The Jelly Donut Awards: 2009

Translation was a hot topic in 2009 – but sometimes for the wrong reasons.

That’s why Accredited Language Services is announcing the first annual Jelly Donut Awards – recapping the top 5 real translation, interpreting and localization mistakes of the year.

The Jelly Donut Awards pay tribute to one of the most infamous translation mistakes in US history: John F. Kennedy’s pronouncement “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Although it was intended to express his empathy for the citizens of Berlin, Kennedy’s German phrase actually translated to “I am a jelly donut.”

From the highest levels of international politics to the ad campaigns of multinational corporations, the year saw some big translation mistakes – all of which could have been prevented by professional, accurate translation services.

5) Lions and Tigers and Translations – Oh My!

A translation mistake this fall resulted in an unexpected gift for Korea’s wildlife, according to Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

When hosting Russia’s head of Natural Resources Management, Vladimir Kirillov, a Korean government official commented on the beauty of Siberian tigers, a limited number of which survive only in Eastern Russia.

Although the official stated that “Korea is very interested in Siberian tigers,” his interpreter asked Kirillov to consider donating a tiger.

Kirillov proposed the gift upon his return to Russia, and the tiger is now living in the wilds of Korea as part of a environmental cooperation initiative – all due to a translation mistake!

4) Game Over

Fans of the controversial – and resoundingly popular – game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 might be confused by a translation mistake in the Japanese release.

In the American version, the Russian villain Vladimir Mararov organizes a massacre at a Russian airport (spoiler alert!). The player’s character, an undercover CIA agent, is instructed not to speak Russian, since Mararov intends to frame the Americans for the attack.

But in Japan, Mararov’s line, “Remember, no Russian,” was translated as “Kill ’em; they’re Russians.” The translation error didn’t set up Mararov’s plan to frame the Americans and left Japanese players confused as to why Mararov kills their CIA character and leaves his body and CIA identification at the scene of the crime.

3) Look Before You Cross

Visitors to Cardiff should have looked both ways before they crossed the street this past summer, according to a translation mistake reported by the BBC.

A temporary road sign cautioning “pedestrians look left” in English was translated for Welsh readers as “cerddwyr edrychwch i’r dde” – “pedestrians look right.”

The translation mistake was noticed and the sign replaced – but the error could have led to some troubling accidents for Welsh speakers!

2) Microsoft Misjudgment

Not all translation mistakes are verbal. Localization of words and design can play a big part in transmitting a message to a specific audience – and on a recent Polish website, Microsoft took localization a little too far.

The original website image featured three racially diverse people sitting around a conference table. The Polish version replaced an African-American man’s face with a Caucasian one -  but forgot to alter the man’s hand too.

1) Translation Overload

In March, US and Russian leaders came together to talk about foreign policy matters, from counter-terrorist measures to nuclear capabilities. Although major topics progressed smoothly, one small translation mistake had a big public profile.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a “reset button,” symbolizing the renewal of relations between the powers.

But the English word “reset” had been translated to the Russian “peregruzka” – meaning “overcharged” or “overloaded.”

Lavrov laughed off this translation mistake, but the photo op of the two politicians pressing the button lost its international significance – and instead became a global translation joke.

Stay tuned for the winners of next years’ awards – but avoid being one of them. Professional, accurate translation services can help anyone avoid next year’s big translation mistake!