[Ads-l] mistranslation?

[Mark Mandel]

I sometimes see jaw-dropping mistranslations on labels, where the original
English says one thing and another language says something ridiculously
different, apparently translated either by machine or by careless lookup in
a dictionary or by "Sure, I took ___ in high school, I can do that for
you." But before sending them in to *Consumer Reports'* "Selling It" page,
I want to confirm that they really are as bad as I think. Here's a French
example. (I have a Spanish one too, but I can't find it at the moment.)

Eng-Fr, on a card of bag clips intended to keep your (e.g.) potato chips
enclosed and dry till you finish them:
*Hand wash recommended.*
Le lavage des mains est recommandé.
Does that mean, as I think it does, that you should wash your hands, rather
than that you should wash (the product) by hand? Should the translation be
"... aux mains ..."?

Mark


. <http://X-Clacks-Overhead.dw/GNU-Terry_Pratchett>  .
<http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org