Bad translation

Machine translations can be a wonderful convenience if you don’t speak the local language. The best-known machine translator is Google Translate and there is a hoard of others. Just go to the Apple App Store or Google Play. A quick translation can be really handy when you need to ask, “Wo ist die Toilette?” Machine translations do better with single words, but they get a little iffy when it comes to translating phrases and whole sentences. Since this is a plumbing magazine, we couldn’t pass up this collection of bad translations about public restrooms. All of these come from the website Engrish.com which, come to think of it, doesn’t sound very politically correct. Engrish.com has a wide-ranging collection of bad translations on clothing items and store signs too. It’s a good way to kill some time. No doubt somebody in Asia has a photo gallery of Americans with Kanji character tattoos that actually read, “I’m an idiot.”