The work that changed my work.

This analysis centers on excerpts from my own creative work. It is brief but dense with metaphor, cadence, and mood. By examining the AI‑generated translations line‑by‑line, I aim to trace how meaning is preserved, weakened, or altered when a story crosses linguistic borders.

Objective

Qualitative study of how translation models handle sentence segmentation and tone in narrative text.

 

Models Tested

Select 3 models, model A, model B, model C. The selection was made based on free, public and easy access.

Procedure

Translate English excerpts from English to Spanish.

Translate Spanish excerpts from Spanish to English.

Record differences in terminology, tone, and specificity.

Note whether meaning was preserved, weakened, or altered.

 

Observations

Propmt EN -> ES

Translate the following text from English to Spanish.

In the before-times, we lived, laughed, sang, and danced. Music spilled freely into the night like wine we never expected to run dry. We walked barefoot through warm grass.

 

Propmt ES -> EN

Translate the following text from Spanish to English.

Dos noches después, vinieron por mí.
Sin sirenas.
Sin gritos.
Solo una mano en mi hombro, en el mercado.

---

Escucho botas en el pasillo, afuera de mi celda. Detrás de la pequeña ventana, los pajarillos le cantan a la lluvia. En algún lugar más profundo del pabellón, alguien grita, y ese sonido hace eco de algo que no he dicho.
Mis manos tiemblan, pero sigo dibujando en el piso. Mis dedos se arrastran por el polvo, más lentos que antes. Trazo la curva dos veces, luego me detengo. Casi dibujo el tronco cerca de la orilla,  pero paré.
Algunas verdades pertenecen solo a quienes las recuerdan.

Soy… hago mapas. Necesito saber si todavía recuerdo cómo.

Model A translation EN -> ES

En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos. La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca esperábamos que se agotara. Caminábamos descalzos por la hierba tibia.

 

Model A translation ES -> EN

Two nights later, they came for me. No sirens. No screams. Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market. --- I hear boots in the hallway, outside my cell. Behind the small window, little birds sing to the rain. Somewhere deeper in the ward, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven't said. My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor. My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before. I trace the curve twice, then I stop. I almost drew the tree trunk near the shore, but I stopped. Some truths belong only to those who remember them. I am… I make maps. I need to know if I still remember how.

This appears to be a poignant piece of creative writing, possibly from the perspective of someone imprisoned or detained, who identifies as a mapmaker and is trying to maintain their sense of identity and memory through drawing.

Model A Observations

Original	Translation	Analysis
In the before-times, we lived, laughed, sang, and danced.	En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos.	"En los tiempos de antes" looses tone. "vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos." persist the cadence and emphasis.
Music spilled freely into the night like wine we never expected to run dry.	La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca esperábamos que se agotara.	the imagery of "into the night" is lost becasue "en la noche" is purely locational and looses the sense of flowing into darkness. from "to run dry" to "que se agotara"  shifts the metaphor.
We walked barefoot through warm grass.	Caminábamos descalzos por la hierba tibia.
Dos noches después, vinieron por mí.	Two nights later, they came for me.
Sin sirenas.	No sirens.
Sin gritos.	No screams.
Solo una mano en mi hombro, en el mercado.	Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market.
Escucho botas en el pasillo, afuera de mi celda.	I hear boots in the hallway, outside my cell.
Detrás de la pequeña ventana, los pajarillos le cantan a la lluvia.	Behind the small window, little birds sing to the rain.
En algún lugar más profundo del pabellón, alguien grita, y ese sonido hace eco de algo que no he dicho.	Somewhere deeper in the ward, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven't said.
Mis manos tiemblan, pero sigo dibujando en el piso.	My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor.
Mis dedos se arrastran por el polvo, más lentos que antes.	My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before.
Trazo la curva dos veces, luego me detengo.	I trace the curve twice, then I stop.	from "detengo" to "stop"
Casi dibujo el tronco cerca de la orilla,  pero paré.	I almost drew the tree trunk near the shore, but I stopped.	from "pero paré." to "I stopped"
Algunas verdades pertenecen solo a quienes las recuerdan.	Some truths belong only to those who remember them.
Soy… hago mapas.	I am… I make maps.
Necesito saber si todavía recuerdo cómo.	I need to know if I still remember how.

 

Model B translation EN -> ES

En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos. La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca pensamos que se agotaría. Caminábamos descalzos por la hierba tibia.

Model B translation ES -> EN

Two nights later, they came for me. No sirens. No shouts. Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market.

I hear boots in the corridor, outside my cell. Behind the little window, small birds sing to the rain. Somewhere deeper in the wing, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven't said. My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor. My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before. I trace the curve twice, then stop. I almost drew the trunk near the shore, but I stopped. Some truths belong only to those who remember them. I am... I make maps. I need to know if I still remember how.

