| صفحات الموضوع: < [1 2 3 4] > | Poll: What's the most memorable translation mistake you've seen? ناشر الموضوع: ProZ.com Staff
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| Strangest ever mistake | Feb 7, 2024 |
It is not a translation mistake, it is a proofreading one. This happened to me. I once translated a site that uses WMS (Warehouse Management Software), the client has given reference materials so that we can have a look at the site and how it works. I did my translation accordingly, then next day the big surprise, I woke up on Skype ringing the translation manger told me that the proofreader told them that my translation is not up to the point. When I opened the proofread file I found that the p... See more It is not a translation mistake, it is a proofreading one. This happened to me. I once translated a site that uses WMS (Warehouse Management Software), the client has given reference materials so that we can have a look at the site and how it works. I did my translation accordingly, then next day the big surprise, I woke up on Skype ringing the translation manger told me that the proofreader told them that my translation is not up to the point. When I opened the proofread file I found that the proofreader has never had a look at the source text and IMAGINED that the text is about an e-commerce website and done his proofreading accordingly without even have a look at the site or the reference material or even the source text. I told this to the PM and he sent my translation to his final client, and I think that they had stopped using the services of this translator. Strangest ever mistake is dealing with a translation with a text imagined by the proofreader ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Low-maintenance | Feb 7, 2024 |
Still my favourite:
In the Spanish translation of an user manual "wartungsarm" (low-maintenance) was translated as "brazo de manteniniento" (maintenance arm).
And that was long before MT was used widely.
| | | | | Products catalogue of an online distributor | Feb 7, 2024 |
Seen last week in an online distributor's products catalogue:
"(brand) Thousand Islands pansement"
(for "dressing")
| | | | Lingua 5B 
البوسنة والهرسك
Local time: 14:05
عضو (2009)
أنجليزي إلى كرواتي
+ ...
| Remove pill from the blister | Feb 7, 2024 |
“blister” (medical source)
“Remove pill from the blister”
Source:
Translator:
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Christina B.
السويد
Local time: 14:05
فرنسي إلى ألماني
+ ...
| Two memorable mistakes | Feb 7, 2024 |
1
The french word "baleine" usually means "whale" (the animal), but in lingerie it is the technical term for "boning". (Today, these small parts are made of plastic, but in earlier times they were apparently made of whalebone.)
When I was proofreading a really bad translation of a products catalogue where the translator had obviously used MT I found this one:
The French text said "The boning will make you look wonderful in this swimming costume."
The German ... See more 1
The french word "baleine" usually means "whale" (the animal), but in lingerie it is the technical term for "boning". (Today, these small parts are made of plastic, but in earlier times they were apparently made of whalebone.)
When I was proofreading a really bad translation of a products catalogue where the translator had obviously used MT I found this one:
The French text said "The boning will make you look wonderful in this swimming costume."
The German translation said "In this wonderful swimming costume you will look like a whale."
2
Proofreading and updating website texts for a french WW2-memorial:
The French text said: "The pilot was shot down three times."
The German text said: "The pilot was shot dead three times."
[Edited at 2024-02-07 12:59 GMT]
[Edited at 2024-02-07 15:26 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | A machine translation error | Feb 7, 2024 |
A potential direct client asked me for a quote to translate their German presentation about agriculture into Dutch. They didn't accept it because they found it too expensive. Later on, they came back to me with several big projects at the word price I had quoted before.
The reason? The word Raps had been translated into verkrachting, which means rape (the sexual crime) ... They had used Google Translate, and apparently, that used English as an intermediate language, as rape is also ... See more A potential direct client asked me for a quote to translate their German presentation about agriculture into Dutch. They didn't accept it because they found it too expensive. Later on, they came back to me with several big projects at the word price I had quoted before.
The reason? The word Raps had been translated into verkrachting, which means rape (the sexual crime) ... They had used Google Translate, and apparently, that used English as an intermediate language, as rape is also the intended crop. And they didn't find out until the actual meeting with their clients 😬😳😂 ▲ Collapse
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A few years ago, in an unbelievable blunder, the Community of Madrid actually implemented a massive advertising campaign to promote its bilingual school initiative.
The slogan, plastered all over Metro walls, and buses, etc.: "Yes, We Want" (to which every native speaker responded, in their heads, "want WHAT?")
