| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4] > | Poll: What's the most memorable translation mistake you've seen? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What's the most memorable translation mistake you've seen?".
This poll was originally submitted by Iulia Parvu. View the poll results »
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Over the years, I’ve seen several atrocious translations in movies (I know it’s very poorly paid and quite often with no visual), but the one that really stuck to my mind was a scene in an American war action film when a magazine had exploded and magazine was translated in Portuguese as a periodical journal!
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 18:40
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
A newly graduated translator was the source of much merriment in our office.
Source text: Mr. So-and-so's career included a stint in the UK.
I'm not sure if the translator knew what "stint" meant, but either way, they they looked it up in the dictionary, and unfortunately the first entry for "stint" is the bird, and it so happens that the Afrikaans word for "stint" (the bird) literally means "bea... See more A newly graduated translator was the source of much merriment in our office.
Source text: Mr. So-and-so's career included a stint in the UK.
I'm not sure if the translator knew what "stint" meant, but either way, they they looked it up in the dictionary, and unfortunately the first entry for "stint" is the bird, and it so happens that the Afrikaans word for "stint" (the bird) literally means "beach walker" or "beach bum". The translator suspected nothing, and went for it.
Translation: Mr. So-and-so's career included being a beach walker in the UK.
[Edited at 2024-02-06 21:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:40
Member (2008)
Italian to English
The Chairperson of a local group I attend recently sent out invitations to our first meeting after the Christmas break. She's Russian and her command of English is not secure.
She wrote "I hope you've all been threatening yourselves during the holidays":
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| In a documentary on TV about Germany in WWII subtitled into French | Feb 6 |
Der Führer was translated as le Guide.
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If I kept a book of blatant translation errors I've encountered along the walks of life, it would be really fun to read, I promise (with my comments and all). I don't keep such a book, so people will have to take my word for it. I even find it hard to write something with my hand—my handwriting has been ruined by typing, so there is no way I could take notes if I fancied joining some school today, while in the university years I managed to fit four or even five lines of text in between two gui... See more If I kept a book of blatant translation errors I've encountered along the walks of life, it would be really fun to read, I promise (with my comments and all). I don't keep such a book, so people will have to take my word for it. I even find it hard to write something with my hand—my handwriting has been ruined by typing, so there is no way I could take notes if I fancied joining some school today, while in the university years I managed to fit four or even five lines of text in between two guide lines, which were one centimeter apart. How can I pick just one to share here? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | 'slasher' mistranslation | Feb 7 |
It was done by a supposedly experienced lady translator in a pulp and paper mill. It was a about a thing called a slasher, which is a large round-shaped blade on a paper machine. In Russian it's literally called "дисковый нож", i.e. "disk-shaped knife". But the correct English term in this context was 'slasher'. She translated it into English as 'dick cutter'. The most hilarious thing was that she misspelt the 'disk', too...
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 18:40
Member (2020)
English to German
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| Musical mistranslation | Feb 7 |
In the first Back to the Future, Marty tells the band to play a "riff on B" for Johnny B. Goode. The movie being from the 80s, I absolutely cannot tell if the translator had a script or was translating by hearing, but the German translation says "Rhythmus B", which I find somewhat grating as a musician, because it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
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Iulia Parvu
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:40
Member (2022)
English to Romanian
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| Many but I'll say technical error | Feb 7 |
I once proofread the work of someone else (automotive field). In Romanian, "to paint" is a different word depending on whether you're "painting a wall/car/fence" or "painting a picture/piece of art". So he "painted" a car the same way you would paint a piece of art, all in a very technical report.
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Some years ago I proofread a translation into Italian, as long as translated as: tanto lungo quanto,
[Edited at 2024-02-07 07:18 GMT]
| | | | Emily Gilby
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:40
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
| MT translating people's names | Feb 7 |
Sig. Conti (Italian) > Mr Accounts
| | | | Ana Vozone
Local time: 17:40
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| My own, live on TV... :( | Feb 7 |
When I started as a freelance translator, one of my first (subtitling) assignments (early 80's) was a series of (TV) episodes of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five"... I remember my embarassment when, a few weeks later, I watched one of those episodes on TV and realized that I had translated "paper" as "papel" in "Have you read the paper today?"
