Signs in "Spanish" থ্রেড পোস্টার: Jeff Whittaker
|
|---|
Jeff Whittaker 
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
Local time: 13:50
স্প্যানিশ থেকে ইংরেজি
+ ...
I don't know about other cities, but here in Florida almost all of the signage in the large hardware/home improvement stores is bilingual English - Spanish. Whoever does the Spanish translations for the store that starts with L and rhymes with BOWE'S does a superb job.
However, when I went with a friend of mine to return something at the competition (rhymes with DOME REPOT), I noticed lots of weird stuff.
As you enter the store, there is a big sign that reads "STORE DIR... See more I don't know about other cities, but here in Florida almost all of the signage in the large hardware/home improvement stores is bilingual English - Spanish. Whoever does the Spanish translations for the store that starts with L and rhymes with BOWE'S does a superb job.
However, when I went with a friend of mine to return something at the competition (rhymes with DOME REPOT), I noticed lots of weird stuff.
As you enter the store, there is a big sign that reads "STORE DIRECTORY" (map of the store) and underneath the Spanish "translation" in big letters says "ALMANECE EL DIRECTORIO".
Had to be done with MT as I cannot imagine a human making this error.
Another sign says "TAKES 2 to LIFT" (heavy object). The Spanish says "TOMAS 2 A LEVANTAR"
[Edited at 2007-05-25 23:07]
[Edited at 2007-05-25 23:08] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Trudy Peters
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
Local time: 13:50
জার্মান থেকে ইংরেজি
+ ...
| Are you going to tell them, Tampa? | May 25, 2007 |
You probably won't be the only one... Unless most people are just laughing and shrugging it off. Pity.
| | | | Marcelo Silveyra
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
Local time: 10:50
2007 থেকে সদস্য
জার্মান থেকে ইংরেজি
+ ...
| Same thing in L.A. | May 25, 2007 |
And believe it or not, a lot of those are done by people (no offense meant, but usually U.S.-born latinos) who claim to speak Spanish and to be able to translate. They offer dirt-cheap prices and the most horrible translations this side of the planet as well! Yes, I know, it's sad....and bad for business too.
As a side note, my LG cell phone's manual came in Spanish too and said "Juegue sus MP3s," which in the original ran "Play your MP3s." Now, that one riled me. They literally... See more And believe it or not, a lot of those are done by people (no offense meant, but usually U.S.-born latinos) who claim to speak Spanish and to be able to translate. They offer dirt-cheap prices and the most horrible translations this side of the planet as well! Yes, I know, it's sad....and bad for business too.
As a side note, my LG cell phone's manual came in Spanish too and said "Juegue sus MP3s," which in the original ran "Play your MP3s." Now, that one riled me. They literally sell tons of those phones (the model I have, at least), yet they were too cheap to spend some money on an appropriate translation for a very significant market. I know about cutting costs and setting marketing and consumer priorities, but this one was actually offensive. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Henry Hinds
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
Local time: 11:50
ইংরেজি থেকে স্প্যানিশ
+ ...
স্মরণে
Hmmmm... I´ve gone to that Dome place many times and could perhaps fault them on some things, but not THAT bad.
Then again, what often may happen is that in one location they get someone fairly good to do it, and in another one they use a machine.
That´s par for the course for these large companies, no coordination, especially for something that´s only a flyspeck on their horizon... translation.
You can tell them and I guarantee it will make no differenc... See more Hmmmm... I´ve gone to that Dome place many times and could perhaps fault them on some things, but not THAT bad.
Then again, what often may happen is that in one location they get someone fairly good to do it, and in another one they use a machine.
That´s par for the course for these large companies, no coordination, especially for something that´s only a flyspeck on their horizon... translation.
You can tell them and I guarantee it will make no difference.
