As you may already have guessed, I am a fan of translations.  Especially when the result fails to convey the correct meaning of what you are trying to translate.  Especially especially when that result is funny....

Our friends at TVFix have put together an awesome collection of badly translated tv titles.   I feel it is my duty to share them with you:

GLEE = LOSERS
Curious English-Russian translation, however I'm inclined to think that Dave Grohl may agree with this one.
 

JERSEY SHORE = THE NEW JERSEY LIFE OF MACARONI RASCALS
Only Japan could come up with this one.  And I Love them for it.  I can be a macaroni rascal myself when I am hungry enough.  Oh, not that kind of rascal...

THE BRADY BUNCH = THREE GIRLS, THREE BOYS
This is a German translation, Germans being known for their outlandish wackiness.  If they wanted to be pedantic, they should have called it three girls, three boys, one lady, one man and one maid who makes wisecracks.  But they probably didn't have enough room...

BEWITCHED = IN LOVE WITH A WITCH
(German translation) I'm sure many people have had this problem. At least they didn't call it "Nose Wiggler"...

MURDER, SHE WROTE = MURDER IS HER HOBBY
Suddenly I'm looking at Angela Lansbury in a new way...  She seems so nice and unassuming... This is also a German effort.  Again, they must have run out of room from trying to call it "Writing about murder is her hobby"...

KNIGHT RIDER = EL AUTO FANTASTICO (THE FANTASTIC CAR)
I'm willing to go along with this one.  That car IS pretty fantastic...


And I've saved my favourite one for last:

THE X-FILES = AT THE BOUNDARIES OF REALITY
French translation.  Talk about taking the awesomeness out of a title.  Why didn't they just go with "Exciting stuff that nobody ever hears about",  "FBI guys with torches who discover weird things", "Nobody believes me that aliens are actually real", or "Even though I have an implant in my head I seem quite normal to passers by".  Again, probably a space thing...  (yuk, yuk!)

I have somehow managed to strike gold with my Feng Shui search, all I was looking for was plants for balconies and outdoor furniture configurations.

What I found however, was this brilliant gem of what I would assume/hope are erroneous machine translations:

"Feng Shui to help you see how to become Warren"

Good.  That's something I've always been wondering about.


"Do not tank, and the home clash fortuna"

Ok, I promise.  I won't tank.  It sounds kinda dangerous.


"...The toilet, as fierce caused the most scary."

I may just never go in there again.


"...investors are ecstatic, including many never fried anyone"

I know this one, its a Doobie Brothers lyric...


"Non-home Feng Shui is Not Never Trap"

...and hippocampus sends its regards to your kumquat hamster flap.


Following the site's advice to 'fix' a balcony, all you need do is:

"cut the so-called days of evil...just like a knife cut in half the roof..."

Sounds like a lot of work. I think I'll just put in a jade money plant and be done with it.

All text in bold quotations credited to "fengshui-lab.com"

technorati tags: feng, shui, feng shui, balcony, jade plant, chinglish, machine translations

After watching a TV show about sweat shops and hideous working conditions for skilled sewers/tailors/seamstresses, I realised that its easy to forget where our clothing comes from while being caught up in the excitement of shopping online.

I don't want to wear a shirt that took some poor worker 2 hours to make in a stinking horrible room.  I don't want to be responsible for someone sleeping on the floor under their sewing machine and getting paid 2 rupees for something sold at an obscene profit.  

So what is the solution?  How do you avoid the sweat shops and give your money to the companies that profit share with their workers?  How do you ensure that your clothes were not made using child labour?

The answer?  Make the switch to support Fair Trade clothing.

Your purchase can make a huge difference in creating supportive, ethical working environments that empower the workers and fight against poverty, mistreatment and exploitation.



How to check to find out if your latest online purchase is Fair Trade:

1.  Look for the Fair Trade logo







2.  Go to the company website and check in the "about us" section.   If it mentions supporting workers co-ops or profit sharing with the workers, you are on the right track.

3.  Check YouTube for videos of the company's profile and working conditions.

4.  If in doubt, call the company and ask the questions.

Fair Trade Alpargatas (Slippers)
Supports a worker-owned Buenos Aires Co-operative.

Fair Trade "Wear No Evil" T-Shirt

100% Organic Fair Trade cotton.  Made by accredited Fair Trade producers.

You can take this ethos to your everyday shopping as well:

The Ethical Consumer Guide
At a glance, Australian consumers can now check the track record of the companies behind their favourite brands.  Your weekly supermarket shop can make a difference.

technorati tags: fair trade, sweat shop, workers co-operative, profit share, ethical shopping, organic, eco-friendly