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Off topic: What is the funniest mistake you have come across when proofreading?
De persoon die dit onderwerp heeft geplaatst: Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazilië
Local time: 18:31
Portugees naar Engels
+ ...
Nov 20, 2008

My contribution:

(In a text about oil pumping systems)

One control panel capable of controlling and protecting the pimps below.


 
David Russi
David Russi  Identity Verified
Verenigde Staten
Local time: 15:31
Engels naar Spaans
+ ...
I've seen many, but this one always comes to mind Nov 20, 2008

Button on an otherwise very clean, well translated user interface

Cagar (missing an r in Cargar = Download)... turned into Spanish for Shit.

[Edited at 2008-11-20 15:00 GMT]

[Edited at 2008-11-20 15:00 GMT]

[Edited at 2008-11-20 15:01 GMT]


 
TradRus
TradRus
Spanje
Local time: 23:31
Lid 2007
Spaans naar Russisch
+ ...
My contribution Nov 20, 2008

"the mother of the board of the computer"

(actually, "computer motherboard" as you may have guessed) )


 
Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)
Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)  Identity Verified
Nederland
Local time: 23:31
Engels naar Nederlands
+ ...
Terms and conditions Nov 20, 2008

'Na deze periode heeft de klant geen recht meer op prostitutie'

'After this period, the client has no right anymore to prostitution'

Apparently, the Dutch spellchecker of MS Word doesn't recognize the word 'restitutie' (refund), so it (significantly?) changes it into the slightly similar looking word 'prostitutie'.
That's why I never use the spellchecker. My eyes aren't infallible, but I trust them way more than MS.


 
Anne Diamantidis
Anne Diamantidis  Identity Verified
Duitsland
Local time: 23:31
Duits naar Frans
+ ...
a hot financial statement Nov 20, 2008

the translator forgot a "s" : instead of "baisse" (for "decrease"), which gave "baise"...in French it means fu**.
I just can imagine the French investors' faces if they had read that in the Bank's annual accounts...:lol:


 
texjax DDS PhD
texjax DDS PhD  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:31
Lid 2006
Engels naar Italiaans
+ ...
Many.. Nov 20, 2008

but the following are at the top of my list:

*Platelets (the blood cells) translated into Italian as piastrelle (tiles!), instead of piastrine



*The Italian canino (canine tooth) translated as...dog







 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
Verenigde Staten
Local time: 14:31
Engels naar Duits
+ ...
In memoriam
Logistics vs. gardening Nov 20, 2008

A gem that a cherished, yet understandably frustrated colleague just sent me:

INTERPLANT FREIGHT

PFLANZEN SIE FRACHT DAZWISCHEN (plant some freight in between)


 
Hynek Palatin
Hynek Palatin  Identity Verified
Tsjechië
Local time: 23:31
Engels naar Tsjechisch
+ ...
Lightning staff Nov 20, 2008


was translated as "lighting personnel". The translator did not have a clue about computer games.


 
Andrea Riffo
Andrea Riffo  Identity Verified
Chili
Local time: 17:31
Engels naar Spaans
+ ...
heh Nov 20, 2008

1) "lecho de locas (bed of madwomen)" where it should've said "lecho de rocas (bed of rocks)"

- locas = madwomen / rocas = rocks


And my personal favourite:

2) "Estamos satisfechos con las maracas (we are happy with the whores)" where it should've said "Estamos satisfechos con las marcas (we are happy with the brands)"

- maracas = slang for "whores" / marcas = brands

Andrea


 
Andrea Van Geffen Matthews, MCIL
Andrea Van Geffen Matthews, MCIL
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 22:31
Duits naar Engels
Funny Nov 20, 2008

I had a translation about a flower show where they were calculating the man hours for setting up the arrangements.
The translator had translated the Dutch "manuren" (man hours) into manure - to which I added the comment "not at a sweet smelling flower show"!!!

Andrea


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 00:31
Lid 2003
Fins naar Duits
+ ...
One of my typical blunders Nov 20, 2008

When writing Finnish I often wright "keksi = cookie" instead of "keski = middle", so I get all kind of combination with cookie.
In Finnish it is especially easy to change meaning completely by changing a single letter.

[Bearbeitet am 2008-11-20 16:36 GMT]


 
Donatella Cesca
Donatella Cesca  Identity Verified
Bangladesh
Local time: 03:31
Engels naar Italiaans
+ ...
No clues about languages! Nov 20, 2008

Che ne dite di queste due? Giuro che sono vere!

grand father e' diventato grandioso padre

e

son of late Mario Bianchi figlio del ritardato Mario Bianchi


 
Viktoria Gimbe
Viktoria Gimbe  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 17:31
Engels naar Frans
+ ...
This may not be understood by non-francophones Nov 20, 2008

One of the funniest that I can remember was in an environmental assessment report. The phrase to be translated was "field sampling", which basically means sampling on the terrain. The translation was "échantillonnage dans le champ", which is a very literal translation. If I backtranslated it into English, it would still be "sampling in the field", but the intended meaning of field is terrain and not field as in field of periwinkles (the meaning of field in Fre... See more
One of the funniest that I can remember was in an environmental assessment report. The phrase to be translated was "field sampling", which basically means sampling on the terrain. The translation was "échantillonnage dans le champ", which is a very literal translation. If I backtranslated it into English, it would still be "sampling in the field", but the intended meaning of field is terrain and not field as in field of periwinkles (the meaning of field in French is not a terrain, but rather a field, like a field of periwinkles). There is an expression in Quebec, "être dans le champ", which basically means to be confused. So, most people in Quebec would have understood it as confused sampling. The translator was from Quebec alright - but still, it seems he was a bit, erm... confused...

For the record, the correct translation would have been "prélèvement d'échantillons sur le terrain".

[Edited at 2008-11-20 16:47 GMT]
Collapse


 
Elías Sauza
Elías Sauza  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 15:31
Lid 2002
Engels naar Spaans
+ ...
Cut the pie Nov 20, 2008

In a chidren's elementary school book:

"Cut the pie" was translated as "Cortar el pie" = Cut the foot

Luckily I caught this one. Otherwise, a table or a child could have ended without a foot...


 
biankonera
biankonera  Identity Verified
Letland
Local time: 00:31
Italiaans naar Lets
+ ...
This comes to mind Nov 20, 2008

"Indian summer" translated in Latvian with the meaning = "summer of indians". Was laughing all day I must admit

 
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What is the funniest mistake you have come across when proofreading?






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