Welcome to Friday Funnies – where we find humour in mistranslations from around the world. These ones made us laugh out loud. Enjoy! East African newspaper: “A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.” Sign in front of a rock garden in the Forbidden…
At AZ World, our translators bridge the language divide around the world. Their translations also bridge the cultural divide. Our translators speak different languages and come from different cultures. Their cultural awareness allows them to translate so much more than words. They translate ideas and meanings. Sometimes there are no direct replacements for certain words…
On Mother’s Day, we show appreciation towards mothers and mother figures. We celebrate on different days around the world. In Canada, the Unites States and Australia, we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May. On May 8, many of us will express our gratitude towards mothers, step-mothers, mothers-in-law, and other mother figures. The…
Welcome to Friday Funnies – where we find humour in mistranslated signs from around the world. These ones made us laugh out loud. Enjoy! Sign in a campground, Germany: “It is strictly forbidden on our camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are…
Each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day. Around the globe, people participate in activities like picking up litter, planting trees, going meat-free, walking or riding their bikes or shopping at a local farmer’s market. It’s a day to renew our commitment to helping preserve and protect our planet. So…
Many Easter celebrations this weekend will include gathering with friends or family for a meal. For this Good Friday Funnies, we found some great dinner-themed mistranslations from menus around the world. If you go out to eat this weekend, watch what you order! “Boiled cabbage farmers” “Chicken sandwich with french friend” “Pizza, sandwitch or bugger”…
If your business operates in more than one language, your staff probably does too. Holding a meeting or conference where not everyone speaks the same language can be challenging. If you want to show people that they are important to you, you need to speak in their language. We can help. AZ World’s team has…
In English-speaking countries around the world, the first day of April is recognized as a time to play pranks on your friends, neighbours and colleagues. Even big companies take part in April Fool’s Day fun and play pranks on us. Here are a few of our favourite translation-related pranks: In 2009, Google Translate claimed they…
Researching whether to expand into a new country? Effective translation is critical. One of your first steps will be collecting and analyzing information in that country. Your business can’t be successful if you don’t have accurate and complete information before making key decisions. You will want to learn about the market, buyers, consumers, competitors and…
For this Friday Funnies, here are a few stories of advertising campaigns with translations didn’t quite hit the mark. These ones made us laugh out loud! Coca-Cola’s brand name, when first marketed in China, was read as “Kekoukela,” meaning “Bite the Wax Tadpole” or “Female Horse Stuffed with Wax,” depending on the dialect. Parker Pen,…
