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Worst language/translation mix-ups | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| LifeLongStudent Diglot Newbie United States focalfox.com/blog Joined 5127 days ago 13 posts - 17 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 1 of 18 22 November 2010 at 8:08pm | IP Logged |
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Does anyone have any embarrassing stories about accidentally using the wrong word/tense/etc. in a foreign language that made them say something completely unintentional and embarrassing/funny? Or anyone hear of any funny translation mistakes?
Here are some I found online: Japanese hotel room - You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid Paris hotel elevator - Please leave your values at the front desk Tokyo hotel - It is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not read this notice Bucharest hotel - The list is being fixed for the next day. During this time you will be unbearable Leipzig elevator - Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up Athens hotel - Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11am daily Sarajevo hotel - The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid Moscow hotel - You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday Swiss menu - Our wines leave you nothing to hope for Hong Kong tailors shop - Ladies may have a fit upstairs Bangkok dry cleaners - Drop your trousers here for best results Paris dress shop - Dresses for street walking Rhodes tailor shop - Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation Hong Kong advert - Teeth extracted by the latest methodists Rome laundary - Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time Copenhagen airline - We take your bags and send them in all directions Moscow hotel - If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it Norwegian lounge - Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar Tokyo shop - Our nylons cost more than common but they are better for the long run Acapulco hotel - The manager has personally passed all the water served here 4 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Ubik Senior Member United States ubykh.wordpress.com/ Joined 5317 days ago 147 posts - 176 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Latin, Arabic (Egyptian), German, Spanish | Message 2 of 18 22 November 2010 at 8:22pm | IP Logged |
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Ahh yes, I recall reading those examples in a linguistics book I read not too long ago -- The Third Ear, was it? Funny stuff. Unfortunately I dont have any specific examples to offer. I dont think Ive said anything silly in German yet
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| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6273 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 3 of 18 22 November 2010 at 8:44pm | IP Logged |
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Just today, I wanted to say in Turkish haraket etmek - "to act, move". I actually said hakaret etmek - "to insult". I corrected the spoonerism immediately, but not before there was a burst of laughter.
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| Tally Bilingual Diglot Senior Member Israel Joined 5609 days ago 135 posts - 176 votes Speaks: English*, Modern Hebrew* Studies: French | Message 4 of 18 30 November 2010 at 4:56pm | IP Logged |
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I saw a sign that was meant to say 'A passage for disabled people' but got translated
from Hebrew into 'beyond disabled'. Also, this sign is pretty amusing: 
3 persons have voted this message useful | |
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6704 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 5 of 18 01 December 2010 at 12:44am | IP Logged |
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The Danish town Langå became the laughing stock of the whole country in 1990 because of its multilingual tourist brochure, which not only revealed that the place is utterly devoid of sights, but also beset by bad translators. Twenty years later the old brochure has been republished on the internet. It contains gems like
Frontpage (lower half): English: For that reason we hope, that our brochure will inspire you to a visit by us, and that it can give you ideas to an experience and active holliday, but still a relaxed holliday. German: Deshalb hoffen wir das unsere Brochüre will sie zum eine Besuch bei uns Eingebung und eine Idee zum einen tätig und Erlebnisreich geben kann, aber trotzdem eine entspannende Ferie. Danish: Derfor håber vi, at vor brochure vil inspirere dig til et besøg hos os, og at den kan, give dig ideer til en oplevelsesrig og aktiv, men alligevel afslappet ferie And at page 3: We coddle our guests The modern tourist wants service during their hollidaying - and be able to do business at a safe distance. Remember: this was way before Google translate, so they didn't even have that excuse! Edited by Iversen on 01 December 2010 at 10:22am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| microsnout TAC 2010 Winner Senior Member Canada microsnout.wordpress Joined 5472 days ago 277 posts - 553 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 6 of 18 01 December 2010 at 3:20am | IP Logged |
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I knew of a woman who was visiting Quebec City and was leaving by train. She hopped in a taxi and said to the
driver "Amène-moi à la guerre s'il vous plaît". The driver replied in English "Certainly, which war madame? Iraq, Afghanistan? She of course did ask to be taken to the war not the train station which is 'la gare'. One vowel sound wrong can make a big difference. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Gosiak Triglot Senior Member Poland Joined 5127 days ago 241 posts - 361 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, German Studies: Norwegian, Welsh | Message 7 of 18 01 December 2010 at 9:27am | IP Logged |
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I found this :D
http://www.joemonster.org/art/9474/Najgorsze_tlumaczenie_na_ swiecie Could someone translate what it should be? Edited by Gosiak on 01 December 2010 at 9:30am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 7104 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 8 of 18 01 December 2010 at 12:31pm | IP Logged |
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This has been posted before but the BBC has a pretty good collection..
Don't try this abroad- Common language mistakes 1 person has voted this message useful |
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