Off topic: Funny English translations Thread poster: Jeff Whittaker
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Jeff Whittaker 
United States
Local time: 18:02
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Lynda Tharratt
Local time: 18:02
Member (2006)
Spanish to English
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Found on the bottom of a vase at my mother's house.
"Put food in. Poison food."
Handy isn't it? If you need to poison some food (perhaps an unyielding mother-in-law) just place it in the vase for a while and voilá, food is poisoned!
| | | | NecdetB
Türkiye
Local time: 01:02
German to Turkish
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| Not as real and funny as the above ones... | Aug 9, 2008 |
...but still I wanted to share this:
"Pleath. If you would pleath look. Moth courteouth if you make thertain for your thelf. My pathport. Been in Parith. Barthelona. Othnabrück, pleath. Thee it all in my pathport."
And here is the original:
"Bitte schehr. Wenn Schie schehen wollen. Schtellen Schie höflichscht fescht. Mein Pasch. In Parisch geweschen. Barschelona. Oschnabrück, bitte schehr. Allesch ausch meinem Pasch schu erschehen."
[Edited... See more ...but still I wanted to share this:
"Pleath. If you would pleath look. Moth courteouth if you make thertain for your thelf. My pathport. Been in Parith. Barthelona. Othnabrück, pleath. Thee it all in my pathport."
And here is the original:
"Bitte schehr. Wenn Schie schehen wollen. Schtellen Schie höflichscht fescht. Mein Pasch. In Parisch geweschen. Barschelona. Oschnabrück, bitte schehr. Allesch ausch meinem Pasch schu erschehen."
[Edited at 2008-08-09 18:34] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | A rather accurate translation | Aug 10, 2008 |
Necdet Balta wrote:
...but still I wanted to share this:
"Pleath. If you would pleath look. Moth courteouth if you make thertain for your thelf. My pathport. Been in Parith. Barthelona. Othnabrück, pleath. Thee it all in my pathport."
And here is the original:
"Bitte schehr. Wenn Schie schehen wollen. Schtellen Schie höflichscht fescht. Mein Pasch. In Parisch geweschen. Barschelona. Oschnabrück, bitte schehr. Allesch ausch meinem Pasch schu erschehen."
[Edited at 2008-08-09 18:34]
Though it is perhaps in a lighter vein, I think the person who translated has put in some imagination and effort to make it a rather accurate translation
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| Funny English translations | Aug 11, 2008 |
As because of heavy business and work load due to lack of professionals, lots of amateurs are getting inn, may be content writing or localization, number cases of degraded performance are rising. Spelling mistakes, incorrect phrases, construction, typo errors are now common.
In translation field, world wide we are facing orthodox translation. In every language segment, there are certain experts (?) whose job is to produce or provide native language terms for the English terms, even if the ... See more As because of heavy business and work load due to lack of professionals, lots of amateurs are getting inn, may be content writing or localization, number cases of degraded performance are rising. Spelling mistakes, incorrect phrases, construction, typo errors are now common.
In translation field, world wide we are facing orthodox translation. In every language segment, there are certain experts (?) whose job is to produce or provide native language terms for the English terms, even if the English transliteration is OK in the context. (No matter even after a period if they are asked for the source of the term they provided; themselves they are unable to remind it.) The reason behind is Non-language expert PM’s.
There is something, which is not considered for a project manager. Normally they do not have enough experience in Translation, or in the engineering side. Obviously they cannot forecast or cannot easily understand process problems a translator faces. Similarly unless they get feedback from there clients reviewer, they can not get idea of the native market language quality issues. Then after only they start working or language quality issue (off course mostly with a new translator with same orthodox mindset). If the task is expected in a specific font structure, other then Unicode most of the PM find themselves in a blank situation. Though these type of language technical problems should be solved by PM; it becomes very difficult for them to get answers on, How, where and from whom to finish the task?
This is what the industry is facing today, Localization and content writing industry is entering in to a new faze. this is a right time to raze such issues to make aware the industry, about the facts. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | | | Don't know the original text, but... | Oct 23, 2008 |
...this must be some kind of misinterpretation:
| | | | Tjasa Kuerpick
Slovenia
Local time: 00:02
Member (2006)
Slovenian to German
+ ...
| Writing a TV guide from Chinglish | Oct 30, 2008 |
If you’ve ever wondered why I look like this when I’m only 21 years old.... I’ve been up to my ears this week in a user guide for a TV manufacturer. As always, the stuff they send me is in Chinglish, and my job is to translate it into a readable, understandable English user guide. This TV set is suitable for use in hotel rooms, where the manager might want to set certain things a guest can or cannot do.
