Fractions and translators

I have learned that a fraction like for example 7/9 is in Japanese 9分の7.

But it seems that both deepl and google translate have serious math problems.

The original text was:
「君たちは先生にとって、39分の1じゃなくて、1分の1なんだよ。」
中学の数学の授業で、まだ分数が理解できていない1人の生徒のために、先生が分数の説明をしたときの言葉です。当時、家族関係が希薄で孤独を感じていた私も、先生にとって1分の1なのだということに嬉しくなり、勇気が湧いたのを覚えています。

deepl transformed the fractions in false percentages, giving:

You’re not one-thirty-ninth of a percent to your teacher, you’re one-thousandth.
This is what the teacher said in a junior high school math class when she was explaining fractions to one of the students who still didn’t understand them. At the time, I was feeling lonely because of my weak family relationships, but I remember feeling happy and brave because I knew that I was a fraction to my teacher.

google translate surprises by seeing ‘one third’ instead of ‘1/1’ in this text:

“You guys are one-third, not one-39, for the teacher.”
It is a word when the teacher explained fractions for one student who does not understand fractions yet in a junior high school math class. At that time, my family relationship was weak and I felt lonely, but I remember being happy and courageous that it was one-third for the teacher.

I’m not surprised.

You just wanted to let us know?

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I posted this with the faint hope that someone would come up with a translator which knows the difference between 1/39, 1/39 % and 1/3 or between 1/1, 1/1000 and 1/3. I don’t understand why translators handle those things so poorly. It’s not that difficult …

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If had to guess I’d say it’s the の particle plus the lack of material for deep learning.

Both deepl and google have correctly seen that the X分のY constructions are fractions, and both translate them with false numbers. Where does google find the ‘third’?

Yeah you got me there. :man_shrugging:

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