Funny Translation Errors
The biggest reason a lot of people turn to the internet today is to check out the latest memes and jokes. Reality is frightening and that’s why the comfort of humor is something all of us reach out for. Late night shows, TV series, movies, everything has some element of humor these days to please those who are too tired of living in a scary world. Even companies these days use memes to communicate with their potential customers because jokes are the only language the people of the internet get. For many, it is also a way to cope with things that are otherwise too difficult to handle. People make fun of their insecurities so others won’t. They joke about their trauma because that’s the only way they can talk about it.
You can even find jokes in school presentations and business meetings. And it can be said with certainty that memes will not go out of fashion. There won’t come a time when people will stop going to their Facebook group for jokes or open Imgur first thing in the morning to check out fresh memes. The horrifying news from around the world is something that keeps people in the need for an escape all the time. Entertainment industry is also often showing a reflection of reality so as a result, memes on the internet are the only option left for people.
Why Correct Translation is Important?
The world of translation is not free from jokes either. It is full of instances of wrong and inappropriate interpretations that leave many people confused and others doubling over with laughter. But translation is something that has no room for errors. A lot is depending on a translation each time it is carried out. In business, it is what can help you close the deal of millions or lose it when it is not accurate. When you are applying for an admission, a job, or immigration, the translation of your documents plays a very important role in the acceptance of your application. You cannot afford cheap and incorrect interpretation carried out by your bilingual cousin.
There is also the matter of medical translations where it is quite literally the matter of life and death and no one want to imagine the damage an accurate interpretation can cause in such a situation. Legal system is no different and that’s why it also requires a hundred percent correct translations of documents. There is no margin of error when the stakes are so high. In fact, all precautions must be taken in these conditions to make sure nothing goes wrong. Sometimes, when a small error can cause a big problem, a back translation is ordered in which the source language is interpreted in the target language and then that document is interpreted back into the source language by a different translator. This process is carried out to ensure that nothing is lost in translation. These steps taken to ensure complete accuracy prove the importance of correct translations.
Funny Translation Errors:
There are many instances when the stakes are not too high and no one pays much attention to the result. The job has to be done, no matter how sloppily, so people get in touch with their friends who know a language to some extent, or turn towards the online translators for help. The result is often full of errors but sometimes a gem come through. It is an error that is too funny to be ignored. Such errors are often immortalized by internet users. They take pictures of silly translations and share them with the world to see. Here are a few examples of such funny interpretation errors:
1. Please don’t worry:
If you are in Russia and you want to put that do not disturb sign on your hotel room’s door, you should pick the card that says ‘Просьба не беспокоить’. But what its English translation will say might be confusing for you. Please don’t worry is what happens when someone tries to do word to word interpretation instead of trying to form a coherent sentence.
2. Food Translations:
There are endless examples when food items and instructions were interpreted incorrectly from one language into another. A lot of people who may have never read a word but heard it a lot in their lives may confuse its spellings. For instance, writing plane rice instead of plain rice. Such hilarious instances occur on the menus of small cafes and shops. Small restaurants in foreign countries are also known for making such blunders. For instance, it was written in one café ‘burn your hand carefully’ but anyone can guess the real meaning the sentence was trying to convey. At least an English speaker would. For others, it can get confusing.
3. Instruction Manuals, Product Descriptions, and Signs:
Instruction manuals of cheap Chinese products are known for their English that no one can understand. They are mostly translated word to word from the Chinese and as a result give a lot of negative signals. Sometimes product descriptions are also poorly interpreted when a product is launching in a new place. A tool set labelled as a manicure set is one such example.
Work in progress signs are sometimes labelled as execution in progress. Do drunken driving sign is another example of translation gone wrong.
Although the above-mentioned examples are funny, in daily life you cannot afford incorrect translations. They can prove to be extremely dangerous so it is better to trust only reliable language service providers for your translation needs.