Part of the original text went like this:
Press button to select ... See more If you’ve ever wondered why I look like this when I’m only 21 years old.... I’ve been up to my ears this week in a user guide for a TV manufacturer. As always, the stuff they send me is in Chinglish, and my job is to translate it into a readable, understandable English user guide. This TV set is suitable for use in hotel rooms, where the manager might want to set certain things a guest can or cannot do.
Part of the original text went like this:
Press button to select Hotel Mode.
Press button to selec Hotel Lock, Lock Channel,
Set Source, NUM: (ATV and DTV), Picture Lock, Key Lock, Max Volume.
Press button to selec Hotel Lock on/off.
Press button to selec Set Source on/off.
In this choice the default port boot.
Press button to selec ATV and DTV channel .
In this choice the default port boot.
Press button to selec Picture Lock on/off.
If you select Picture Lock on, The menu of channel will be locked.
Press button to selec Key Lock on/off.
Press button to selec Max Volume on/off.
In this volume will be set up to the maximum.
This didn’t make much sense, especially as the sample set I had didn’t actually have any of this – it turned out that it was an earlier model. I asked for clarification, and got the following reply:
Hi,Tony
pls refer to the below explaination
Hotel Lock
this is a swithch of Hotel mode function which could be only effected when TV is
under Hotel Mode Lock Channel
when LOCK CHANNEL ON,user could not enter the menu to to search channels,in
short, it is the swith of channel searching
SET SOURCE
this is to set the SOURCE after turn on the TVŁ¬turn off the TV no matter under which source,it could transfer to teh setted source NUMŁş
NUM funtions only under SET SOURCE to DTV and ATV,if TV source is setted,but
various channels in,you could use this fuction to choose a channel
PICTURE LOCK
when PICTURE LOCK on,user could not enter menu PICTURCEto adjust
Key Lock
when Key Lock on, keyboard do not fuction anymore
MAX VOLUME
MAX VOLUME is to set the maximum volume,if once set,user do not to need to
enchance the volume
I still didn’t get it, so I asked if someone with better English could be found to explain:
Re the features by your questions are all under Hotel Mode, so if the TVs final use not in Hotel, the features setting can be ignored.
Hotel Lock: Setting to “ON”, the Hotel Model will work;
Lock Channel: Setting to “ON”, all the channels Locked by the Hotel management,
the clients can not search channels;
Set Source: Setting to “ON”, you can settle your favourite channel auto to play when
you open the TV; eg: Your set your favourite channel is BBC2, then no matter which
sources or channes play when you watch last time, whenever you restart TV, the first
program will be BBC2;
NUM: When you want to settle your favourite channel BBC2 , pls choose the channel
under this bottom;
Picture Lock: Setting to “ON”, the client can not change the setting of resolution, size,
brightless of the screen picture;
Key Lock: Setting to “ON”, the buttons on the TV will not work; But the remote control
still can work;
Max Volume: Setting your max volume to 100, 90, 80.....
Tony, hope the explain above can make you understand.
So, if you get a new TV, and most of the instructions seem to make sense, except for one mysterious section about the setted Hotel fuctions under your bottom, then it might have been writtened by me! ▲ Collapse
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Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 18:02
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Tjasa,
Wouldn't it be great if we could have access to the actual TV set, electronic device, gadget, software or video game, so that we could make sure our translation makes sense and so that we could figure out what these things mean for ourselves?
| | | | Tjasa Kuerpick
Slovenia
Local time: 00:02
Member (2006)
Slovenian to German
+ ...
| Yes, that would be great | Oct 30, 2008 |
Yes, Jeff, that would be fine indeed.
When I read this article, I thought, "Oh poor guy, he was certainly up all night and puzzling about the meaning of it".
Indeed, many of us would be happy, if we could have the product in our hands or at least see it, especially when there is not even a single picture. However, we often depend on what was written by the technical author or another translator (otherwise its better you get the original text).
Although the text sounds... See more Yes, Jeff, that would be fine indeed.
When I read this article, I thought, "Oh poor guy, he was certainly up all night and puzzling about the meaning of it".
Indeed, many of us would be happy, if we could have the product in our hands or at least see it, especially when there is not even a single picture. However, we often depend on what was written by the technical author or another translator (otherwise its better you get the original text).
Although the text sounds funny at first sight, there is some truth in it. Some Asian instructions come along, when you need quite a lot of time to get clearness of some sentences that really do not make any sense. I am not wondering, why I caught myself thinking about taking some hours in Chinese language ... but "some" wont be enough
Yep, but that's another story, isn't it? ▲ Collapse
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