9 LITTLE TRANSLATION MISTAKES THAT CAUSED BIG PROBLEMS

Knowing how to speak two languages is not the same thing as knowing how to
translate. Translation is a special skill that professionals work hard to develop.
In their new book Found in Translation, professional translators Nataly Kelly and
Jost Zetzsche give a spirited tour of the world of translation, full of fascinating
stories about everything from volunteer text message translators during the
Haitian earthquake rescue effort, and to the challenges of translation at the
Olympics and the World Cup.The importance of good translation is most
obvious when things go wrong. Here are nine examples from the book that
show just how high-stakes the job of translation can be.

1.A young man of 18 years old, Willie Ramirez, was left quadriplegic after a
misunderstanding translation made by a hospital employee, which didn´t know
about the true meaning of the word “intoxicado” in Spanish, he understood this
word by intoxicated instead of poisoned. The misunderstanding of one only
word, made the hospital pay about 71 million dollars to Ramirez´s family.

2.Polish and United States media enjoyed very much when a Russian
interpreter switched words like left for abandoned and desires for lusts in a
President Carter´s speech.

3. We will bury you

“We will bury you” isn´t the phrase we would like to hear from others. Even less
when the scenario is the peak of the Cold War and the threat of a nuclear attack
is imminent. But only this time the American president could breathe in peace
again, it happened because the translation was too literal, the Russian
president meant say “we will live to bury you” or “we will outlast you”.

4.Do nothing

“Do nothing” was the HSBC bank catchphrase in 2009 while the original
meaning was “Assume Nothing” an translation error that cost about $10 million
dollars.

5.Markets tumble

Financial speculation articles sometimes can cause a disorder among currency

professionals causing the fall of dollar´s value. It took place when Chin News´
translator Guan Xiangdong, mistranslated an article, the responsible of this
mass.

6.What´s that on Moses´s head?

We can see through history paintings illustrating a horned Moses coming from
Mount Sinai, this belief occurred because a mistranslating from St.Jerome, who
confused the Hebrew word “Karan” which means “radiance” or “horned”, his
choice wasn´t the better ones.

7.Chocolates for him

Valentine´s Day in Japan changed totally in the 50s when a foreign company
gave people the idea that it was customary for women to give chocolate to men
on this day. Until today we can see the change, on February 14 Japanese
women give chocolate for men, and on February 14 is the time for Japanese
men to reward women with chocolates.

8.You must defeat sheng long

It took almost an entire year for players of Street Fighter II to figure out that all
they were playing was wrong, trying to defeat Sheng Long, a character who
never existed. Sheng Long was mysteriously inserted into the game through
translators whose misunderstood the meanings of this same word. Sheng Long
was truly defeated in December when it was revealed as an accidentally game
mistake.

9.Trouble at Waitangi

In 1840, a British missionary made two nations sign two different documents
while they were thinking of signing same document, the translation for British
Monarchy gave all the rights above the Maori sovereignty while the Maori
document only dealt with giving the power of governance not sovereignty. The
Treaty of Waitangi are still being worked out.