Of course I can fault them on not being able to find what I need when I visit one of those places (read any large store), I dread it. I´ve also told them that and it makes no difference. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Weird translation to Spanish in bilingual areas | May 26, 2007 |
I am Spanish and live in California with more than 40% of Hispanic population, so many directions in stores and public offices are written in both languages, but the translations seem to be performed by automatic translation machines with no rules. I try to rent a movie in an automatic machine and the verb haber appears without h (a sacado la pelicula instead of ha sacado la pelicula). Yesterday I try to pay in the store using an automatic machine but I blocked it since I did not understand the ... See more I am Spanish and live in California with more than 40% of Hispanic population, so many directions in stores and public offices are written in both languages, but the translations seem to be performed by automatic translation machines with no rules. I try to rent a movie in an automatic machine and the verb haber appears without h (a sacado la pelicula instead of ha sacado la pelicula). Yesterday I try to pay in the store using an automatic machine but I blocked it since I did not understand the spanish messages and instead of closing the transaction I enter into an error screen.
In public papers aseguranza and transportacion appears instead of seguros y transporte. Thousands of written mistakes covers walls and information sent to Hispanic families. I am really concern about this subject since our sons have few opportunies to keep the mother tongue in good conditions. I know that Instituto Cervantes has an office in New York, but California needs it even more than the East Coast. I wonder how can I help to keep my language in this amazing country. Thanks to you for arising this topic. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Humans for sure | May 26, 2007 |
[quote]Marcelo Silveyra wrote:
And believe it or not, a lot of those are done by people (no offense meant, but usually U.S.-born latinos) who claim to speak Spanish and to be able to translate. They offer dirt-cheap prices and the most horrible translations this side of the planet as well!
I come across such "translations" all the time, and in some cases I know for a fact they are not machine-generated. As far as the price, in many cases they just ask of their own employees: "Hey. Pepe. how do you say this in Spanish?" Then they spend serious money printing expensive posters, signs painted on the side of buses, etc.
Even worse is when I see translations supposedly done ny a professional translator, and proofed by a professional editor, with the most absurd interpretations of idiomatic English phrases, without taking into account the CONTEXT.
| | | | Roxanna Delgado
যুক্তরাষ্ট্র
Local time: 13:50
2006 থেকে সদস্য
ইংরেজি থেকে স্প্যানিশ
+ ...
| Big error in TV commercial of huge company | May 26, 2007 |
Now that we are talking about this...
Around 3 weeks ago I saw this commercial on TV for a huge soda company, that almost killed me. And because of the word they used you can tell that it was done by a human not a machine.
It's about a guy that is in a convenience store where they have those soda machines where you can serve yourself. So he is trying to be sneaky with the cashier and keeps drinking a little bit of the soda and putting some more in his glass.
So a... See more Now that we are talking about this...
Around 3 weeks ago I saw this commercial on TV for a huge soda company, that almost killed me. And because of the word they used you can tell that it was done by a human not a machine.
It's about a guy that is in a convenience store where they have those soda machines where you can serve yourself. So he is trying to be sneaky with the cashier and keeps drinking a little bit of the soda and putting some more in his glass.
So at the end, it presents this red screen (the trademark color of this particular soda) and it says:
Un tragito.
No es ilegal en los 50 estados.
It might not be illegal, but it is certainly misspelled.
But, I mean how do you contact this people to let them know? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Juliana Brown
ইসরাইল
Local time: 13:50
স্প্যানিশ থেকে ইংরেজি
+ ...
| What about when you ask them | May 27, 2007 |
to PRONOUNCE what they have offended your eyes with!? At my neighbourhood cafe (rhymes with Carchucks), the new sign arrived announcing the new "Dulce de leche latte". The concept is bad enough (my Argentinian spouse claims that next the Yanks will be trying to use it as a pizza topping), but the "baristas" (another horrifying word) all pronounce it LETCH, as is horrible old man in a raincoat! They even had a clever note on their board which helpfully explained the words "should be pronounced Du... See more to PRONOUNCE what they have offended your eyes with!? At my neighbourhood cafe (rhymes with Carchucks), the new sign arrived announcing the new "Dulce de leche latte". The concept is bad enough (my Argentinian spouse claims that next the Yanks will be trying to use it as a pizza topping), but the "baristas" (another horrifying word) all pronounce it LETCH, as is horrible old man in a raincoat! They even had a clever note on their board which helpfully explained the words "should be pronounced Dulcy da Letch". If, as my husband claims, God is truly Argentinian, I suspect a bolt of lightning is headed their way... ▲ Collapse
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Signs in "Spanish" | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
| | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
