Two things happened on the same evening recently, both of which involved Google Translate, and both of which got me thinking: How good is good enough when it comes to conveying a message in a foreign language?

Firstly, I saw a teacher friend’s Facebook status update:

I know exactly what she meant – I’ve seen things in pupils’ work such as “Mi papá me dio un ascensor” (supposed to be “My dad gave me a lift – ie picked me up in the car”), or “Je suis un grand ventilateur de Manchester United” (it..