Thursday, May 28, 2009

you can't depend on google translator for everything

Teenie is a copywriter who, like Dear Jane Sample, works in Canada where her copy has to be written in two official languages. So she's become better acquainted than most to the nuances and pitfalls of coming up with campaigns intended for markets that don't speak the same mother tongue. She confides how to turn one language into another in a post on her excellent blog Teenie Thoughts. And provides this hilarious example of what can happen if you get lost in translation when what you should be doing is adapting, instead.

8 comments:

Teenie said...

Ah, cheers for the nod, Ms. Broad! It's an extreme example of some of the horrid stuff we see over here. Some of it's just incomprehensible, but this is...well....

Eva said...

Thanks to both of you ladies for making me laugh. In Europe, where we try to communicate in about 30 official and as many regional languages, Google and Bablefish are King and Queen. :)

P.S. Teenie is not on twitter?

RFB said...

You Canucks and your ribald humor. (I'm sorry: humoUr.)

You need more sun. (Translation: You should take your clothes off and expose your bodies to the sun.)

Teenie said...

Eva: I can't twit for the life of me. I've barely had time to blog! Baby steps, baby steps...

And Jet: You try taking off your clothes when it's 10C and rainy out. Brr! This ain't Florida! Although it's supposed to be at least 25 by now....

Ad Broad, oldest working writer in advertising said...

@Teenie Thanks for the great post and not minding that I conveniently appropriated it. Luv the blog. Keep it coming. Funny you manage such excellent posts but feel stymied by posting in far less arduous 140 characters.. ;)

@Eva Glad you got a laugh. Which it sounds like you need, trying to manage in 30 languages. sheesh.

@Jetpacks Nice to see you. All of you. Now put on something decent and get back to work ;)

Anonymous said...

@ Jetpacks - Canadians are very open to taking off their clothese, we just don't get as much sun as you guys. Why we have the polar bears in the winter (run naked into icy cold water) and topless sunbathing is legal in the province of ontario.

HighJive said...

Non-related point:

This kinda looks like you. Or like your logo.
http://tinyurl.com/lwlrvg

Ad Broad, oldest working writer in advertising said...

@dearjanesample Aha! Tourism promos for Ontario should include that little fact ;)

@HighJive Hey there! You caught me! Moonlighting as a model for IBM. Keeps me in ribbons and carbon paper... ;)