Boing Boing may be correct that English as She is Spoke (1883) is the Worst English phrasebook in the history of the world. I imagine that author Pedro Carolino—who "took ... a French-English phrasebook and a Portuguese-French phrasebook and translated the former using the latter"—could put the free phrase-translators now available on the Web to good use.
Below I have used Babel Fish Translation at AltaVista to translate some helpful English genealogical dialogue into Greek, then into French, and then back into English:
Original:
"Is there a cemetery around here?"
"Yes, it is down the road."
"Good. I am going to look for my ancestor's tombstone."
Translation:
"Exists a cemetery around here?"
"Yes, it is under the road."
"Good. I should excavate the tombstone of my ancestor."
Original:
"Do you know when your grandmother was born?"
"I only know that she died while giving birth in 1939."
"That is so sad. So you never knew her?"
"No. I was born ten years later."
Translation:
"You know when your grandmother was generated?"
"Only I know that it died while generating in 1939."
"This one is so sad. Thus you never knew it?"
"No. I was generated ten years slower."
Original:
"Can you tell me where the National Archives are?"
"I will show you the way."
"Thank you. That would be very kind."
"It is the least I can do for someone who has learned to speak my language so well."
Translation:
"You can say to me where the public records are?"
"I will open the road to you."
"You thank yourselves. This one would be very good."
"Is less I can make for somebody who learned that it speaks my language so much well."
