Translation - art & business » Lighter side of trans/interp »
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]
Off topic: How bad can it get? (Bad translation found in "peeler usage manual")
Thread poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:01
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
In memoriam
It's not a good translation! Jul 26, 2010

Maria Ramon wrote:
It is sad that people accept this garbage as a 'good translation'; on the other had I had a good laugh; it is absolutely hilarious!


The problem is that it's not good by any standards. All too often laws - or importers, when there are no laws about it in the destination country - require that a product includes a translated manual. This garbage is no longer in Chinese, that's for sure. As most of the words there are found in everyday English, and absolutely no other identifiable language, it was translated. No law can objectively define translation quality standards.

The problem is when complex and expensive electronic, medical, or other equipment is provided with technical instructions similarly translated.

I recall my first VCR that came with instructions translated into Portuguese. This was because of a then recent Brazilian law that requited so, decades before CAT tools and machine translation came to be. Its manufacturer was "the" leading company in VHS technology. Well, the (obviously human) translation was pretty good, except for one detail, the explanation of a switch with some inextricable label which I don't remember now. In the JP to EN and afterwards EN to PT process something was lost in translation. So the Brazilian manual failed to mention what that label meant, what the switch was for, and simply said "Try this switch in either position; leave it on the one that works best for you.". One of the translators had completely missed the point.

 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
NancyLynn[Call to this topic]
Laureana Pavon[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

How bad can it get? (Bad translation found in "peeler usage manual")






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »