Machine Translations at Unicorn Farm 😉

We all agree that Google translate is not stellar, I often call it Giggle translate because the resulting text is so far off the mark as to make me giggle. But one of my sons told me about a new machine translator called DeepL. It should be way better.

Let's test it!

This next chapter is a chapter I obviously wrote in Danish. It is a sort of missing link, combining the stories of Martine and Fiona; but I am not in the mood for translating. So I tried something new: This chapter is translated using www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).
I corrected one thing, there might be more. Birkegården means Birch Manor, but as a name it's not translated.
Let me hear, what you think.

A week later, Fiona's car rolled up in front of Birch Manor.
I know you didn't want visitors yet, Fiona said as they pulled up, completely bewildered to have visitors in their new home. But tomorrow is 17 May, Martine's birthday. Shouldn't we surprise her with a visit today. There was something I had to look at. And don't worry, the magic wand is in the glove compartment.
They spent a nice drive together in Fiona's car, refreshing old memories and banter. And making plans for the new school of magic. Fiona remembered that the brooms were bought in the Blind Work in Copenhagen.
The biggest problem was books. Susan had her copy of Everyday Magic for Witches and Wizards, but that wasn't much to build a school on. "We'll probably ask for help from abroad." Susan said. I wonder if Ella couldn't help us, hopefully she's still alive. I don't think Kensuke and Teiko will be much help there. Neither of us seem to read Japanese."
"Maybe Finnbogi and Rósa have something up at that weird museum of Icelandic witchcraft and sorcery or whatever it was called?" Knud added.
"Oh, I went there once, right after they opened," Fiona said. "It was repulsive and exciting at the same time. Rósa works there. Fantastic, and Finnbogi. How many have you found so far?"
"We've checked on almost all the apprentices from the Unicorn Farm, but it's a pretty sad story," Knud said, pulling his book out of his backpack. So many of them have died, but of natural causes, we suspect. And many of David's loyal supporters were among the first to go wrong. So we don't think there's any criminal or revenge motive behind it."
"In short, you don't buy the idea that Teresa had anything to do with it?"
"No, not really, anyway. It's a bit too random who survived, and so most of them weren't hard to find."
"And one last thing," Susan said. "It just occurred to me, but the deaths stop about when David dies.  Maybe she - or they - even got off on the wrong foot around then?"
"That sounds like a thought," Knud said. "Let me check." A little later he looked up from the book again. "You're quite right. Apart from Kalle Berggren, who didn't die until eight years later, it actually stopped with David's death. I bet if we look hard we can find your Teresa's death around there too, but the question is whether we want to bother now, there's so much else to do."

"You're right. It's probably just my fear of them being overactive. I guess I'll just have to get used to the fact that they've been dead and gone for so many years, when they're alive and well in my mind's eye," Fiona sighed. "But now for something completely different. Martine. If I can cure her ... Or rather, help her ills. And it won't be in a day, even with magic. That would probably just arouse suspicion too. So what are your plans?"
"Our plans, and hers, are to find her a handicapped-accessible home near the Birch House. We haven't looked yet, but there should be something. Maybe she can stay with us for a while, we have enough space when not all the children are visiting at once."
"Yes, with my help and especially with her magic, she should actually be able to manage on her own," Fiona said slowly. "That sounds like a good idea. And she's not going to be lonely, we need her help, too, very much! And then I have another question. How will you check if people you meet have magic abilities, i.e. are witches or wizards? I've wondered if any of my children or grandchildren were magicians, but I haven't really dared to do anything about it yet. And I don't know how to go about it."
"That's actually a really good question. We've thought about it a lot, but haven't really had time to make anything of it with all the moving," Knud said. "How did you get tested?"
"I read in a big Icelandic book one day at school - and I could actually read it," Susan told us. "And then on summer vacation I found my way to the Unicorn Farm and met Gilvi."
"I was inside with a fortune teller at a travelling carnival," Fiona told me. "She asked me if I'd like to look in the fortune-teller's ball, and I saw a building, the Unicorn Farm, of course. Then she handed me a leaflet about the local 4H and told me to give it to my parents so they could sign me up for the rabbit jumping course. I wasn't the least bit interested, but I did as she said, and my parents were very keen to get both me and Veronika there. I reckon it was suggestive paper," Fiona sighed. "At 4H I was sent down to a small gloomy room where there were some other children, Sarah, Knud and those from Northern Norway, My, Marit, Astrid and Olav, and then we were escorted out to the Unicorn Farm under Jon's leadership.

"I picked a bunch of flowers and leaves in the forest, and an old woman came and asked me if she could have it - it was Tähti," Knud replied. "The next day there was a leaflet in the post box - and from there my story follows Fiona," Knud said smiling.
"But that probably doesn't help us much," said Fiona. "I usually just do instead of thinking long and hard, but right now I'm hesitant. Maybe Martine knows something." 

***

Knud directed Fiona the last few miles to the nursing home, and just like last time, they were inside the bakery buying cakes. This time they bought a small layer cake, just the right size for four people.
It was the same girl as last time who was sitting at the reception desk and she cheered up when she saw them: "Oh, I'm so glad to see you again, Martine's been so up since you were here. She's started taking part in physiotherapy and also some arts and crafts. It's fantastic. You know the way, so just go up there."

"You must be Fiona," Martine exclaimed once the three visitors had entered. "You look like yourself, you're just older."
"Yes, I am Fiona," replied the latter. "I recognise you too."
"That's a kind way of putting it," said Martine. "I don't look like myself anymore."
"Yes," Fiona said, continuing over Martine's protests. "It's true that your body isn't whole anymore, but you, your soul, or whatever cat I should call it, there inside you, still looks like who you were." Martine looked up at Fiona. "I've gotten stronger since those two were here last," she said with a sly smile. "I've been working out. Every day, not just in physical therapy. and I've been working on a test tool. We need a way to distinguish mages from non-mages." 
"I told you!" Knud exclaimed. "Martine has the solution."
The nurse came in with a tray of coffee, cups and so on. She noticed the layer cake on the table and smiled broadly. "Well, someone's in good time. Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" The four of them replied into each other's mouths.
Fiona poured and Martine narrated while Knud cut the cake. "Well, I thought we needed to know who was going to school at Birkegården. So I made a gizmo. You know, one of those witch lizard brain scrambler things made of wood and coloured strings." She paused and stuck a hand in a bag on the back of the wheelchair. Susan couldn't help but notice how much more mobile she had become and smiled appreciatively. "You can do what you want, almost then," Martine said. "This one is magical. It resists being solved if you're not a magician. Leave it, and some normal ones like it, out next time the children and grandchildren come to visit. Those who stick with it long enough to solve it have the magic in them." She handed the gadget to Susan.
"You only made one?" Fiona asked?"
"Well, I can't do magic." Martine replied, and they all burst out laughing. 
"You can test your grandchildren with a painting competition, just ask them to paint animals and you'll see!"
"Great idea!" Fiona replied. "And then my kids will be exposed by their kids. That's clever!"