looking an ass?
It isn’t often that translation makes the national news but this story caught our attention.
Thousands of fire safety leaflets in Scotland have been withdrawn because a wrong translation in the leaflet’s Urdu version mixed ‘gadda’ (cushion) with a ‘gadha’ (donkey). The leaflet, entitled ‘Fire Kills - You Can Prevent It’, was produced by the Scottish Executive and has been available to the public for five years. Its mistranslation has only now been brought to the notice of the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service. The leaflet’s English version reads: “Never jump straight out of a window. Lower yourself onto cushions, etc. But the Urdu translation read “Never jump out of a window straight. Put yourself on a donkey.” A Scottish Executive spokesperson apologised for the error and said: “Since this leaflet was translated in 2001, quality control on translated material has been improved by running a system that includes proof-reading.”
Some translation companies offer proofreading as an add-on to their translation services, chargeable extra. Since communiqué has always seen proofing as an integral part of the whole process, it is included in the standard service.
