What Does Your Baby’s Name Mean?...

Years ago, people stuck, for the most part, with traditional names for their little ones. Now, perhaps inspired by the odd names celebrities tend to choose for their offspring (Moon Unit? Apple? Sparrow?  Moxie CrimeFighter?), many expectant parents spend a lot of time trying to find something unique...

Message in a bottle...

A French love letter was found near Falmouth, Cornwall last week. The beer bottle was found by Martin Leslie, a coastguard manager, and his family as they walked on Praa Sands, near Falmouth. The bottle was poking out of the sand; its top was sealed with red candle wax. Inside was a three A4 pages handwritten...

Lost In Translation: French Panic On Pla...

French passengers on board an Aer Lingus Dublin to Paris flight had a fright when the captain made a routine announcement earlier this week. On the 4th August the A320 Airbus flight took off with around 70 people on board many of whom were French. Twenty minutes into the flight after leaving Dublin,...

Will Facebook Own Crowdsourced Translati...

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Sun noted that Facebook has applied for a patent for its crowdsourced translation application. The app, which has been in use since early last year, has helped Facebook quickly and efficiently translate its pages into different languages. Here’s how it works: the application...

Lost in Translation: 2 Cuban Pitchers...

In the World Baseball Classic, an error in translation caused the Cuban baseball team to lose two of its top relief pitchers for their game against Mexico on Monday, March 16th. According to the New York Times, in the World Baseball Classic, the official rules are always in English. However, an ‘unofficial’...

Chicago Overcome Olympic Translation Pro...

Chicago is bidding to host the 2016 Olympics but they have had to change their official slogan from ‘Stir The Soul’ to ‘Let Friendship Shine’ over problems with mistranslation in some countries. Mistranslation is quite common; context is easily lost especially in countries such as Japan and...

Clinton in Translation Faux Pas...

Sergei Lavrov had a laugh at Hilary Clinton on Friday when she gave him a small token gift. Hilary Clinton the US Secretary of State met with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov to discuss how the US and Russia can ‘reset’ relations. Mrs Clinton handed Sergi Lavrov a small box which had a button...

Ireland’s Worst Driver: Translatio...

According to the BBC police in Ireland had an embarrassing month after finally discovering the mystery behind Ireland’s worst driver. He was wanted across Ireland, right from County Cork to Cavan after he accumulated a large number of speeding tickets and parking fines. He managed to get away each...

Don’t Jump…. Get yourself a donkey!...

Translating documents is not an easy business, a word can mean one thing in one language but something different in another if translated literally. When translating important life saving information leaflets it is essential to proofread the text to make sure it reads correctly and fluently. Here is...

The whole world speaks Engrish...

At a conference in Germany last week I was talking to a Japanese guy who worked for a manufacturer of medical equipment… This is how the conversation went. Me: Do you translate your material for use in markets outside of Japan? Him: No… hahaha… there is… er… no… er… need Me: May I ask...