"English Translations on Model Directions/Boxes" Topic

Some of my comrades here aren't into plastic models, so I thought I'd share an example of what many of us in the military modeling world have giggled at for many years.

Most model kits come with very good summary histories (a paragraph or two) of the subject kit, sometimes additional information on unit origanization, and always one or more painting guides. Sometimes these are funny as hell to read:
At first it was Tamiya/Fujimi/etc Japanese companies that tortured the english language, now it's the many former Eastern Block countries.

Here's an example from the UniModel (Ukraine) SU-76M in 1:72 scale:

Half-open modernized SAU was developed in 1943 instead of SU-76.  
It was the divisional gun "ZIS-3" on a tracked chassis.  
Self-propelled part of the plant was made on the basis of tanks
T-70 and T-60.  The armoured body protected crew and units from fire
of the enemy.  A turret is immoveable; a gun in a turret was limited 
corners of turn.  The machine in weight was 10.5 tons and had 
the maximal speed 45km/h.  Especially it has proved its usefulness
in street fights on the German territory.  SU-76M has finished war with 
glory.  In total it was manufactured 13932 machines.

As you can see, it's understandable, but very odd…

Sort of a Japaneese Yoda cross kind of speech pattern.

Oh look, aren't the foreigners funny?

I'm fluent in Anglo-Saxon, et vous?

"aren't the foreigners funny"

Only the ones who don't hire the right people to produce their packaging for foreign markets.

Only the ones who don't hire the right people to produce their packaging for foreign markets.

Being able to speak a bit of French I sometimes allow myself a wry smile as I peruse some English to French translations, but don't let that overcome your innate Anglophone superiority :0)

"as I peruse some English to French translations, "

No doubt quite silly. Did I at some point claim that English companies always hire the right translators? The smat ones would recognize a cultural distinction by hiring seperate marketing firms for the non-Englich copy.

The smat ones

*snigger*

Quelle ironie

The boss's nephew got an "A" in Engrish, and his wife has been nagging hin tt give the kid a job.
How hard can it be? Use a dictionary for the hard words.

I remember working at KMArt, when we would get pallets of Dollar Day items.
There was a vise-grip pliers, and the car had handy hints for its use. One showed a frying pan with the handle broken off. Doesn't everyone use a pliers when your handle breaks off?
There was also some electric thingie or other. "Avoid the wet object."

"How hard can it be? "

Truthfully, John, it is pretty hard. But I expect you know that.

I would like to point out that certain native English speakers are able to twist the said language into a hardly understandable format when writing to Internet. Most of them don't get paid for it, though…

Then there is Phil Barker. No idea if he has been paid for hiw writing.

Griefbringer

As someone said elsewhere, some people will take offence to anything.

Connard, it was not meant to put on airs, it was just as it is – a funny translation. If you translate from english to french, you'll have encountered this thing as well.

Go back to bed and get up on the other side.
--
Tim

I didn't take offence, I merely pointed in another direction. None of us are perfect, myself included. I have no doubt that someone in Beijing is laughing at a hamfisted English/Chinese translation

Self awareness seems to be a quality that many in our hobby lack. There's probably a parable about it…

I'm not sure if that 13k production figure is correct either.

Well I giggled, but then whenever I've done anything in a professional capacity (I do graphic design for some international clients) I get professional translators to do the translations :-)

I'm not sure if that 13k production figure is correct either.

Onwar seems to think it is close: link
"Total production of SU-76, SU-76M and ZSU-37 is estimated to be 12661, according to Fleischer. Only "several hundred" ZSU-37 were manufactured from 1944, according to Zaloga."

Actually, I've often seen the thing about what a hash Americans make of translations into foreign languages many times. The dumb American tourist is a standard joke, even in the United states. So, commenting on mediocre translations into English seems fair to me.

Anyway, here's my personal contribution! Today, I was looking at sets of plastic figures at the store. One featured a picture of our scantily clad hero and his gorilla buddies, swinging thhrough the trees, and that set was called

"Tarzan of the Apples."

Grelber

As a german speaker (in addition to my native english) I've seen some pretty horrific translations BOTH ways so I'm used to making allowances as we don't get it right a lot of the time either.
My brother bought a car radio, manufactured in China, with some very strange instructions. However, if you read these in a "Chinese Takeaway" accent it all made perfect sense.
That's done it – now I'm in big trouble with the proprietors of every Chinese Takeaway in the world!

Well, I'll step up to the plate on this one. After teaching in Poland for the past 9 years, I ran across some real zingers. The best are from restaurant menus!

Redbeet soup with ears
Salad a firms own make
Beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion
Roasted duck nuts let loose

If you retranslate these into Polish, they make sense, as these are all classic Polish dishes but make absolutely no sense in English, except for 'rashers' and being an American, I had to ask one of my Brit friends what it was!

"Coca Cola brings your relatives back from the dead"
Chinese ad-early 80s.

Not a wargames exmple but instructions for a tent of "read carefully before first erection" certainly had me chuckling!

Not a wargames exmple but instructions for a tent of "read carefully before first erection" certainly had me chuckling!