As a human-first translation agency we understand the importance of language and the many potential pitfalls of machine translation, no matter how advanced.
Some language errors can be embarrassing, some nonsensical, others offensive and at times amusing for the reader. However, none of these outcomes are welcome. Clients paying for a translation service expect the output to mirror the source in the first instance, and in addition those requiring transcreation are looking to achieve the right balance of cultural relevance and brand affinity.
In the ZEITGEISTER magazine article Ten Terms Related to Race that Require Sensitivity in Translation literature researchers Anna von Rath and Lucy Gasser describe the problematic nature of ten terms in which the English and German uses and/or translations and alternatives do not necessarily serve to express the intended meaning.
These terms are especially sensitive given the subject matter but even modest, unassuming or straightforward marketing content can contain terms with multiple meanings where selecting the wrong one can result in the aforementioned errors.
There are many humorous examples of mistranslations gone bad and we have delighted in selecting a few of these below, but all jokes aside, brands prioritising a purely machine-driven translation solution may at best leave their audience a little dumbfounded and at worst leave themselves open to a PR nightmare. One that would be entirely avoidable with the support of an experienced, qualified, translation team and a robust quality review process.
Context is everything
Even for human translators who are able to apply a nuanced lens to source content, context is crucial. For example, if human reviewers/editors are reading through machine translated copy without any visual reference or awareness of how a piece of copy will be used,very simple mistakes can be made.
- Gender. Assigning incorrect gender is a common issue.
- Address. Mixing formal and informal address (often in the same sentence).
- Polysemic term choice. E.g. Turkey the country or the bird… head, light, run, get?!
- Third-person or singular pronoun? The neutral use of “they” could apply to one person or several.
- Noun selection. There can be several nouns for the same object with slight nuances. E.g. In Spanish, the word ‘mug’ can be translated as ‘jarra’ or ‘taza’ depending on the context.
Ok, now for a look at how some mistranslations that frighteningly are most likely all provided by human translators who can’t even blame the tech.
A raunchy twist
In 1977 the US President Jimmy Carter arrived in Poland at the start of a seven-nation peace tour, his speech took a confusing turn when his interpreter relayed a comment on wishing to “learn about Polish people’s desires for the future” with the mistranslation that “he desired Polish people”.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the only message lost in translation during his speech, the interpreter also relayed “I left the United States this morning” as “I left the United States, never to return”. Perhaps those listening thought his deep desires for the people of Poland were so strong he’d decided life in the United States was just too torturous!
A deadly campaign
World renowned car manufacturer Ford has had its own issues with mistranslation when launching a campaign in Belgium to promote their cars with the slogan “Every car has a high-quality body.”
This was most likely not machine translation so you have to wonder what exactly the Dutch translator on the task was thinking when the localisation provided backtranslated as “Every car has a high-quality corpse.” It also highlights the importance of due care and process whereby translations are considered by more than one mind (or machine). We can’t say we think things turned out particularly well for the translator involved in this faux pas.
A not so appetising appetiser
Popular fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken’s expansion into China didn’t go as planned with customers left feeling confused and most likely a little revolted by the campaign slogan they were met with. The now legendary KFC line “Finger Lickin’ Good” was somehow butchered, ahem, translated into “Eat your fingers off.” Yes, you read that right.
Was a human translator responsible for this or was this a case of trusting the technology that bit too much? We can only guess. Apparently following this unfortunate, and most likely fairly expensive error, KFC hired an in-market Chinese agency to work on their localisation efforts—a smart move. Did we mention we offer that?
You can avoid gaffes like these with the support of our professional, in-market transcreation team. Let’s talk!
As a human-first translation agency we understand the importance of language and the many potential pitfalls of machine translation, no matter how advanced.
Some language errors can be embarrassing, some nonsensical, others offensive and at times amusing for the reader. However, none of these outcomes are welcome. Clients paying for a translation service expect the output to mirror the source in the first instance, and in addition those requiring transcreation are looking to achieve the right balance of cultural relevance and brand affinity.
In the ZEITGEISTER magazine article Ten Terms Related to Race that Require Sensitivity in Translation literature researchers Anna von Rath and Lucy Gasser describe the problematic nature of ten terms in which the English and German uses and/or translations and alternatives do not necessarily serve to express the intended meaning.
These terms are especially sensitive given the subject matter but even modest, unassuming or straightforward marketing content can contain terms with multiple meanings where selecting the wrong one can result in the aforementioned errors.
There are many humorous examples of mistranslations gone bad and we have delighted in selecting a few of these below, but all jokes aside, brands prioritising a purely machine-driven translation solution may at best leave their audience a little dumbfounded and at worst leave themselves open to a PR nightmare. One that would be entirely avoidable with the support of an experienced, qualified, translation team and a robust quality review process.
Context is everything
Even for human translators who are able to apply a nuanced lens to source content, context is crucial. For example, if human reviewers/editors are reading through machine translated copy without any visual reference or awareness of how a piece of copy will be used,very simple mistakes can be made.
- Gender. Assigning incorrect gender is a common issue.
- Address. Mixing formal and informal address (often in the same sentence).
- Polysemic term choice. E.g. Turkey the country or the bird… head, light, run, get?!
- Third-person or singular pronoun? The neutral use of “they” could apply to one person or several.
- Noun selection. There can be several nouns for the same object with slight nuances. E.g. In Spanish, the word ‘mug’ can be translated as ‘jarra’ or ‘taza’ depending on the context.
Ok, now for a look at how some mistranslations that frighteningly are most likely all provided by human translators who can’t even blame the tech.
A raunchy twist
In 1977 the US President Jimmy Carter arrived in Poland at the start of a seven-nation peace tour, his speech took a confusing turn when his interpreter relayed a comment on wishing to “learn about Polish people’s desires for the future” with the mistranslation that “he desired Polish people”.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the only message lost in translation during his speech, the interpreter also relayed “I left the United States this morning” as “I left the United States, never to return”. Perhaps those listening thought his deep desires for the people of Poland were so strong he’d decided life in the United States was just too torturous!
A deadly campaign
World renowned car manufacturer Ford has had its own issues with mistranslation when launching a campaign in Belgium to promote their cars with the slogan “Every car has a high-quality body.”
This was most likely not machine translation so you have to wonder what exactly the Dutch translator on the task was thinking when the localisation provided backtranslated as “Every car has a high-quality corpse.” It also highlights the importance of due care and process whereby translations are considered by more than one mind (or machine). We can’t say we think things turned out particularly well for the translator involved in this faux pas.
A not so appetising appetiser
Popular fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken’s expansion into China didn’t go as planned with customers left feeling confused and most likely a little revolted by the campaign slogan they were met with. The now legendary KFC line “Finger Lickin’ Good” was somehow butchered, ahem, translated into “Eat your fingers off.” Yes, you read that right.
Was a human translator responsible for this or was this a case of trusting the technology that bit too much? We can only guess. Apparently following this unfortunate, and most likely fairly expensive error, KFC hired an in-market Chinese agency to work on their localisation efforts—a smart move. Did we mention we offer that?
You can avoid gaffes like these with the support of our professional, in-market transcreation team. Let’s talk!
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