How not to translate!

April 6, 2004

Margaret Marks over at Transblawg has found a brilliant example of what happens when translators decide to forget about the source text to speak their mind: a photo of a label with washing instructions on a computer sleeve made in Seattle. The French is longer than the English because the following has been added:

NOUS SOMMES DESOLES QUE NOTRE PRESIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N‘AVONS PAS VOTE POUR LUI.
(we're sorry our president is an idiot. We didn't vote for him)