One of the funniest subtitle translations I've seen was "thoroughbred" translated as "pão integral" in: From what I see, your husband is as health... See more When I started as a freelance translator, one of my first (subtitling) assignments (early 80's) was a series of (TV) episodes of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five"... I remember my embarassment when, a few weeks later, I watched one of those episodes on TV and realized that I had translated "paper" as "papel" in "Have you read the paper today?"
One of the funniest subtitle translations I've seen was "thoroughbred" translated as "pão integral" in: From what I see, your husband is as healthy as a thoroughbred. (The translator must have interpreted the term as "whole grain bread" or "whole meal", or something of the sort...
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Barbara Carrara
Italy
Local time: 18:40
Member (2008)
English to Italian
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| Nearly there, but not quite... | Feb 7 |
These are from a while back, so bear with me for not reporting the specific details in full.
On the radio, during a news commentary by an Italian journalist. After boasting his command of English, while reporting about some oil crisis in the Middle East and translating on the spot from an English newspaper article, he referred to crude oil as 'olio crudo' (raw olive oil).
In a feature-leng film from Agatha Christie's Poirot series called Cat Among the Pigeons<... See more These are from a while back, so bear with me for not reporting the specific details in full.
On the radio, during a news commentary by an Italian journalist. After boasting his command of English, while reporting about some oil crisis in the Middle East and translating on the spot from an English newspaper article, he referred to crude oil as 'olio crudo' (raw olive oil).
In a feature-leng film from Agatha Christie's Poirot series called Cat Among the Pigeons, starring David Suchet, the English subtitles mention Arabian Nights as Arabian Knights.
What follows is a more precise reference.
The Italian (first, and so far possibly only edition) of Laura Cumming's excellent book The Vanishing Man. In Pursuit of Velázquez, which I also have in the Italian version (lamely rendered as Alla ricerca di Velázquez, there's a plethora of mistranslations, typos and whatnot, among which are the following.
While referring to the Rockeby Venus, the author writes,
'(...) Cupid's back foot is barely there; and yet somehow we see it.'
The Italian goes,
'(...) la pianta del piede di Cupido quasi non c'è; tuttavia, in qualche modo, riusciamo a vederla.'
'Pianta del piede' translates as 'foot sole', whereas the 'back foot' here refers to the kneeling Cupid's left leg, resting on the bed, whose sole is definitely not visible.
This tells me the translator didn't even bother to LOOK at the painting in question while translating a book about art.
During a trial hearing, one person is being questioned,
'Has he seen that portrait since arriving in Edinburgh for the trial? He has.'
'Da allora ha visto il ritratto arrivare a Edimburgo per il processo? Sì.'
('Has he seen - as in spotted - the portrait arriving to Edinburgh for the trial?' As if artworks could travel autonomously.)
I mean, isn't it the publisher's responsibility to edit any work before it goes to print? How could they 'forget' about the editing stage and skip that entirely? Money-saving and time constraints are probably the two top reasons for this. Yet, this kind of carelessness is unforgivable.
And in case you are wondering (hehe!), yes, I did contact the publisher with a rather long list of 'mishaps', but unsurprisingly enough, I never heard back from them.
(I am often reminded of the Patricia Routledge - and more recently Imelda Staunton - monologue in Alan Bennett's A Lady of Letters, from his Talking Heads BBC series. See any resemblance?)
[Edited at 2024-02-07 18:03 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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The one that stands out in my memory for some reason was an episode of the Simpsons translated into German. In the German version, Marge told one of the kids who was being loud to use their "innere Stimme" (something like "inner/internal voice," so the voice inside your head that tells you to do / not do things). I sat there puzzling about what was meant when I realized that the English must have been "use your inside voice," which just means be quiet(er).
Not horrid in the grand sc... See more The one that stands out in my memory for some reason was an episode of the Simpsons translated into German. In the German version, Marge told one of the kids who was being loud to use their "innere Stimme" (something like "inner/internal voice," so the voice inside your head that tells you to do / not do things). I sat there puzzling about what was meant when I realized that the English must have been "use your inside voice," which just means be quiet(er).
Not horrid in the grand scheme of things, but it jolted me out of the viewing experience. This was before I worked as a translator, and I've remembered it ever since as an example of how good translation is invisible and poor translation makes you think about the translation. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Aitor Salaberria
Spain
Local time: 18:40
Member (2023)
English to Basque
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I once saw "anti-racism" translated as "racism" in a text about anti-racism. You know, it could be another kind of mistake...
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