Bad translation Archives

Published On - March 15, 2017

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, translation fails

Funny Sign Translations: 30 More Signs We Didn’t Translate

Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs . . . but sometimes they get lost in translation! We’ve scoured the Internet for funny sign translations, and this is what we found. We certainly didn’t translate any of these, but we hope they give you a laugh: Well, that’s not helpful ...

Published On - October 7, 2014

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Latin, Translation Fail

A Latin Translation Error, Carved in Stone

The public library in Moorestown, New Jersey has an admirable motto: “We confirm all things twice.” After the unveiling of their new building this week, the staff there is probably wishing they’d lived up to those words. The designs for the building included a Latin translation of ...

Translation Fails in the Wild A Trip to the Asian Dollar Store

Published On - September 1, 2014

Cecilia M'Bengue Labelling, Language BlogTags: #Fail, Bad translation, Packaging Translation

Translation Fails: A Trip to the Asian Dollar Store

Near my house, there is a small shopping centre dominated by Asian-owned businesses. There is a Thai restaurant, an Asian market, a Taekwondo studio…and a “dollar store” featuring a variety of cheap goods, mostly made in China. I love the Asian dollar store. They have everything:...

Published On - March 11, 2011

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Chinese, Japanese

Top 10 Asian English Translation Failures

Small Asian businesses often don't have the resources to get a proper translator and rely on machine translation instead...discover the funny outcomes!...

Published On - August 5, 2010

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Facebook

Crowd-Sourced Translation Goes Awry For Facebook

Facebook's crowd-sourced translation app has helped the company translate Facebook into over 100 different languages quickly and cheaply....

Published On - September 11, 2009

K International Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Translation, Travel

Lost In Translation: French Panic On Plane

French passengers on board an Aer Lingus Dublin to Paris flight had a fright when the captain made a routine announcement earlier this week....

Published On - September 11, 2009

K International Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Business, Machine Translation, Translation, Translation Errors

Talking Business: How to Avoid a Translation Fail

Some phrases just don’t translate-especially when you are relying on a computer to do the heavy lifting. The International Trade website has published a list of English business phrases that don’t translate well, and it illustrates this point beautifully. Take, for example, the common En...

Published On - March 20, 2009

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Translation, Translation Errors

Lost in Translation: 2 Cuban Pitchers

In the World Baseball Classic, an error in translation caused the Cuban baseball team to lose two of its top relief pitchers for their game against Mexico on Monday, March 16th....

Published On - March 10, 2009

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Bad translation, Interpreting, Translation

Clinton in Translation Faux Pas

Sergei Lavrov had a laugh at Hilary Clinton on Friday when she gave him a small token gift....