Friday, July 06, 2007

Dead Donkey en sauce

Laughing at machine translations is the translator's equivalent of, well I'm not quite sure, but certainly something so facile and inequitable that it verges on downright cruelty. Anyway, call me vicious, but I'm not above mocking dumb pieces of software, and here for your callous derision are a few items from a menu I was given to chose from recently:

Jarret de porc confit au miel et aux épices
Bulge of crystallized pig to honey and spices

Poêlée de Saint Jacques au Pinot Gris
Holy Jacque's panful in Gray Pinot

Carré de veau à la crème et aux morilles
Square of calf to the cream and morels

Paillasson de choucroute ou nouilles larges à l'alsacienne
Door mat of sauerkraut or noodles broad to the alsatian one

Munster traditionnel avec croûtons de pain grillé au beurre
Traditional Munster with toasted heels and butter

Crème brûlée au Gewurztraminer
Cream burned in Gewurztraminer

Difficult to choose really, isn't it?

7 comments:

y.Wendy.y said...

I wonder if there's anymore of Holy Jacques Panful available? Sounds obscene to me but in a deliciously naughty way.

Classic stuff...had a good guffaw.

Princesse Ecossaise said...

mmm miam miam!

It's amazing that people still expect to get away with using the online translators these days! In my university class students who couldn't be bothered would hand in essays which made NO sense whatsoever - kind of like this menu! I suppose the teachers had a good laugh though!

meredic said...

Superb. Reminds me of the time a girlfriend of mine sat back from the table while we were visiting friends near Libourne. She searched her french for the words and placing her hands on her belly announced to all (in french) that she was full.
Raised eyebrows all round and a couple of knowing looks in my direction.
Took me ages to figure it out.

christina said...

Mmm...door mat of sauerkraut. That would go down well in these parts.

Dee said...

My husband does translating and we use to roll on the floor laughing because some of the dishes when translated literally actually came out just like this. I would have to research the recipe in english in order to see what it was and how it was actually made. It was more trouble than it was worth.
He finally told them not to send him any more menus to translate.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely hilarious!! I work as a Spanish Interpreter/Translator, and it always amazes (and highly amuses) me when staff at the hospital will hand me a document that they have "translated" and ask me if it is alright. It's nice to know that I won't be replaced by a machine in the near future!

Delana@dujour said...

Love these! Before I try to translate anything, I always check my google translator for a good laugh. Recently, while taking classes here in France to get my massage certificate, I was given a list of French to English translations to use with my clients. Apparently, a "mechanical" translator was used, because the first thing I'm supposed to say when meeting a client is ""Hello, mister, how can I feel you?" I hope to make a fortune!

Confinement

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