7 Translation Mishaps Without an International Translator

It is not uncommon to find funny bloopers on public signs that have been translated by a non-native speaker or software. The main reason behind the blooper is usually literal translation. These mistakes are a testament to the value of an International translator and the nuanced work that they do, because even a street sign requires a little linguistic sensitivity.

1. Pickpocketers Warning Sign prayers

In London, a street sign created by the London Metropolitan Police in English reads as follows: “Pickpokets beware! Undercover police working in the area! In July three pickpockets received sentences of over four years!” In contrast, in Spanish the sign reads: “The pickpockets are kept. Police of the inner deck that works in the area. In July three the pickpockets received prayers of the prison over of four years”. Clearly, language service companies were not consulted to create this unhelpful tongue twister of a sign.

2. One expensive international translator

In 2009, HSBC Bank launched a $10 million rebranding campaign.  They needed to repair their image after their catchphrase “Assume Nothing” was mistranslated as “Do Nothing” in various countries.

3. To translate marketing material is to define behavior

During the 1950’s in Japan, companies began encouraging people to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  However, a mistranslation from one company led people to understand that women give men chocolates during this time—not the other way around. To this day, women give chocolate to men on February 14.

4. The local international translator

One grocery store banner in France that was translated by the store owner (and not a professional translation company) reads “Alcool and Stranger wine.”  This is because, the word the French use to refer to “foreign” is “étranger.”  It can also mean “stranger” or unknown person.

5. No international translator, no problem

In the past, many have received fraudulent e-mails regarding important institutions like the “Bank of England” or the “Federal Reserve Bank.”  In general, there are some tell-tale signs that the message is a scam.  For instance, if the email address is a gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail address it’s clearly not coming from a major institution.  Big banks always have their own websites and email addresses originating from that website domain.  The second major warning sign is one or more grammar mistakes and/or sloppy translation. All of the aforementioned should be taken into consideration to avoid falling victim to phishing.

6. Pushing buttons

In 2009, Hilary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State at the time,  sent a gift-wrapped “reset” button to her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The idea was to imply that it was time to “reset the relationship.”  Her team should have used a global translator to do this. Because they didn’t, the result, was that her team chose an incorrect translation that meant “overcharged” (peregruzka), not reset.

7. Global translation services are good for ginger

From a Hebrew/English translation, an unassuming box with an illustration of what looked like a ginger root had the original “choice of fresh ginger.”  However, it seems like the typesetter was monolingual and a poor translator.  The fixed box reads “Fresh garlic.”