Comprehend writing doesn't break codes, and apparently translates what the writer meant to write or say. What if the writer was just copying down writing he didn't understand? Since it was effectively gibberish to the writer, does it translate as gibberish?
If the original text ever made sense, even though the one who copied it didn't know and made some copying mistakes, it could be translated and corrected.
If the original text didn't make sense, like throwing random thoughts or writing nonsensical words, the translation would be equally nonsensical.
Then again, you've got at least a one in 10^(−183,800) of getting exactly the right text for you. <g>
Buggers! Knew I was going to muss up the math joke.
It's ok. It's math. I didn't get it, anyway.
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Comprehend writing doesn't break codes, and apparently translates what the writer meant to write or say.
I don't understand how you're getting "translates what the writer meant to write" out of the spell description.
The spell description says "... does not necessarily impart insight into the material, merely its literal meaning."
So if the writer phonetically copies down "Teper' ya dolzhen idti tuda, kuda dazhe tsar' idet peshkom" without knowing the meaning, the spell will still translate that into "Now I must go where even the Tsar goes on foot", but will not reveal that the original speaker is using an expression for going to the bathroom, nor would it reveal a codeword (if there was one) by reading only the first letter of each word.
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Similarly, comprehend languages doesn't know what the writer meant, only what the writer wrote. As an example from the real world, "pécheur" and "pêcheur" are both legitimate French words that differ only in the accent -- but one means "sinner" and the other means "fisherman."
If I write the wrong word, comprehend languages wouldn't be able to correct that error. If this is a set of directions, trying to go to "Rue des Pécheurs" might send you to the completely wrong part of Paris.
What's the exact meaning of the question?
a Comprehand Languagges spell would instantly translate whatever parts of the text were not gibberish, possibly reflecting scribal errors, as Orfamay Quest mentioned.
Using the Decipher Script aspect of Linguistics would be a lot dicer, depending on whether there's a key or rosetta stone to help break the cypher, and how close the text's language is to one the decipherer already knows... in the best of cases, a high roll might help translate the text, at worst, it would only help finding common words and sign repetitions and combinations, laking it a stepping stone while waiting for the real breakthrough.