3 Funny Translation Stories

3 Funny Translation Stories

3 Funny Translation Stories
I've lived in Israel for approximately 17 years and always get a kick out of noticing the funny mistakes that people make when translating from one language to another. A little laughter in our lives is always a good thing, so I guess I can thank the translators for putting a smile on my face.
So here we go. Here are some of the funniest mistakes that I can recall.
I was once watching a movie and the actors referred to W.C. Fields. The translator translated it to the equivalent of: "The fields of the bathroom." Get it? The translator thought that "W.C." was referring to a water closet, AKA, a bathroom. Since I saw this mistake while I was sitting in a movie theater, I think the people around me couldn't figure out why I was laughing so hard, when the plot was not funny.
I really enjoy watching the BBC's show called "Antiques Roadshow". A number of times, the owners of the items said that they received the antique from their Nan ("grandmother" in U.S. English). The translator mistranslated the word "Nan" to the equivalent of: "nanny". There are probably a number of non-English speaking Israelis wondering why nannies are so generous in England.
I was watching another show where they were talking about the Late Lady Di and how she pampered her two young boys. The translator wrote, in Hebrew, the equivalent of: Lady Di would diaper her young sons. Get this one? The translator must have mistaken the word "pampered" for Pampers diapers.
D. Sarig
http://www.lingotip.com - multilingual blogging and embedding & freelance translation portal