The importance of getting a translation 100% correct can never be over-stated. Even the slightest deviance from the original text can convey an entirely different message to the one that was intended; and this only serves to underline the value of sourcing good quality, professional translators.
But what about translations that are 100% wrong? Well, besides the embarrassment suffered by the parties involved and the bemusement/amusement of those looking on, the main thing it reveals is that they have simply cut corners and haven't bothered to do their foreign language homework.
And there are many horror stories out there which act as a gentle reminder of the consequences of making a translation blunder.
In 2008 alone, there have been many high-profile tales of translation woes. There was the restaurant in China that, whilst obviously trying to make its shop-front more appealing to the English-speaking world for the Summer Olympics, decided to use an online translation tool: 'Translate Server Error' was the resulting message, designed to 'entice' anglophiles through its doors.
Then, there was the road sign in Wales that, when translated from Welsh into English, read: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated".
And now, as 2008 draws to a close, German Research Institute Max Planck has just published its latest Forschung journal, with China as its main focus. With the best of intentions, its front page was adorned with what they thought was a classical Chinese poem; it turns out it was actually an advert for a brothel.
So, to use a well-coined expression, it really is best not to get 'Lost in Translation' when it comes to important business messages. But when it does happen, nothing could be quite so funny.
© Lingo24 Translation Company. This entry is a contribution by Paul Sawers of Lingo24, a leading translation services company. Check them out on http://www.lingo24.com.
5:36:26 PM 
|
