According to one such service, AltaVista Babel Fish, its translations are meant only to “allow you to grasp the general intent of the original, not to produce a polished translation.”

In spite of this, several government websites with crucial information on topics such as immigration use electronic translation services, which can cause confusion or give incorrect information.

Instead of relying on a rough translation, visit the Spanish homepage for FirstGov.gov, the official U.S. Government Web portal for federal government-related questions answered in Spanish, or the English homepage for answers in English.

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