I have also used Systran and found it usefull as a starting point. A system translation needs editing anyway , just like the spelling check device on a mobile phone. It takes as much knowledge of a language it is a little faster as you only deal with the exceptions. A foreign language is not just a code , it is about the culture it conveys and its specificities. Have you ever asked your way to a local in the DR ? or agree a time when you will meet with someone ? It'll tell you what is important to people and where their focus is or lack of focus is. I Don't mean to teach or demonstrate anything , ethnology is just a matter of interest to me and there is no short cut to proper communication.