The following are examples of some
rather glaring errors in translation. If only they had come to us, they could have avoided
the embarrassment...
At a cocktail lounge in Norway:
Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.
"The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable."
At a Budapest zoo:
Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
In a laundry room in Rome:
Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
At a doctor's office in Rome:
Specialist in women and other diseases
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox Monastery:
You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday.
On the door of a Moscow hotel room:
If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it.
In a Czech travel agency:
Take one of our horse - driven city tours. We guarantee no miscarriages.
In a Paris hotel elevator:
"Please leave your values at the front desk."
In a South African maternity ward:
No children allowed
On the menu in a Swiss Restaurant:
"Our wines leave
you with nothing to hope for."
And we’ve all heard of the ill fated
Spanish language campaign promoting a car whose name when left untranslated means "it
doesn’t run." The point is that no matter how good your ad campaign is, if it
doesn’t convey the same message in the target language, it’s a waste of money
and makes you look bad. That’s the difference the right language
service can make. When getting it right makes a world of difference, depend on
Virginia Language Services
© 2012 Virginia Language Services LLC