A few weeks ago I went on vacation and stayed
in a really nice hostel. In each room you could read the obligatory instructions
about when to check out and other important rules. I suggest that you have a
look at the information yourself.
Of course, I can’t tell you for sure how this
translation from Spanish into English was made, but I am quite certain that
there was no professional translator involved. If you think about it, how many
badly translated texts have you read when going abroad? Obviously, most of the
time it is possible to figure out the intended meaning with a bit of
imagination, and who doesn’t like to laugh about funny mistranslations?
Anyway, what can be entertaining and amusing to
a certain extent could have negative consequences for your business and your
reputation as well too. For example, a great US-American airline once wanted to
advertise their new leather seats in first class. Originally the slogan used
was “Fly in Leather”. However, for their ad that was published in Mexico they
used the literary translation “Vuela en
cuero”, not being aware of the fact that en cuero means to be naked in Spanish. So the message they were
actually conveying to their Mexican clients was “Fly naked”.
All these examples prove that it is essential
to use the service of professionally trained translators
and interpreters in order to avoid mistakes or blunders that could ruin your
business. For example, when trying to enter new markets or when it comes to
translating contracts or other legal documents, you might be better off paying
for a good translation than spending thousands of dollars on PR campaigns or
reprinting documents.
To come to a conclusion, I would also like to
add that all of us should be aware that we have the right to be provided with
proper translations, no matter where we are and which language we speak.
Everyone can help to improve translation quality by being attentive and
complaining about badly translated texts, in order to raise awareness for the
importance of good translations.
by Nicole Schiller
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