Let’s face it, we’ve all had a bit of chuckle when trying to work out the instructions for an electrical item Made in China!
We often talk about the dangers associated with products that are made in China. We’ve all heard the warnings about flammable pyjamas and cuddly toys, toothpaste containing antifreeze and Barbie dolls containing lead paint.
These products are made at a low cost and the quality isn’t necessarily up to scratch. As for the product instructions, they can sometimes be a little baffling.
Recently, CG Traduction & Interprétation once again received an English to French translation request for a set of instructions for use. We realised that the source text was Chinese and that it had been translated from Chinese into English by the manufacturer.
The English text was therefore full of meaningless phrases, grammatical errors and inappropriate words. Here are a few examples:
- “We suggest cleaning per 3 days.”
Correction: “We suggest cleaning every 3 days.”
- “This product is suggested to be used by the tap water.”
Correction: “We suggest using tap water with this product.”
- “[…] the aroma smells lighter half”
Correction: “For a light aroma, […]”
Like the majority of sectors, the translation industry has to face fierce competition from low-cost translators in Asia. By and large, however, these translations are carried out automatically over the Internet. We have already mentioned their shortcomings and the often hilarious results.
As such, they don’t represent direct competition for high-quality translation companies such as CG which guarantee premium translation quality, rather they harm the image of translation professionals.