Say Anything to Anyone, Anywhere: 5 Keys To Successful Cross-Cultural Communication

Chapter 15

Triple Cross-Translate

Who Wrote These Instructions?

Although multicultural written communication can be challenging, it’s nothing compared with the challenge of achieving effective verbal translation. There is nothing worse than having something poorly translated into another language.

Not long ago, I referred to an instruction manual for how to change a battery on a technical device. The battery section had one of the most hilarious translations I’ve ever seen. It was so funny that I read the entire manual and couldn’t believe what I was reading! I would love to know how they came up with that translation. We now use those instructions as an example of how not to translate in all of our cross-cultural training courses.

The translation for what the instruction manual says about batteries is as follows.

Caution in Using Battery

Do not use in driving and walking since any accident could be happened. Do not have a short circuit, disassemble, heat or put battery in the fire, and do harm to eyes, also could cause the rupture of a doctor!

This is where you ask yourself—as I did—“Who wrote those instructions?”

Figure 15.1

Perhaps the most disappointing part is that the company responsible for the translation is a well-known technology company. How embarrassing for them to have this example of poor translation distributed all over the world.

This isn’t the first time that ...