Traduzione - Arte e professione » Lighter side of trans/interp »
Off topic: No smoking / white button
Iniziatore argomento: Schpella
Schpella
Schpella
Local time: 15:15
Mar 12, 2009

I am a newbie here and I didn't have the time to read through the whole forum, so I apologize if this one is old.




The story goes like this: somewhere in Germany, the owners of a supermarket decided to put out a sign that would say "No smoking" in several languages and thought they should put it down in serbian-croatian language also.

... See more
I am a newbie here and I didn't have the time to read through the whole forum, so I apologize if this one is old.




The story goes like this: somewhere in Germany, the owners of a supermarket decided to put out a sign that would say "No smoking" in several languages and thought they should put it down in serbian-croatian language also.

Obviously they didn't consult a professional translator, but they knew that the serbian-croatian translation of "no smoking" (zabranjeno pušenje) is also a name of a famous Bosnian rock band. I guess they've just taken a wild guess and put the name of the wrong band on the sign...

So basically, the sign says "No smoking" in german, english, italian and turkish... and in serbian-croatian, it says "Bijelo dugme", which means "White button". ▲ Collapse
 
Xanthippe
Xanthippe
Francia
Local time: 15:15
Membro (2008)
Da Italiano a Francese
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
unbelievable.... Mar 12, 2009

unbelievable... I don't know if I would laugh or cry .....

People would better pay a professional translator....
 
pltsanve
pltsanve
Slovenia
Local time: 15:15
Da Inglese a Sloveno
+ ...
A heavy one Mar 12, 2009

and might be amusing to those who understand the language and know those bands. However, I doubt that whoever ordered that translation would agree with the amusement part.

Hard to believe it's true, although I'm sure we've all seen cases much worse than this.

Thank you for sharing

BR
Vesna
 
Kemal Mustajbegovic
Kemal Mustajbegovic  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:15
Da Inglese a Croato
+ ...
That's actually... Mar 12, 2009

...translation into Bosnian.

In Croatian it would be "Prljavo kazalište" (Dirty Theatre") and in Serbian "Riblja čorba" (Fish Stew).

Don't you just love those penny pinchers.
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia-Erzegovina
Local time: 15:15
Membro (2009)
Da Inglese a Croato
+ ...
lol Mar 12, 2009

Is this a joke ?

Yes, "Bijelo dugme " is a popular Bosnian rock band from the 70ies.

Both " Bijelo dugme ( White Button) " and " Zabranjeno pušenje ( No Smoking)" are Bosnian music bands.

" laughs "

[Edited at 2009-03-12 16:01 GMT]
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderatore(i) di questo Forum
NancyLynn[Call to this topic]
Laureana Pavon[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

No smoking / white button






Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »