Hey Andrew,
To get a translation and some information on the sword in question, I would suggest posting this over on the Nihonto message board A number of experienced Japanese sword collectors hang out there and can help you out.
To answer your second question, there are a number of things to look for to distinguish a machine made gunto from a traditionally made nihonto. Rich Stein has a list of things to look for here ... Is It Real? Is It Old? If you have any interest in Nihonto, his Japanese Sword Guide is a treasure trove of good information ... Dr. Stein's Japanese Sword Guide.
Paul Smith
"Always keep the sharp side and the pointy end between you and your opponent"