Model B Observations

Original	Translation	Analysis
In the before-times, we lived, laughed, sang, and danced.	En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos.	"En los tiempos de antes" looses tone. "vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos." persist the cadence and emphasis.
Music spilled freely into the night like wine we never expected to run dry.	La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca pensamos que se agotaría.	the imagery of "into the night" is lost becasue "en la noche" is purely locational and looses the sense of flowing into darkness. from "to run dry" to "que se agotaría"  shifts the metaphor.
We walked barefoot through warm grass.	Caminábamos descalzos por la hierba tibia.
Dos noches después, vinieron por mí.	Two nights later, they came for me.
Sin sirenas.	No sirens.
Sin gritos.	No shouts.	from "gritos" to "shouts" neutralize intensity.
Solo una mano en mi hombro, en el mercado.	Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market.
Escucho botas en el pasillo, afuera de mi celda.	I hear boots in the corridor, outside my cell.
Detrás de la pequeña ventana, los pajarillos le cantan a la lluvia.	Behind the little window, small birds sing to the rain.	from "los pajarillos" to "small birds" gives us a loss of emotional register.
En algún lugar más profundo del pabellón, alguien grita, y ese sonido hace eco de algo que no he dicho.	Somewhere deeper in the wing, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven't said.
Mis manos tiemblan, pero sigo dibujando en el piso.	My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor.
Mis dedos se arrastran por el polvo, más lentos que antes.	My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before.
Trazo la curva dos veces, luego me detengo.	I trace the curve twice, then stop.	from "detengo" to "stop"
Casi dibujo el tronco cerca de la orilla,  pero paré.	I almost drew the trunk near the shore, but I stopped.	from "pero paré." to "I stopped"
Algunas verdades pertenecen solo a quienes las recuerdan.	Some truths belong only to those who remember them.
Soy… hago mapas.	I am... I make maps.
Necesito saber si todavía recuerdo cómo.	I need to know if I still remember how.

 

Model C translation EN -> ES

En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos. La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca esperábamos que se acabara. Caminábamos descalzos sobre la hierba tibia.

Model C translation ES -> EN

Two nights later, they came for me.
No sirens. No shouting. Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market.

I hear boots in the hallway, outside my cell.
Behind the little window, the birds sing to the rain.
Somewhere deeper in the ward, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven’t said.
My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor.
My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before.
I trace the curve twice, then stop.
I almost draw the trunk near the edge, but I stopped.
Some truths belong only to those who remember them.
I am… I make maps.
I need to know if I still remember how.

Model C Observations

Original	Translation	Analysis
In the before-times, we lived, laughed, sang, and danced.	En los tiempos de antes, vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos.	"En los tiempos de antes" looses tone. "vivíamos, reíamos, cantábamos y bailábamos." persist the cadence and emphasis.
Music spilled freely into the night like wine we never expected to run dry.	La música se derramaba libremente en la noche como vino que nunca esperábamos que se acabara.	the imagery of "into the night" is lost becasue "en la noche" is purely locational and looses the sense of flowing into darkness. from "to run dry" to "que se acabara"  shifts the metaphor.
We walked barefoot through warm grass.	Caminábamos descalzos sobre la hierba tibia.
Dos noches después, vinieron por mí.	Two nights later, they came for me.
Sin sirenas.	No sirens.
Sin gritos.	No shouting.	from "gritos" to "shouting" neutralize intensity.
Solo una mano en mi hombro, en el mercado.	Just a hand on my shoulder, in the market.
Escucho botas en el pasillo, afuera de mi celda.	I hear boots in the hallway, outside my cell.
Detrás de la pequeña ventana, los pajarillos le cantan a la lluvia.	Behind the little window, the birds sing to the rain.	from "los pajarillos" to "the birds" gives us a loss of emotional register.
En algún lugar más profundo del pabellón, alguien grita, y ese sonido hace eco de algo que no he dicho.	Somewhere deeper in the ward, someone screams, and that sound echoes something I haven’t said.
Mis manos tiemblan, pero sigo dibujando en el piso.	My hands tremble, but I keep drawing on the floor.
Mis dedos se arrastran por el polvo, más lentos que antes.	My fingers drag through the dust, slower than before.
Trazo la curva dos veces, luego me detengo.	I trace the curve twice, then stop.	from "detengo" to "stop"
Casi dibujo el tronco cerca de la orilla,  pero paré.	I almost draw the trunk near the edge, but I stopped.	from "orilla" to "edge" shifts image from river to a threshold that could be a cliff. from "pero paré." to "I stopped"
Algunas verdades pertenecen solo a quienes las recuerdan.	Some truths belong only to those who remember them.
Soy… hago mapas.	I am… I make maps.
Necesito saber si todavía recuerdo cómo.	I need to know if I still remember how.