Interesting Ice Cream Flavour 
A few years ago I was in Spain and visiting one of their marvellous ice-cream shops. They'd tried translating the flavours into English, but obviously …

False friend 
This was not a written translation, but spoken. I and some Spanish colleagues during a business trip: one of them got a cold, and missed two working days. …

Naughty Underground Parking 
I used an underground parking quite often, and in the entrance, where you pick your ticket, you could read the following message (meant for people in wheelchairs) …

Backapear 
An international telephone company is currently launching in Buenos Aires a new service which enables users to back up files, among other uses. I was really …

Bad Translations on Signs 
I saw these ads during my trips and besides terrible translations, cultural aspects are also considered here.

In a Brazilian shop:

"Please keep out …

Chopper  
When watching Pulp Fiction with Spanish subtitles

'Whose motorbike is that'

'It's not a motorbike, it's a chopper'

Was translated as

no es …

An Obstinate General of the Army 
One of the most "classic" translation errors in Brazilian Portuguese can be found in "The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: From Hobbes to …

Italian Homemade Bread 
Everyone loves homemade and fresh bread and everyone seems to love using Italian or French names for bread, it probably gives "added value"...

So, long …

Giggles in the Toilet 
I would have never imagined two summers ago when I couldn't help taking a photograph of the sign posted on the door of the toilet of an exquisite restaurant …

Mysterious Advertisement 
I was at a small German airport when I read the following ad, intended to encourage travellers to buy a piece of luggage in the airport store:

(German): …

¡Yo tengo el poder! 
I recently saw a sign detailing instructions in case the power went off and it said "Si se corta el poder...".

At first I didn't understand what that …

Health freak 
I used to teach translation in Ukraine, and once my students had a task to translate a number of English idioms/set phrases into Ukrainian... The funniest …

Project Delivery 
This happened to me when I subcontracted an English to Spanish translation. To my horror, "project delivery" had been translated as " el parto del proyecto …

Watch Your Effluvium! 
Over a week in China, a lifetime of learning unveiling at every corner, every story, every dinner table, every mysterious glance.

Now time for the highest …

Horrible Prawns 
Recently I saw on the menu of a restaurant:

"Gambas al pil pil

Prats with garlic sauce"

: ))

Any Child Who Is Switched On... Not rated yet
Last month my son brought some school information about "Kindergarten Registration". The Spanish translation was wrong. For example:

" Todos los se …

Terrible Spanish Translation Not rated yet
Last year I bought a waffle baker. The instruction manual is in English and has a Spanish translation along with others.

The translation is terrible, …

A Dangerous Translation Not rated yet
There is a very reputable, renowned American company that makes very good toys. My baby has a rocking chair from them, and it has a big warning sign on …

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