Translation Howler Examples
Bad translation is obviously very damaging to any business, but there are some that really tickle the funny bone. If you’d rather your business made headlines for something other than a translation fail, stay well away from automatic computer translations.
“I’ve got a strap on me, this is bare bait”
Text message evidence translated by barrister, Mark Paltenghi, in court as:
“I’ve got a gun and this is really risky.”
[Source: Mail on Sunday]
Look out for next week’s translation howler winner. Feel free to add your own and we can build up some of the most blatant examples of when translation goes wrong, whether by machine or human.
