| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Off topic: Why do labels often have such hilariously bad translations? Thread poster: Claudia Vale
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Claudia Vale 
United Kingdom
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Michael, your list made me fall about laughing! | Jul 27, 2007 |
They're like something from a Carry On film!
| | | | Claudia Vale
United Kingdom
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | I've got a Dyson, Jenny. | Jul 27, 2007 |
Jenny Forbes wrote:
The instructions for my Dyson vacuum cleaner contain no words at all - only incomprehensible pictograms, presumably to avoid the translation problem altogether, with the result that I can't work out how to attach the hose appliances and can only use it upright.
Regards,
Jenny.
It's a bit tricky but if you need any advice... ;o)
| | | | Claudia Vale
United Kingdom
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | I love the Polish menu, Ritu! | Jul 27, 2007 |
[Edited at 2007-07-27 10:15]
| | | | | Lighter side of trans/interp | Jul 27, 2007 |
Hi Claudia, thanks for the note. I forgot to apologise to Ritu, I did not mean to be offensive to India. But I got these and hundreds more from web sites. (mainly ESL web sites as tools for teahing the Language.) I used to use these when I lectured English in Italian Senior high schools/colleges for teaching material and came across tons of these. I still laugh at reading all of them.
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| Thanks, Claudia | Jul 27, 2007 |
Claudia Vale wrote: Jenny Forbes wrote:
The instructions for my Dyson vacuum cleaner contain no words at all - only incomprehensible pictograms, presumably to avoid the translation problem altogether, with the result that I can't work out how to attach the hose appliances and can only use it upright.
Regards,
Jenny.
It's a bit tricky but if you need any advice... ;o)
Thanks for your kind offer, Claudia. I'm just so technically inept. In fact my boyfriend, a former Royal Marines weapons instructor, succeeded in assembling the wretched Dyson hose things - probably the only person qualified to do so, and now he does the vacuuming whenever he comes down. Hooray!
I'm still crying with laughter at all these posts.
Love, Jenny.
| | | | | one entry missing | Jul 27, 2007 |
I once read about a description of a doll who was able to do things (you all know: like those dolls crying or laughing...this one was laughing under very very special circumstances...)
The booklet said: "laughs while you throw up"
| | | | Claudia Vale
United Kingdom
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Leena vom Hofe wrote: I once read about a description of a doll who was able to do things (you all know: like those dolls crying or laughing...this one was laughing under very very special circumstances...) The booklet said: "laughs while you throw up"
That's brilliant!
| | | | Satu Ilva
Finland
Local time: 12:05
English to Finnish
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| Just today... | Jul 27, 2007 |
I was at the gym today and noticed a sign saying you should keep an eye on your children if you bring them there. The last sentence read something like this:
"The accident must be responsible of the parent."
Are they referring to the child, I wonder, and wasn't the case meant to be the opposite?
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Just found today while getting ready to cook a chicken, the label says :
"1/2 heure de cuisson par livre"
huh ? ok, so I checked the weight on the label - 1.16 kg ! time to get out my calculator
Strange as I purchased this in France, and the label further states that the chicken was slaughtered & packaged in France (in a town called Condom no less !)
Maybe this is secretly... See more Just found today while getting ready to cook a chicken, the label says :
"1/2 heure de cuisson par livre"
huh ? ok, so I checked the weight on the label - 1.16 kg ! time to get out my calculator
Strange as I purchased this in France, and the label further states that the chicken was slaughtered & packaged in France (in a town called Condom no less !)
Maybe this is secretly a British chicken trying to be French ? I would never expect to find any mention of "livres" on anything purchased in France. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Michael and Leena, | Jul 27, 2007 |
it was unbelievably funny!!
| | | | | Not only labels, movie subtitles too. | Jul 28, 2007 |
Whenever I watch a movie with subtitles, I cannot decide whether I should get angry at the thought of somebody getting paid to do such a bad job, or to laugh at the silly mistakes, and often when the movie is not very interesting, I find myself looking out for the stupid mistakes.
The worst I have seen was a movie about the cavalry, they must have said the word "cavalry" about two hundred times during the movie, and every single time it was subtitled in Spanish as "calvario", that is "calv... See more Whenever I watch a movie with subtitles, I cannot decide whether I should get angry at the thought of somebody getting paid to do such a bad job, or to laugh at the silly mistakes, and often when the movie is not very interesting, I find myself looking out for the stupid mistakes.
The worst I have seen was a movie about the cavalry, they must have said the word "cavalry" about two hundred times during the movie, and every single time it was subtitled in Spanish as "calvario", that is "calvary", so instead of being about horses it ended up being about the crucifixion of Christ.
Christ!
[Edited at 2007-07-28 01:39] ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 11:05
Spanish to English
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| Themselves means... | Jul 28, 2007 |
Mandy Williams wrote:
Some time ago I was asked to translate some labels for food products. As there was "no rush" and I was off to England, I told the client I would look at similar products in English supermarkets to get some ideas. They said that was fine.
When I got back and called them they told me they had done it themselves. I would suspect that happens a lot.
Best,
Mandy
My impression is it's probably the boss' son, nephew, niece, (fill in the friend or family member of your choice) who spent a few weeks abroad in an English speaking country who has been asked to do the honors. The parents have paid for the kid to study or do a summer camp to "learn" English and now he or she is the official family business translator.
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| Oh, thank you all for these contributions, | Jul 29, 2007 |
I really needed it: I stayed home while my kids are spending the weekend with their aunt and my husband is giving a seminar in another city (4 hours from here), to be able to keep working on a too long assignment, and these posts really really made me laugh out loud...
Jenny Forbes wrote:
And on the menu of my local Indian restaurant:
PIECES OF LAMP MARINADED IN OUR CHEF'S SPECIAL SAUCE.
(goes nicely with the stuff that contains traces of nuts and bolts).
The instructions for my Dyson vacuum cleaner contain no words at all - only incomprehensible pictograms, presumably to avoid the translation problem altogether, with the result that I can't work out how to attach the hose appliances and can only use it upright.
Regards,
Jenny.
Poor you, Jenny, I can imagine you puzzeld, scratching your head, but yay for smart boyfriends (and don't you just love nuts... with nuts?)!
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Leena vom Hofe wrote: I once read about a description of a doll who was able to do things (you all know: like those dolls crying or laughing...this one was laughing under very very special circumstances...) The booklet said: "laughs while you throw up"
Well, good for her!
| | | | Claudia Vale
United Kingdom
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Jose Arnoldo Rodriguez-Carrington wrote:
instead of being about horses it ended up being about the crucifixion of Christ.
Christ!
[Edited at 2007-07-28 01:39]
I believe something similar happened with Turks and turkeys during an interpreting session. ;o)
[Edited at 2007-07-29 07:54]
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