Other languages:

My colleagues and I are also aware of versions in Spanish and French which I've appended below. There are, no doubt, versions in many other languages as well. If you know of any others let me know and I'll add them to the list. I would be especially interested by versions of this text in languages that (to my knowledge, at least) work very differently in their written form from English. For example:

1) semitic languages (such as Hebrew or Arabic) where vowels tend not to be written in text

2) agglutanative languages (like Finnish or Turkish) where words are dramatically longer than in English

3) languages such as Thai which do not (conventionally) put spaces between words

4) logographic languages such as Chinese in which complex symbols represent a whole word or concept.

Update (7/10/03):

Looks like at least one of my predictions seems to be correct. Thanks to Peter Eskolin and Ari Ruottu I've had a couple of suggestions for Finnish versions of the text. Both Peter and Ari suggest that the resulting scrambled text is very difficult to read. Their names are linked to their suggested scrambled versions of the text.

One interesting possibility (thanks to Rémy Viredaz, and others that mentioned this) is that one thing that makes these scramblings difficult to read is that the jumbled-letters often move across morpheme-boundaries. One way of making polymorphemic words easier to read when scrambled would to keep letters in a position close to their original location. This is apparent in some of the German versions of the text.

I've also received a Hebrew version of the text, which apparently could not be read when scrambled. However, I couldn't read the characters, sorry! If any of you can help with converting Hebrew text into graphics files, let me know.

13/10/03:

Thanks to Samuel Wazana and John Sutton, I now have a Hebrew version of the original and scrambled text. Samuel suggets that the scrambled text is "a REAL mess.. you can not understand it at all". This may reflect a interesting property of the Hebrew writing system. Since vowels are not written in the text, there is a lot less redundancy in written Hebrew. It may be that readers are already using some inference processes to work out what words are written, the extra load added by jumbling letters creates an additional, excessive level of difficulty. It's also possible that written words are more confusible in Hebrew - that is, many more words are like "salt" and "slat" in which letter transpositions create other words.

Thanks to all of the various readers who offered to help with getting a Hebrew text online.

Spanish:

Sgeun un etsduio de una uivenrsdiad ignlsea, no ipmotra el odren en el que las ltears etsan ersciats, la uicna csoa ipormtnate es que la pmrirea y la utlima ltera esten ecsritas en la psiocion cocrrtea. El rsteo peuden estar ttaolmntee mal y aun pordas lerelo sin pobrleams. Etso es pquore no lemeos cada ltera por si msima preo la paalbra es un tdoo.

French:

Sleon une édtue de l'Uvinertisé de Cmabrigde, l'odrre des ltteers dnas un mtos n'a pas d'ipmrotncae, la suele coshe ipmrotnate est que la pmeirère et la drenèire soit à la bnnoe pclae. Le rsete peut êrte dnas un dsérorde ttoal et vuos puoevz tujoruos lrie snas porlblème. C'est prace que le creaveu hmauin ne lit pas chuaqe ltetre elle-mmêe, mias le mot cmome un tuot.

(note that the letters are jumbled and that the accents have moved with their associated letters).

Dutch:

Vlgones een oznrdeeok op een Eglnese uvinretsiet mkaat het neit uit in wlkee vloogdre de ltteers in een wrood saatn, het einge wat blegnaijrk is is dat de eretse en de ltaatse ltteer op de jiutse patals saatn. De rset van de ltteers mgoen wllikueirg gpletaast wdoren en je knut vrelvogens gwoeon lzeen wat er saatt. Dit kmot odmat we neit ekle ltteer op zcih lzeen maar het wrood als gheeel.

Thanks to Sander Jonkers for passing this on, and to the people at Onzetaal for linking to this site.

Danish:

En viskdenbaleig unsdelrøgelse lavet af et untivseriet i Enlgnad har vist, at desrom de to føsrte og de to sisdte botsvgaer i alle oredene i en tekst er ritgigt pledsaret, spllier det inge rolle hvkilen ræføkkelge de øvirge bosgvtaer i oredne kommer. Tektsen er fuldt læbsar selv om de adre bogastver kommer huilbtertlulter! Det er, fordi vi ikke læser hvert eneklt botgsav, men ser bildeler af ordet som en hehled.

Thanks to Randi Starrfelt for sending this to me.

You'll notice that a couple of these translations state that the research comes from an "English University" (which is correct), rather "Cambridge University".

German:

Die Bcuhstbaenrehenifloge in eneim Wrot ist eagl

Ncah enier nueen Sutide, die uetnr aerdnem von der Cmabirdge Uinertvisy dührruchgeft wrdoen sien slol, ist es eagl, in wlehcer Rehenifloge Bcuhstbaen in eneim Wrot sethen, Huaptschae, der esrte und ltzete Bcuhstbae snid an der rhcitgien Setlle. Die rsetclhien Bshcuteban kenönn ttoal druchenianedr sien, und man knan es tortzedm onhe Poreblme lseen, wiel das mneschilhce Gherin nhcit jdeen Bcuhstbaen enizlen leist, snodren das Wrot als gnazes. Mti dme Pähonemn bchesfätgein shci mherere Hhcochsluen, acuh die aerichmkianse Uivnäseritt in Ptstbigurh. Esrtmlas üebr das Tmeha gchseibren hat aebr breteis 1976 - und nun in der rgchitien Bruecihhsetnafoelngbe - Graham Rawlinson in sieenr Dsiestraiton mit dem Tetil "The Significance of Letter Position in Word Recognition" an der egnlsicehn Uitneivrsy of Ntitongahm.

