Translate old Norwegian and German records with Gemini, Claude and ChatGPT

PartialEvidence: Screenshots or logsPosted May 23, 2026Last checked Nov 1, 2026

Gemini did the best job translating Kitty Cooper's old records, but Claude gave a partial and ChatGPT made stuff up.

Source checked Nov 1, 2026
Results shared
Limitations noted

How to use this

Tap Copy prompt.
Open Gemini.
Paste it into the message box.
Replace anything in [CAPITAL LETTERS IN BRACKETS] with your own details.
Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.

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Prompt

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Our fuller version of the person's prompt. They didn't use this version, and we haven't tested it.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Transcribe and translate an old handwritten record exactly, and mark anything you can't read instead of guessing.

Questions to ask me first:
- What language and roughly what year is the record?
- What kind of record is it (baptism, marriage, census, letter)?
- Do you want a word-for-word translation, a summary, or both?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Record image: [UPLOAD PHOTO OR SCAN]
- Language and year: [LANGUAGE / YEAR]
- Names I already know: [NAMES]

Rules:
- First transcribe the original text line by line, then translate it.
- Mark unreadable words as [unreadable] and uncertain ones with a question mark.
- Never fill in names, dates or places that you can't read.
- Keep the original order and layout; don't turn it into bullet points.

Checkpoint: Show the transcription first so I can compare it with the image before you translate.

If you get stuck: If the image is too poor to read, say so and tell me which parts you could read.

Verify before you finish: Check that every name and date in the translation appears in the transcription.

Output: A line-by-line transcription, then a word-for-word translation, then a list of uncertain words.

Done when: I have a translation I can check against the record, with every guess marked.

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Record image

Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded to TriedPrompts.

Language and year

Names I already know

Your prompt

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Transcribe and translate an old handwritten record exactly, and mark anything you can't read instead of guessing.

Questions to ask me first:
- What language and roughly what year is the record?
- What kind of record is it (baptism, marriage, census, letter)?
- Do you want a word-for-word translation, a summary, or both?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Record image: [UPLOAD PHOTO OR SCAN]
- Language and year: [LANGUAGE / YEAR]
- Names I already know: [NAMES]

Rules:
- First transcribe the original text line by line, then translate it.
- Mark unreadable words as [unreadable] and uncertain ones with a question mark.
- Never fill in names, dates or places that you can't read.
- Keep the original order and layout; don't turn it into bullet points.

Checkpoint: Show the transcription first so I can compare it with the image before you translate.

If you get stuck: If the image is too poor to read, say so and tell me which parts you could read.

Verify before you finish: Check that every name and date in the translation appears in the transcription.

Output: A line-by-line transcription, then a word-for-word translation, then a list of uncertain words.

Done when: I have a translation I can check against the record, with every guess marked.

Scroll to see the whole prompt. Your answers show in green.

3 blanks are still empty: Record image; Language and year; Names I already know. They'll stay in brackets in your prompt, so the chat tool may ask you about them.

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Try this in:

ChatGPT Used in source Gemini Used in source Grok Claude Used in source

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The prompt they actually used

The exact prompt from the source.

translate

AI tools

Gemini Claude ChatGPT

Outcome

Genealogist Kitty Cooper uploaded a poor scan of a Norwegian record to Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini and asked each to translate it. Claude said it was hard to read and gave only a partial translation. ChatGPT made up something that sounded totally plausible but didn't seem anything like the original Norwegian. Gemini did well, though it organized the result into bullet items. Cooper's new method is to upload the same document to Claude and Gemini and merge the results. Cooper then tried handwritten German records, where Gemini did the best job; Claude, puzzlingly, decided one person was English.

Evidence: Screenshots or logsThe source shows screenshots, a transcript or the AI's output.

Known limitations

PartialThe source says it only partly worked, or had a significant problem a person had to deal with.

What went wrong: Gemini did well, Claude gave only a partial translation, and ChatGPT made up a plausible but wrong one.

Source

Posted: May 23, 2026 by Kitty Cooper (Kitty Cooper's Blog)
Last checked: Nov 1, 2026
Method:: How we verify

https://blog.kittycooper.com/2026/05/further-experiments-with-ai-and-genealogical-documents/

Context: Cooper's original prompt was just "translate," per a reply in the comments. Compare AI translations against the record.