Pay atttention:
“Assembly Procedure:
1. Be tights part E with part I together by fitting M. Also can be installation handle part J in this side.
2. Be tights part D with part H together by fitting M. Like a step No. 1. And may be installation handle in this side too.
- Use corner fitting to be holds the Bottle rack.”
That’s an excerpt from the winning (losing?) entry in the 2003 Worst Manual Contest, sponsored by Technical Standards, a documentation staffing and projects company. This is the third year they’ve sponsored the contest, which offers a prize of $100 to the person who submits the worst (best?) entry. Presumably, the creators of the entries aren’t stepping forward to be part of the competition.
The thing about most of these entries is that, like in the excerpt above, they were obviously translated — poorly –into English, with hilarious results. But… you’ve got to wonder: wouldn’t it make sense for the errors to go both ways? What are the odds that one of your projects isn’t causing befuddlement and hilarity in some foreign language? The Open Directory lists over 1800 companies specializing in translation in Europe and North America. Any ideas on how can you make sure your translation is accurate?