et Commerciale, Lagos, for the purchase of tractor parts and chandeliers. By twisted fate my client is unavoidably detained in his domicile to entirely unforeseen social eventualities and has let it be known via said translation that he seeks you to act as intermediary in this matter through a personal bank account ...