Part I:

Online Translators: Friend, Foe, or Comedian?

wide straw hat known in italian as a cappello stile pamela

 

Pronto?

.

From the Dept. of “Don’t Believe Everything You Read in a Translator,” here is a mini compendium of goofy translations by various online translators that students and friends have reported on.

~

LOL & Enjoy!

 

  • Secondo piatto” ==> translated as “according to plate”… No kidding! {True meaning: Second course or ‘plate’ in a meal}
  • Pamela” ==> translated as “wide-brimmed straw hat” {Intended meaning: the woman’s name}
  • Quanto costa? ==> “How much coast?” {True meaning: How much does it cost?}

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Part I:

Online Translators: Friend, Foe, or Comedian?

  1. Ivanet says:

    You are so right. I had many requests from english speaking people to give the possibility to translate my blog and I placed a google translation icon on my pages… well, try for yourself to see how goofy are the results.
    These online translators should know better!!

  2. eugenie says:

    non ho capito bene come funziona questo sito, dato che parlo molto male l’inglese. Comunque una cosa volevo dirtela, di modo che tu possa evitare di sbagliare, l’espressione ti voglio benissimo, non è corretta. è più un’espressione scherzosa utilizzata tra fidanzati o amici, oppure da tutte quelle persone che non sentendosela di dire “ti amo” aggirano goffamente l’ostacolo con un ” ti voglio benissimo”. ad ogni modo buon italiano cara, spererei di parlare bene l’inglese un decimo di come tu parli l’italiano. baci

  3. admin says:

    I have heard that iGoogle is one of the better options for translating a web page 🙂

  4. Diana says:

    OMG! So true! Sometimes though a translation will make me laugh so hard I’ll cry.
    Sometimes it just frustrates me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *