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Doshwaster

elsien wrote: »

Leaflet in another language in local hospital to explain person's rights when detained under the Mental Health Act. According to the interpreter finally drafted in, it was almost complete gibberish.
I did wonder if it worked better with some languages than others.

I once had a Managing Director who decided it would be a good idea to get our marketing material translated into German ahead of a trade show in Berlin. Unfortunately he did it on the cheap so when we got to the exhibition all of the Germans burst out laughing when they saw the Germanified brochures and said that the English ones would do them fine.

Computer translations can be great for simple words and phrases but I wouldn't rely on them for important business meetings. Even the best computer translation can struggle with idioms, slang and local dialects. Just think of the simple misunderstandings that can arise from the differences between British and American English.