Thanks to Hermann Schwarting for email this to me. This appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on 24.09.03. You'll notice that this is greatly extended and includes a correct reference to Graham Rawlinson's thesis.

There's also the following translation - which is much closer to the English original (from Robert Fuchs):

Luat eienr Stduie der Cambrdige Unievrstiät speilt es kenie Rlloe in welcehr Reiehnfogle die Buhcstbaen in eniem Wrot vorkmomen, die eingzie whctige Sahce ist, dsas der ertse und der lettze Buhcstbaen stmimt. Der Rset knan In eienm völilegen Duchrienanedr sein und knan trtozedm prboelmols gelseen wreden. Gunrd ist, dsas das menchsilche Ague nicht jeedn Buhcstbaen liset.

And a cartoon on the subject from Der Spiegel (from Raymond Noë).

Czech:

Thanks to Vaclav Janca for passing this on. You can also download the czech text.

Icelandic:

Svmkmaæt rnsanókn við Cmabrigde hkóásla þá stkpiir ekki mlái í hðvaa röð stfiar í oðri eru, það enia sem stikipr mlái er að frtsyi og stíasði stinaurfn séu á rtéutm satð. Aillr hniir sfitarnir gtea vireð í aöljrgu rlgui en þú gtuer smat lseið það aðvuledlgea. Áæðsatn fiyrr þsesu er að mnnashgrniuun les ekki hevrn satf friyr sig hleudr oirðð sem hiled.

Thanks to Suzanne Buerger for forwarding this.

Portugese (Brazilian):

De aorcdo com uma pesqiusa de uma uinrvesriddae ignlsea, não ipomtra em qaul odrem as lrteas de uma plravaa etãso, a úncia csioa iprotmatne é que a piremria e útmlia lrteas etejasm no lgaur crteo. O rseto pdoe ser uma ttaol bçguana que vcoê pdoe anida ler sem pobrlmea. Itso é poqrue nós não lmeos cdaa lrtea isladoa, mas a plravaa cmoo um tdoo.

Thanks to Zé do Rock for sending this to me.

Swedish:

En vestenkalpig unsdernöking gjord vid ett untivseriet i Enlgand har visat att utfiall de två fösrta och de två sista botskevärna i alla orden i en text är ritkigt plessarade, spelar det liten roll i viklen orgnindslöfjd de övirga boskvätrena i orden kommer. Tetxen är fullt läbsar t.o.m. om de andra bokestävrna kommer hullorebmuller! Detta eftorsem vi inte läser varje enkisld botksav, utan ser bidlen av ordet som helhet.

Thanks to Hakan Kjellerstrand for passing this on. Apparently this was first posted on the 1st September, here. Like the Danish version, this actually has the first and last two letters fixed - which is more similar to Graham Rawlinson's PhD thesis and the letter he wrote to New Scientist. It wouldn't suprise me if this switch from two to one exterior letter being fixed was a relatively late change to the meme.

Bahasa Indonesia:

Menuurt sbeauh penilitean di Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, tdaik mejnadi maslaah bgaimanaa urtaun hufur-hufur di dlaam sebauh kaat, ynag palngi pnteing adlaah leatk hruuf partema dan terkhair itu bnaer. Siasnya dpaat brantaaken saam skelai dan kmau maish dpaat mebmacanya tnpaa msaalah. Hal ini kerana oatk masunia tdaik mambeca seitap huurf msaing-msaing, tatepi kaat kesuleruhan.

Thanks to Frederik Rotty for emailing this to me.

Russian:

Thanks to Anastassia Kerr for passing this on to me. If you'd like, you can also download the Russian text as an MS-Word file.

Albanian:

Saips një siumtdi të bërë nga një utsveneiirt algenz,për lxmeiin e fajlëve nuk ka rëndësi rjtnidea e srjahknove.Maotfjn që skojnrha e parë dhe e fnduit të jenë në vndeet e trye.Të tejrat mnud të jenë në një çregrullim të poltë dhe ne mnud të loxejmë pa polebrm.Kjo spese turri ynë nuk i loxen srojahknt një nga një,por fajlët si të polta.

Thanks to Ymer Mulakaj for sending this.

Hungarian:

Thanks to Tamas Szepes for forwarding this to me. You can also download the Hungarian version as a rich text file.

Italian:

Da uno stdiuo dlela Camrbidge Urnievristy, l'oridne dllee letetre in una paorla non ha ipmotranza, la sloa csoa impoanrtte é che la pimra e l'ulmtia sinao nllea pozisione corttreta. Tttue le alrte letetre pososno esesre totamletne diosrdiante e tu sarai sepmre in grdao di legegre sezna prolbemi. Quetso é dovtuo al ftato che il cevrello umnao non lgege ongi letetra ma la paorla glolabmnete.

Thanks to Alberto Castelnuovo for emailing this.

Irish (Gaellic):

De riér tdgaihe ag Osllocil Cmabrigde is cmua cen tord atá ar na lriteahca i bhfacol má bhoínn an chaéd ltiir augs an liitr dhreineaach san áit chaert, augs an chiud elie ina bpairseach. Is fiédir an taécs a thiucsint gan dua, ós rud é go lénan an itninn gcah fcoal ina imoliáne, ní liitr i ndaiidh litearch. Inotach.

Thanks to Sean O Conaill.

Polish:

Thanks to Hanna Burdon for passing this on. You can also download the Polish text in MS-Word format.