Hilarious Chinese translation or switching suppliers of parts

I wonder if this should go under the batteries/charger thread or is there a thread about BAD translations?
I got a new universal charger that has alligator clips, well, I thought they were alligators but I identified those parts incorrectly seems they are like alligator clips but they are something different.
I quote the instructions,
"Rad cayman clip is positive, black cayman clip is negative".
Maybe the charger is made in the Amazon and shipped to Hong Kong. Translated from Portuguese to Chinese to English. Not sure.

cay-man [ka' men]
Any of various tropical American crocodilians of the genus Caiman and related genera, resembling and closely related to the alligators. Indigeneous to South and Central America.
[Spanish caimán, from Carib acayuman.] :lolsign:

Truthfully, there are only two species of Alligators left on the planet among all the Crocodillians, the American Alligator and The Chinese Alligator. The Chinese Alligators are going extinct, http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/alligatorfund/
So I guess the folks over there are swithing to Cayman because they are running low on Alligators, clips and all. Come on, it is logical isn't it?:huh2:

This one did tickle my funny bone, I would love to see their translation dictionary!

LOL. I wish I had an example THAT good. ;-)

Ever hear of the Mitsubishi Starion? Automotive legend has it that the original name for the car was the STALLION. Said so right on the blueprints.

Supposedly an American engineer was talking on the phone with a Japanese engineer, and the Japanese accented version of "stallion" sounds just like "starion." So, the Americans got the Starion.

(I speak Japanese and yes "stallion" and "starion" are more or less interchangeable in terms of the way they sound.)

U am still trying to understand how this works. There seems to be a lot of different interpretations.
More Fenix Digital Lights - L0D CE and L1D CE

4sevens said:

Fenix L1D CE

They will come in two flavors:
general series: 18 -> 40 -> 74 -> SOS
turbo series: 85 -> Strobe
(I'm getting clarification on these modes right now - this is simply what they
provided me)

Click to expand...

Too funny. Picture Chinese businessmen looking through English-Chinese dictionary...what is an alligator...a cayman like reptile...Ha Ha.

in Australia we have a Mitsubishi 4WD vehicle called the Pajero, they change the name to sell it in Latin speaking countries I think.

here's a good Chingrish story for you all:

When I worked in China we started a joint venture with a state owned Chinese company that made the same product .... sort of!
Much of the machinery was unlicensed Russian copies of European products and hence the manuals were English translations of Chinese translations of Russian translations of the ones stolen from Germany.
Late one night after a breakdown that had to be fixed for the next days production, I could be found rolling around the floor laughing holding my sides as I finally worked out that "CHECK THE WET SHEEP" actually meant "CHECK THE HYDRAULIC RAM"
Fletty

missionaryman said:

I could be found rolling around the floor laughing holding my sides as I finally worked out that "CHECK THE WET SHEEP" actually meant "CHECK THE HYDRAULIC RAM"
Fletty

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Some things are too odd to be made up.

That gave me a genuine giggle.

Check this website out. www.engrish.com
Some funny stuff there.

Sent a email to KD yesterday asking about a light I ordered. Got this reply:

Sorry for the late shipping.

Well, it will be shipped tonight, so pls wait a moment.

Have a nice day!

Jerry

Click to expand...

A moment?

Big Ed, thanks for the link. Some really funny stuff there.

I love "fractured" English. Richard Lederer has written several books on the subject, and the examples are simply hilarious. The books include not only translation "disasters," but a whole slew of other quotes. I challenge anyone to read through the "kids speak" sections, and not laugh out loud.

Oldie but funny

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/109000

When I was a kid I had a relative who got their wife a laundry basket for Christmas one year (want to guess as to whether or not they are still married?). So, it's Christmas Eve and after some liberally spiked eggnog he sits down on the living room floor to put the thing together. The assembly went something like this:


He set out all the parts, got a few tools, and unfolded the instructions. Nice and neat. He makes another eggnog and has a sip. He then began of course with Step 1.

1) Insert flap A into slot B. Fold over flap A. Fasten screws tightly to secure flap A in slot B.

Well, that's pretty straightforward. So he does just that. Got everything neatly assembled and nice and tight. OK. Time for another sip of eggnog -- mmm, good stuff -- just enough rum. Now, on to Step 2.

2) But before inserting flap A into slot B...

It was a long night.

Made in America.

Mitsubishi Pajero was also called:

Montero AND Shogun.

yeah.. i drive a Pajero too..

-i think pajero meant something like wanker in spanish slang.


also Chevy Nova in spanish countries.. i believe No Va means "does not go" or something?


and Buick Lacrosse didnt work in canada.. i think it was something naughty in Quebec french.. masturbation or something. so they sold it as Allure in Canada.

10 years ago.. or more.. when it was still "new", IKEA was the worst with instructions. they have improved a lot since, but still they can make something simple very confusing.

my sister works as translator, and she runs all the time into things that simply dont make any sense. every translation is a source of misinterpretation. and some companies also ask to translate everything word for word! and some things have been translated by google translator.. it never works correctly.

missionaryman said:

that "CHECK THE WET SHEEP" actually meant "CHECK THE HYDRAULIC RAM"
Fletty

Click to expand...

There's an old joke about how the CIA wanted to use computers to translate from Russian to English to save labor-- and the test phrase "hydraulic ram" was passed through the computer to be translated to Russian, and then that output translated back to English. The end result was "water goat".

I'd heard that story back in '81...

Mazda Laputa (la puta= the whore)

Nissan (i think it was) Moco (booger?)

Some of those, like the Chevy Nova one, are urban myths (check snopes.com). Translations from English to other languages are probably just as screwed up but there are a lot of web sites making fun of the subject.

I'm from Denmark originally and I remember seeing Alien3 in theaters when it came out over there.
During a conversation with the warden in the movie, the line goes something like "It's an 8-foot creature with acid for blood..." etc etc.

Well, the sub-titles translated that into "It's an 8-LEGGED creature..."
I kid you not. I laughed out loud at a rather serious moment because of that.

The video game "Donkey Kong" was actually suppose to be called Monkey Kong". I never did find the Donkey in the game.

We have Pajeros in Brazil. I have seen it called Montero in U.S.