exciting 发表于 2007-12-28 22:13:56

Troublesome translation

Read a piece of essay the other day. A Chinese furniture manufacturer sold some couches to the US, with a lable 'Color: Nigger-brown'. Dramatically, the couch endded up in a black family... Now the family is planning a sue.

Of course the translator should be shot. It's said that they figured out the translation in Kingsoft's Powerword. You can try it. Type in '深棕', and the racial epithet pops up. Could you get any more stupid that that?

And another stunning thing is, the angered black family is asking for the manufacuturer's 'apology to all people in color'. Don't they know Chinese are 'people in color' too? It's sounds even more ridiculous than the poor translation, if you ask me.

Believe it or not, a Malayan once asked me who is China's emperor now.

Some say that the planet is becoming a village. Well, at least we should learn more about our neighbors.

伊人独酌 发表于 2008-1-1 17:43:24

Know other countries' customer is very important, but it can't be done in a second, when I need to
translate sth urgently, I will still use the Kingsoft's Powerword.

cherishie 发表于 2008-1-2 10:30:16

The black family might sue Kingsoft as well for its using racial slurs.

PS: Your title is very good. It is called ALLITERATION I guess. Did you attend a course named Journalist English?

exciting 发表于 2008-1-4 14:57:31

Powerword is nonetheless a useful aide and I use it everyday. As a software we cannot expect too much from it, because translating is a process of art.

PS: the 'T-T-' stuff is rather a coincidence, and I'm even not major in Enlgish. Hoho.

伊人独酌 发表于 2008-1-8 11:46:25

I also use Kingsoft everyday for some new words
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