Sure, We Market Your Property To Farangs....

[Greenside]

Seen recently in the classifieds....

"Neighborhood businesses Center. New on the street so jealous. Very convenient. There are buses running through the unit for 24 hours for it to move in furniture, flat screen TV, microwave, refrigerator, 32-inch or a bunch of hot air out of the system's key cabinet 38 price 1,200,000 THB.Transfer half."

Oh, the perils of Google Translate

[rene123]

Thanks for the laugh, Greenside. You should be there with your camera to photograph the process.

[siam2007]

surprising that even some rather reputable real-estate-companies (but only those Thai-owned) in PTY use google translation to create "content in foreign languages".

The translations from and into THAI from most languages on google is such wonderful rubbish and nonsense that I am having a good laugh everytime I read one.

what those companies not realize is that such thing will rather scare away prospective customers than attract them.....

do it right or let it be......

[NeverSure]

Thanks for the good laugh. I'd just love to have buses running through it...

When I need to translate Thai to English I use this one. I can almost always understand it well because it transliterates.

[Wallich]

And this one.....

[DowntownAl]

There is a new building going up in my neighbourhood that not only do they "No Fight" but they have "Comfortably Parking"

[Rancid]

surprising that even some rather reputable real-estate-companies (but only those Thai-owned) in PTY use google translation to create "content in foreign languages".

The translations from and into THAI from most languages on google is such wonderful rubbish and nonsense that I am having a good laugh everytime I read one.

what those companies not realize is that such thing will rather scare away prospective customers than attract them.....

do it right or let it be......

Mind you some of the people that write the Thai signs do a pretty good job of butchering English as well. Just saw Astra Condo ad naming it Proud of the North. Maybe they also use Google.

[Meisgq]

For a good number of the foreign folks living in thailand, these examples are still better than what ya'll can do with thai.

[TommoPhysicist]

For a good number of the foreign folks living in thailand, these examples are still better than what ya'll can do with thai.

Most people running a business would have the common sense to have everything proof read by a native speaker.

[Greenside]

Most people running a business would have the common sense to have everything proof read by a native speaker.

You've got to be joking. Almost no-one running a business here will suffer the loss of face involved in letting a farang correct their translations, let alone advise on the kind of monumental faux pas that allows signs like the one below to make it onto the street. This poor person probably had stationery and brochures printed up that are now covered in stickers since they did finally change the name.

How about the giant McDonald's billboard that still says "6 Locations At Chiang Mai"?

That said, this thread was just meant to highlight the meaning mangling power of Google Translate so don't let's get too critical.

Here's another bit of brilliant marketing:

"You're looking a bit down - why not pop round to the dentist..."

More silly stuff here.

Edited January 16, 2013 by Greenside