Job Discussion Forums

[Sapphhire Moon]

What's the funniest translation from English to Spanish that you have come accross in Mexico? Some years ago I watched the film 'Lamb' on TV in which Liam Neeson spoke with a pronounced Irish accent. When he said, "That'll do!" the subtitles showed "Elodow!". Does anyone else have any examples of funny translations?

[El Gallo]

On a breakfast menu in San Cristobal: eggs with jam

On a vocabulary test:

wonder: competition to Bimbo
blow: My mother blows me when I'm hot.

[lisa1968]

on a menu in Chiapas,

pollo con papas fritas chicken with fried popes

[rafomania]

yeh, for the christmas song, 'We wish you a merry christmas' I found the written translation as WI WICHUU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

[TheLongWayHome]

On a menu:

Eggs at taste (huevos al gusto I assume)

[Milenka]

From English to Spanish? That's easy: turn on cable TV, especially the History Channel, old movies, People + Arts, Gourmet... the list is endless. Not only the voice-over hideously and verbatim follows the American/UK idiolect that is so foreign (and often corny or silly) to the Spanish-native speaker (e.g., �Oh, mi dios! �Oh, guau! �Oh, estos felices tomates se mezclan con los calabacines! �Bien, cari�o, vamos a solucionar tu problema ahora mismo!), but the translations are poor (e.g. El a�o en que corri� por la presidencia...) and not localized.

Translation, regardless of the pair of languages involved and the direction of the process, is a craft that entails an eye for detail and sociocultural awareness. Oh, and a professional who will charge professional rates to do the job, of course.

*sigh*

[El Gallo]

On my first day in Mexico, I tried to tell my friend I liked his brother:

me gusta tu hermano

(but I really didn't mean it in that way)

[El Gallo]

One cold January in Chiapas, I gave my friend's sister a ride to work early in the morning and asked her everyday: esta fria?

A young Canadian lady, new to teaching in Mexico, said to her group of students on a hot day: estoy caliente

[dixie]

[MO39]

And then there's the classic "Estoy embarazada" when you mean this: , not that you're with child! I said that with a group of Mexican friends my first summer here, and was I ever !!

[ontoit]

[Samantha]

I shall never forget my most embarrassing slip of the tongue. There was a hurricane bearing down on Mazatlan and we were clearing out our classrooms and taking books and supplies home with us. One young Mexican teacher was very nervous about the hurricane, and I attempted to make conversation with him to put him at ease. (I think I accomplished that, in hindsight) I asked him "Tienes mierdo?" rather than "Tienes miedo?" He answered with "Si!" amongst the giggles of the other teachers . It lightened the mood, however it wasn't until I got home and chatted with my hubby, that I learned what a faux pas I had made!

[geaaronson]

When I first came to Mexico if I wanted to purchase orange juice from a tienda I would ask for juego naranja, injecting an extra nonsensical vowel.
It took me a while.

[Phil_K]

The American boyfriend of a student, seeing a singer on TV asked:

"�Qui�n es esa caliente?" (More advanced speakers will find this funnier!)