Translation Mistakes

There are different types of misunderstandings. Some of them can lead to hilarious situations, and others can have catastrophic consequences. The ability to communicate in many languages is not the same as translation skill. A well-trained translator must take into account both the context of a sentence and the culture of the language. Otherwise, a wrong interpretation can have fatal consequences. As proof, Lighthouse Online has compiled some translation mistakes that turned out to be a fiasco.

Pepsi campaign

The company made a big translation mistake in its advertising campaign that took place in the 90s in China. The translation of the motto “come alive with Pepsi” was very controversial in this country. “Come alive” is a metaphorical way to express that you are encouraged. However, in Chinese, the metaphor was taken one step further, and the Chinese people were quite surprised to read: “Pepsi resurrects the dead”

Death because of wrong translation

One doctor made a regrettable decision based on an incorrect translation. One man died because his blood feature – haemophiliac was misinterpreted in a moment of emergency as homosexual.

Fok horses

Mistakes in translations may occur when translators don’t know a proper word in the second language and use a word from their own language instead, hoping it is the same. Sometimes it is not. In such instances, the result may be very funny.

Trust the best

If you want to make a multilingual content for your company, always hire professional translators who are near bilingual. This means, they move freely and effectively in the worlds of both languages and can use two systems with equal ease.

For further mistakes and misunderstandings check the infographic by lighthouseonline.com that is provided below