I guess we\u2019ve all stared in frustrated confusion or amusement at the badly translated instructions that arrive with our latest \u2018made in China\u2019 acquisition.<\/p>\n
A few days ago Geoff bought a tactical torch for his airsoft rifle from the Chinese stall on the market here in Pontremoli. It\u2019s well made, well presented, and with a lot of useful attachments. However, when we tried to read the instructions printed inside the box, we had a few problems. They are meant to be written in Italian, but in reality they must have been translated from Chinese into Italian via English using some kind of translation software. The end result is comical and in places incomprehensible. Here\u2019s an extract copied from the box, let\u2019s see if we can rearrange them into something useful (original text in red<\/font>):<\/p>\n Attenzione<\/font> <\/strong>= Warning<\/p>\n 1. Non guardare direttamente la luce.<\/strong><\/font> OK, this first sentence is correct: it uses the infinitive of the verb to give impersonal instructions, there aren\u2019t any spelling or grammatical mistakes, the vocabulary is fine = do not look directly at the light.<\/p>\n 2. Non interferire con la testa di torcia o separare il bulbo e il.<\/strong><\/font> This is where things start to get interesting, let\u2019s have a look:<\/p>\n interferire<\/strong> = to interfere, is too generic, it would be better to use manomettere <\/strong>= to tamper with<\/p>\n la testa di<\/u> torcia<\/strong> this should be la testa della<\/u> torcia<\/strong> = the head of the torch<\/p>\n il bulbo<\/strong> = the bulb. In Italian we only use il bulbo<\/strong> on its own to refer to the bulb of a plant. For a light bulb we use la lampadina<\/strong> or il bulbo della lampadina<\/strong><\/p>\n finally we have a have a full stop after that mysterious final \u201cil\u201d<\/strong>: what is this \u201cil\u201d<\/strong> I really want to know? Let\u2019s have a guess: what they probably meant t say was \u201cremove the bulb\u201d = rimuovere la lampadina<\/strong><\/p>\n So let\u2019s reconstruct the sentence into correct Italian: Non manomettere la testa della torcia o rimuovere la lampadina<\/strong> <\/strong>= do not tamper with the head of the torch or remove the bulb<\/p>\n 3. Pulire torcia elettrica con l\u2019utilizzo afteer morbido tessuto. In caso di rugosit\u00e0 causando erosione del movimento della torcia, cercare di chiarire ed all\u2019aria<\/strong>.<\/font> The first part is more or less understandable, but we need a definite article before torcia<\/strong>, l\u2019utilizzo<\/strong> (the usage) is redundant, and morbido<\/strong> and tessuto<\/strong> are back to front. Then we have a strange Dutch sounding word: afteer<\/strong> \u2026 what\u2019s that all about?<\/p>\n The second part of the sentence is totally incomprehensible: the gerund causando<\/strong> (causing) would work in English but not in Italian, and erosione<\/strong> is a geological term not applicable in this context, furthermore, how roughness can cause the \u2018erosion of the movement\u2019 is a mystery to me. Ma il bello viene ora<\/strong> (but here comes the best bit): cercare di chiarire ed all\u2019aria<\/strong> = try to clarify and in the air! I\u2019ve puzzled long and hard over this one but I still can\u2019t understand what they are trying to say. Any suggestion anyone?<\/p>\n Oh well, here\u2019s my correction of the understandable part of the sentence: Pulire la torcia elettrica con un tessuto morbido<\/strong> = clean the electric torch with a piece of soft fabric.<\/p>\n 4. Grasso al silicone pu\u00f2 essere applicato all\u2019interfaccia<\/strong><\/font> = Silicone grease can be applied to the interface. Grammatically this sentence is correct, (complimenti<\/strong>) but what exactly is the interface (l\u2019interfaccia<\/strong>) of a torch? Help!<\/p>\n 5. Togliere la batteria se non viene utilizzato per un lungo periodo di tempo e mantenere in un luogo asciutto diretta place. Avoid luce solare<\/strong>.<\/font> I love this final sentence! It kind of makes sense, but I have the impression that they were getting a bit bored and decided to throw all the words, both Italian and English, into a hat and pull them out at random!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s my guess at what they wanted to say: Togliere la batteria dalla torcia se non viene utilizzata per un lungo periodo di tempo e conservare in un luogo asciutto. Evitare l\u2019esposizione diretta alla luce solare<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Would anyone care to share some amusing gobbledygook instructions with us? Feel free to leave a comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I guess we\u2019ve all stared in frustrated confusion or amusement at the badly translated instructions that arrive with our latest \u2018made in China\u2019 acquisition. A few days ago Geoff bought a tactical torch for his airsoft rifle from the Chinese stall on the market here in Pontremoli. It\u2019s well made, well presented, and with a…<\/p>\n