We have already written about the importance of professional translation. But sometimes the text that needs to be translated seems so simple and short that many people fall into a common trap thinking any computer program can manage the task for free or for very little money.

Sometimes everything turns out ok. But it happens more out of luck, while the whole Internet is filled with stories and pictures of funny, ridiculous and even cute mistranslations. In this article, we have gathered some examples of mistranslations that we have come across in our life, as well as some of the “best masterpieces” that we found online, produced by machine translation and enthusiastic amateur translators.

1. You won’t find many girls nowadays who haven’t heard of the Mattel Company and the toys it produces. One of our employees bought a product of the company and was amazed to see that the Monster High trade name turned into “Изверг Высокий” in Russian. Well, why not? 😉 It’s high time we make the strict standards concerning the translation of trade names a bit more lax. And the spelling mistakes add a nice finishing touch of this masterpiece.

2. This is a classic example of machine translation into Russian. We thought it would be best to translate it into English with Google. Maybe it will recognize the text it once translated and translate it back correctly? Here’s what it says, “This insole will apply the most advanced manufacturing drugs by prescription, has preventive dermatoffitozoy leg and sterilizes mold. Especially for dermafitozoy foot rot legs etc. “

3. Just in case the previous description didn’t make you run to the next store to look for these miraculous insoles, the manufacturers have posted a very polite request (machine translated, of course) on the other side of the package: “Please buy athleticism insoles” (back translation done with Google Translate).

4. Thanks to a good friend who sent us the next picture:

5. Would you like to have a unique car? Maybe here’s what you need? Just look at some of its advantages: “Quality car from China. Enhanced hydra wheel steering, flammable housekeeper aviary glove Instant Sells condom driver and passenger a comfortable couch for the neck and the head.” Hmm, translating it back with Google made it sound much better for some reason 😉

6. Did you know that some T-shirts actually have souls? We have seen it with our own eyes, so we know:

7. This translation masterpiece has become very popular online. Although this article says that the English translation is not so bad compared to the original:

8. Do you know how to slip and fall down carefully? Please teach us!

9. Hungry? Maybe order the meal number 2? The translator must have been really tired since he or she didn’t care what it is 🙂

10. A strange and scary warning finishes our list of funny mistranslations today. Ladies, watch out!

Looks like people are right saying “If you think professional services are too expensive, wait till you hire an amateur”. If you need a translation, please hire a professional to do it.