Apparently, they were inspired by Obama's famous Yes We Can
After spending hundreds of thousands of euros (millions?) on the material and ad spaces ... apparently they ... See more A few years ago, in an unbelievable blunder, the Community of Madrid actually implemented a massive advertising campaign to promote its bilingual school initiative.
The slogan, plastered all over Metro walls, and buses, etc.: "Yes, We Want" (to which every native speaker responded, in their heads, "want WHAT?")
Apparently, they were inspired by Obama's famous Yes We Can
After spending hundreds of thousands of euros (millions?) on the material and ad spaces ... apparently they were too cheap, and/or oblivious, to simply ask a group of native speakers whether the English was correct and sounded right (!!!!!)
UNBELIEVABLE ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I always called it a blister pack ... even though I guess "blister" is correct too | Feb 7, 2024 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
“blister” (medical source)
“Remove pill from the blister”
Source:
Translator:
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Tom in London
المملكة المتحدة
Local time: 13:05
عضو (2008)
إيطالي إلى أنجليزي
| Famous school history exam paper howler | Feb 7, 2024 |
Magellan circumcised the world with his 40 foot clipper.
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No biggies coming to mind, but I do remember a meeting with an intern translator when I worked in-house. I explained to her that she should be more careful with numbers (very easy to point out as an error) and explained that "no consume convocatoria" means something like "this exam sitting does not count as an attempt". I can't remember what she wrote, but I do remember it being wrong. She was adamant she was correct, and stated "I got a first!" and "maybe I should translate literature". The bos... See more No biggies coming to mind, but I do remember a meeting with an intern translator when I worked in-house. I explained to her that she should be more careful with numbers (very easy to point out as an error) and explained that "no consume convocatoria" means something like "this exam sitting does not count as an attempt". I can't remember what she wrote, but I do remember it being wrong. She was adamant she was correct, and stated "I got a first!" and "maybe I should translate literature". The bosses quickly wrote up her papers and said that she didn't have to do the full 3 months of the internship.
At another agency, I told the boss that "Pacto Mundial" was "Global Compact". She was quick to say oh it can't be compact, what do you mean? I still remember her face when she looked it up on Google.
As I get older, I am not so quick to jump to the conclusion of oh this is wrong - but when you see a stinker, it does make you laugh. I'm sure I've made a few and do not want to read translations I did 20 years ago. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | In Spain, Ibiza | Feb 7, 2024 |
In a very famous supermarket in Ibiza there was a bilingual poster:
Please teach the bag to the cashier/ Porfavor ensene su bolsa a la caja
I could not resist and told them "please change at least teach with show", they did not.
| | | | | The glovebox isn't big enough to hold a toddler. | Feb 7, 2024 |
In a customer satisfaction survey on car interiors, one respondent complained about the lack of stowage space. He wrote (in German): the glovebox isn’t even big enough to hold a “Knirps”.
In addition to meaning toddler/tot/little squirt, Knirps is also a brand of collapsible umbrella. The translator was unaware of the latter. I was the proofreader and I still remember who it was, but I won’t share that info. 😊
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Jo Macdonald
أسبانيا
Local time: 14:05
عضو (2005)
إيطالي إلى أنجليزي
+ ...
| When I first moved to Italy... | Feb 7, 2024 |
Asked father in law for a screwdriver, "Tieni una caccavita?" Have you got a shit screw? Reminded him of his teenage pranks with the smerdometro...
| | | | Tom in London
المملكة المتحدة
Local time: 13:05
عضو (2008)
إيطالي إلى أنجليزي
| The most embarrassing moment of my life | Feb 7, 2024 |
Important dinner in Italy with my girlfriend's family.
It was September and there were freshly picked figs on the table, just brought in from the garden.
When dessert time came around I asked "Passatemi una fica per favore"
Red faces and silence all round the table. Even now, many years later, I can hardly bring myself to confess this.
[Edited at 2024-02-07 15:49 GMT]
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Tom in London wrote:
Important dinner in Italy with my girlfriend's family.
It was September and there were freshly picked figs on the table, just brought in from the garden.
When dessert time came around I asked "Passatemi una fica per favore"
 But I can understand your reasoning, mela, pera, arancia so why not fica... why fico masculine?
[Edited at 2024-02-07 16:33 GMT]
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