All your base are belong to us - translation stories

Xelloss · Post by **Xelloss** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 6:05 am

Gotta love the humor in translation software. I think the best in the past had something to do with a straw raincoat transaction, and to this day I wonder exactly what it should have been.

Just now I got a gem: "We hope the two dog to cheer your original! "

What amusing things have you seen with/due to translation software while cel browsing?

- Karen

klet · Post by **klet** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:47 am

Hmmm . . . the only one I can think of was when someone had listed Van from Escaflowne's full name: Van Slanzer de Fanel. It was all in katakana, and the translator spit out something like Van Skislope Fur Flannel.

sugarcels · Post by **sugarcels** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:43 pm

Van Flannel... I like it

Sorta sounds like a bootleg version of a band or something.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:14 pm

"Van Flannel" and "Mister Satin"would make a nice pair.

I've had some crazy translations before, but I can't recall exactly what they said.

Caroline · Post by **Caroline** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:17 am

i went through a phase where i was titling my paintings in german, my native language. i made a painting for my boyfriend and it was titled "oh my god, i miss you" in german, but people who translated it via the web got "oh my god, i hate you".

i now use english when i title my work.

Xelloss · Post by **Xelloss** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:16 am

Caroline wrote:i went through a phase where i was titling my paintings in german, my native language. i made a painting for my boyfriend and it was titled "oh my god, i miss you" in german, but people who translated it via the web got "oh my god, i hate you".

i now use english when i title my work.

Oh man, that's up there with one of our former US presidents going up in front of a crowd in germany and declaring he was a jelly doughnut on accident. Too funny

Edit: it was JFK http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/histor ... rliner.htm and apparently an urban legend... hmm...

Edit: Now I'm reading that a Berliner is a type of jelly doughnut named such in some parts of Germany... maybe someone from there can clarify ^^;;;

irmgaard · Post by **irmgaard** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:17 am

No,.no. It’s true. I saw a tape of it.

He was speaking to a crowd in Berlin, and declaring his solidarity with them. That he wouldn’t abandon them to the surrounding, encroaching Soviet controlled East. And so he said, “I am a Berliner!”, in German… sort of…

The problem comes with the use of articles. In English, you would say, “I am an American.” But in German you say, “Ich bin Amerikaner (Amerikanerin, if you’re a girl).” with no article.

President Kennedy said, “Ich bin ein Berliner”, instead of “Ich bin Berliner.” A berliner is a kind of pastry:
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/misce ... ner-ballen
So by adding the article he was describing himself as such.

But the crowd cheered, because they knew exactly what he meant.

It’s funny how, in the very same speech, he got the Latin, “civis romanus sum” (I am a citizen of Rome) just right! Methinks the old boy had probably studied that language at Haaaarvaaaaaaard!