SebastianN wrote
One can of course disagree with this approach and I am very much happy to hear opinions that diverge from what we are doing.
I appreciate your approach. Machines have been crucial to me for a sound understanding of Samyukta Agama. Sometimes Google translator becomes the saviour when DeepL flounders. I use Yandex too.
You wrote
One thing to consider is that what we are doing here is to develop a linguistically driven, alternative approach to the question of translation of Buddhist texts, its not about cloning human beings or building nuclear weapons, and certainly not about putting well-crafted human made translations of Buddhist texts into question. In that sense, I hope we as the technicians can keep a positive relationship with the translators here, who have created and still are, without any doubt, creating constant merit for the Buddhist community that a machine will never be able to achieve.
On occasion a machine can correct a human error, SN 12.63 comes to mind. My main focus is on Samyuktagama, which VBB has said is the closest to the Buddha, in his introduction to Samyutta Nikaya.
It is puzzling why the Pali translators omitted some seminal suttas. An omission of a critical sutta at the beginning of a Samyutta, and subtle modifications of the ensuing text can lead to misleading interpretations. Anapana Samyutta comes to mind.
It begins with SA 803/SN 54.1, but omits SA 801. SA 801(Easing into breath), as the introductory sutta would have made a significant difference.
If not for machines I would not have detected such.
Why did the Pali tradition exclude the “Seal of Dhamma” SA 80?, sandwiched between SA 79 (SN 22.9:impermanence) and SA 81 (SN 22.60;Mahali).
SA 80 stands out in the subtle forcefulness and power of its content. It is a synopsis of the liberating process.
Without the machines, curious people could not investigate which suttas were tampered with over time. A comparison of AN 9.37 and SA 557 presents a case of sutta tampering. SA 556 and SA 558 support SA 557, but Pali compilers left these untranslated.
I was able to read the untranslated Chinese suttas, thanks to the work of dedicated technicians like you who enable machines to echo the voice/spirit of the Buddha. Thanks to cdpatton’s contributions. Yinshun's Reconstruction of the Chinese Saṃyukta Āgama (Taisho 99)
Thanks to Sutta Central for the Chinese versions of the suttas of Samyukta Agama, which were left untranslated, and translated.