US Presidential Candidates get Spanish wrong on their websites

[IronMike]

Not surprised one bit. Remember that the following was done by a "professional" translator. (When this occurred, all my fellow DLI Russian Basic course graduates and I all said: Give this task to a junior enlisted kid right out of DLI or even 6 months in, and s/he would have done much better.)



And I've seen just as wrong English all over Russian websites, billboards, newspaper ads, etc. So this is certainly not just an American issue.

[David1917]

God the reset button. Gotta love Lavrov just straight up telling her that it was wrong.

[eido]

I suppose the best way to go about this is say:
"I'm going to write this page in English. Then I'm going to hand this page to a translator, and not expect them to write word for word in Spanish what I've written in English, because Spanish is not the same as English. As long as they transmit the same information with the same sense, does it matter if it looks similar to the one in the "original" language?"

And yeah, we are treading on the political here. But it is an interesting discussion.

[Cavesa]

Our prime minister can't speak even Czech properly (he's slovak). That makes all the fb posts by his PR team look even funnier, as everybody (except for his voters) knows that he could never write even one sentence naturally and correctly. However, he speaks a few foreign languages rather well. Which leads to an interesting situation, as he cannot speak language of the country he rules better than for example French.

It really looks weird, that what you describe could happen in the US. Given how much money and work goes into the campaigns in your country, it is just weird that paying a translator would not get on the list of needed expenses. Yes, such mistakes definitely tell the target audience "I don't care about you at all, but I wouldn't mind to get your votes."

The US campaigns are definitely an inspiration for political campaigns on the whole planet in some aspects (which is both good and bad, which is not to be discussed here). The professionalism of the people preparing them is one of those facts. And this is extremely unprofessional.

I'd say that the only example of even more unprofessional translations in marketing was the Rosetta Stone's advertisement with mistakes

[David1917]

I'd say that the only example of even more unprofessional translations in marketing was the Rosetta Stone's advertisement with mistakes

I have to look this up.

They did used to have a video of people "speaking" their new language. One white lady was ostensibly speaking Mandarin, and it was about the worst attempt at the language I have ever heard.

[Cavesa]

I'd say that the only example of even more unprofessional translations in marketing was the Rosetta Stone's advertisement with mistakes

I have to look this up.

They did used to have a video of people "speaking" their new language. One white lady was ostensibly speaking Mandarin, and it was about the worst attempt at the language I have ever heard.

Well, there were more weird advertisements of theirs. But I think the top was that christmas attempt "Let it schnee, let it schnee"

[tomgosse]

I can't remember which American President this happened to. I think it may have been Gerald Ford. The President was giving a speech in Poland that was being translated by an American. When Ford said, "I love your country" the Poles heard "I lust after your dirt." I remember reading about this back in the seventies, but cannot find anymore information on it. If you can find it please let us know.

[Querneus]

I can't remember which American President this happened to. I think it may have been Gerald Ford. The President was giving a speech in Poland that was being translated by an American. When Ford said, "I love your country" the Poles heard "I lust after your dirt." I remember reading about this back in the seventies, but cannot find anymore information on it. If you can find it please let us know.

It was Jimmy Carter, December 1977.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19771230&id=hBIsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BscEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3275,5984124

I once saw some discussion about this event in another language forum, and some people apparently found that Carter's translator, one Steven Seymour, was actually a translator of 19th century Russian poetry. Not exactly the man for the job...

A forum member also speculated the "when I left the United States" -> "when I abandoned the United States" mistake might have come from misusing the Polish verb "porzucić" 'to abandon', thinking it meant 'to leave' (opuścić would've been a better choice). The other more famous mistake, which the newspaper reports as "I have come to learn your opinions and understand your desires for the future" -> "I desire the Poles carnally", might have come from misusing pożądać 'to desire (sexually)' thinking it meant 'to desire [a thing]' in some way.

[Speakeasy]

@Tomgoose and Ser, excellent anecdotes! This beats President Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a stuffed pastry). I suspect that, in both cases, the local audiences recognized the faux pas, found them amusing, and forgave the speakers. Not all such errors are so humorous …

In late July 1945, a small group of American translators misconstrued the inclusion of “mokusatsu” in Japan’s written response to American proposals to end the conflict as “not worthy of comment” or “to treat with silent contempt” and further confirmation of Japan’s categorical rejection of American conditions. A senior American diplomat suggested that the word had several, more nuanced meanings such as “to withhold comment (for now)” and that its use might represent the deliberate use of ambiguous speech signalling a willingness to continue negotiations with a view to ceasing hostilities on more favourable terms. Most historians agree that the misinterpretation, in itself, did not lead to the tragic decision the results of which the world deeply regrets. However, the error in translation likely led to a heightened sense of frustration on the part of the American negotiators at the perceived arrogance of their Japanese counterparts and to a hardening of the former’s attitudes towards the latter.

EXITED:
Clarification of the text.

[tomgosse]

It was Jimmy Carter, December 1977.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19771230&id=hBIsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BscEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3275,5984124

I once saw some discussion about this event in another language forum, and some people apparently found that Carter's translator, one Steven Seymour, was actually a translator of 19th century Russian poetry. Not exactly the man for the job...

A forum member also speculated the "when I left the United States" -> "when I abandoned the United States" mistake might have come from misusing the Polish verb "porzucić" 'to abandon', thinking it meant 'to leave' (opuścić would've been a better choice). The other more famous mistake, which the newspaper reports as "I have come to learn your opinions and understand your desires for the future" -> "I desire the Poles carnally", might have come from misusing pożądać 'to desire (sexually)' thinking it meant 'to desire [a thing]' in some way.

Yes! That's it! Thank you so much.