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If you’re running a business in a tourist-heavy country, having signage in English is a smart move. However, your smarts go out the window if the English translations you display turn into the wrong kind of funny jokes. We understand that not everyone knows the language well enough not to get lost in translation, but please—don't trust Google Translate to give you anything but a literal conversion of whatever you type in, turning your sign into a hilariously bad translation.
Machine Translation Fails
Each language is an intricate system. Knowing the literal meaning of each word will only get you so far and is definitely not enough to make a good translation. Unfortunately, this is exactly where machine translators fail spectacularly and produce awfully bad translated signs. They are still learning how to deal with a language as a living organism, not just a bunch of nouns and verbs.
Well, to be fair on translation tools, it’s possible that some of these errors were just honest typos. Either way, scroll down to see the funniest bad translations people have come across during their travels and vote for the most epic fails. Also, is anyone up for a nice ‘decomposed Moscow mule’ later?
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#5
What is the Greatest Problem of Translation?
While many things go into making a good translation, some things are often the main culprits of funny translation fails. One of them is words that sound similar in two languages but mean different things. They are called the translator’s false friends.
Another thing responsible for many hilariously bad translated signs is taking things too literally instead of translating the meaning. And the shorter the text, the more difficult it is to translate it because you don’t have enough context to help you.
Funny Translation Fails by Humans
Often, bad translation is entirely on the person who made it because they either didn’t have enough knowledge or didn’t bother to double-check if the result actually made sense.
However, beyond dealing with false friends and ambiguous words, translating also involves understanding cultural nuances, references, and context. What makes sense in one culture might not in another, making accurate translation complex. Hence, linguistic challenges are just the tip of the iceberg.
Either way, ridiculously bad translated signs are funny to read, so keep scrolling for more translation fails in advertising. Vote for the ones that make you laugh the most, and share them with your friends!
#17
Isabel Tamayo 7 years ago
Coconut Humans? What should be the word after coconut? Can't figure it out.
#19
Scott Johnson 7 years ago
"Hey, son, I know you're mad at me for grounding you and all, but you're learning English in school, right? Would you translate this menu for my restaurant before it's printed? You will? Thanks, mate, I appreciate it."
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#29
Andrew Gibb 7 years ago
they are in the variety of dishes category- variety is the spice of life...
What is a Common Translation Mistake?
Apart from taking things too literally during translation, another common mistake is using the very first option the dictionary offers you for the word you’re looking for. Sometimes, it may really be the meaning you need, but there’s a good chance that the one that actually suits your context is a little down the entry. Keep that in mind when translating to avoid more translation fails and improve accuracy.
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Tayyib “T410” Cankat 7 years ago
Actually it is translated quite well. I think they mean "Press the flush button again to stop water"
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Tomatoe 7 years ago
Both German and English translations are so hilarious that I had to go and actually google this one, to see what it was supposed to say :) It sure takes the art of miss-translation to the next level - Crema de verdura would be vegetable soup - any native Spanish speaker here is welcome to correct :)
#70
Verner Carlberg 7 years ago
Even though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, on the path under the roof of dangerous, I will fear no evil, all though I might cringe a little.... Psalm 23:4, King George III edition
#73
CatShatBrix 7 years ago
Rule one: do not get groped. It's every man/woman/cat for him/herself.
#75
Willie D'Kay 7 years ago
Milk for your skin, right? Like a milk bath. This could actually work.
#83
Joel Sánchez (kazer) 7 years ago
In some Spanish variants "chica" and "chico" mean "small", but they can also mean "girl" and "boy", respectively. Hence the confusion.
#87
Verner Carlberg 7 years ago
when you want to make a "that's what I said last night" joke, but know you'll be banned from panda if you do.
#95
#96
Irene Argyris 7 years ago
The Italian translation is obviously correct, but it's probably the only one! :-D
#98
Konstantina Karampetsou 7 years ago
Ποικιλία (ποικ.) that is a miscellaneous collection of things translated to "assortment" (a*s) lol!!!
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#116
Douglas Campbell 7 years ago
Brulee means burn... You burn the sugar on the custard under a broiler, so?
#117
Lindsay Ameye 7 years ago
Ah the difference between a and à. The accent does not show in the capital letter and leave it up to google translate to f**k up the rest for you.
#119
Willie D'Kay 7 years ago
When you read about the various small dishes and barbecue assortment then "greedy formula" actually makes perfect sense. It is kind of greedy to want so much.
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#126
Kristen Hdz 7 years ago
Yes... in some countries there are still pay toilets. Also, you pay for the toilet PAPER. God forbid you have an "issue" that requires extra.
#128
Kristen Hdz 7 years ago
meh, it's accurate, albeit slightly awkward. factura can be invoice, bill, check (as in a restaurant)... makes sense.
#132
Philippe Lessard 7 years ago
In french it actually translate: the balneazon is not pure sure the absence of rescue service... wtf is balneazon... perhaps they ment baignade but it still make no sense at all so just don,'t do it
#133
#134
Arend Kant 7 years ago
Not a translation but a replacement. The translation wouldn´t have made any sense.
#135
José Gouvêa 7 years ago
Even the original Portuguese text is obnoxiously stupid and bookish. I am a native speaker, I live in Brazil, am a writer with a degree and an MBA and I have not understood what this sign means. It surely means something about people with underage children having to do some kind of test, but the wording is awkward and the punctuation breaks the sentence randomly, further obscuring the text. Whoever wrote this can't translate well its own ideas into his own native language.
#136
Willie D'Kay 7 years ago
Some of these signs are just missing a single letter. I probably wouldn't notice if I made a sign in a different language.
#138
Jörg Zingler 7 years ago
Ermm, whats wrong with this translation? Thats Political Correctnes German style.
#139
Hanno Van Der Woude 7 years ago
There is no exact translation. But most english speaking people will say "Enjoy your meal".
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What do you think ?
Daria B 7 years ago
These are why AI is a loooooong long way from stealing jobs from the human translators.
DaisyAppreciation 7 years ago
One day long ago my dad went to an Chinese resteraunt and asked the waitress about an item on the menu called "eggplant in yummy sauce" when asked what was in the yummy sauce she drew a blank, saying only that it was very yummy. My dad ordered it anyway and was pleased to say it lived up to his name.
Daria B 7 years ago
These are why AI is a loooooong long way from stealing jobs from the human translators.
DaisyAppreciation 7 years ago
One day long ago my dad went to an Chinese resteraunt and asked the waitress about an item on the menu called "eggplant in yummy sauce" when asked what was in the yummy sauce she drew a blank, saying only that it was very yummy. My dad ordered it anyway and was pleased to say it lived up to his name.
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