Line #20 Main/BlindIdiotTranslation


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5	[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_hand_grenade_translation.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:249:Fire extinguishers before the 20th century were grenade-like devices, but nobody updated this translator.]]
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11	->''"Caution: do not take while consuming alcohol or impregnating heavy machinery." I guess they let the kudzu write the labels again.''
12	-->-- '''Suicide''', ''[[WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum Just One Letter]]''
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14	A "Blind Idiot" Translation is a translation from one language to another where the translation is overly literal, grammatically incorrect, very awkward, or clearly misses what the word or phrase was supposed to mean. If a translation is complete gibberish with absolutely no relation to what is actually being said, it is a TranslationTrainWreck. Sometimes overlaps with GratuitousForeignLanguage.
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16	The problems with "blind idiot" translations can be so bad that such translations can be prohibited. California State Law prohibits translating the phrase "notary public" into Spanish as "notario publico" (California Government Code, § 8219.5 (c)), because instead of translating into "someone who can authenticate signatures and take oaths", the phrase translates into "government official" or "attorney".
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18	The name is not intended to be an insult against the translator (although it works just as well that way), hence the quotation marks: "[[BeamMeUpScotty blind idiot]]" is a RecursiveTranslation of the old saying "out of sight, out of mind". A computer in a lab was running a beta of some translation software package and translated "out of sight, out of mind" -- meaning "if you hide something, sometimes people forget that it existed in the first place" -- into Chinese and back to English, and the printout read "invisible idiot", which mutated further into "blind idiot".
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20	Compare RecursiveTranslation. Also see JapaneseRanguage, AsianSpeekeeEngrish, and IntentionalEngrishForFunny, where jokes are made about odd pronunciations. Can lead to BiteTheWaxTadpole. When someone tries to speak another language and fails horribly in this fashion, it's MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels. Especially hilarious cases may fall under GoodBadTranslation. Can be used intentionally in a GagDub, if necessary with a dose of MondegreenGag.
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22	There are pages contributing humorous examples of misguided translations. Perhaps the most popular one is [[http://engrish.com/ Engrish.com.]]
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24	Contrast with GoldenTranslator. (Though that has a meaning a little more complex than simply "good translator", although it broadly overlaps with such. See page for details.)
25	----
26	!!Examples:
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28	[[index]]
29	* BlindIdiotTranslation/AnimeAndManga
30	* BlindIdiotTranslation/ComicBooks
31	* BlindIdiotTranslation/ComicStrips
32	* BlindIdiotTranslation/FanWorks
33	* BlindIdiotTranslation/FanSubs
34	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Film}}
35	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Folklore}}
36	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Jokes}}
37	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Literature}}
38	* BlindIdiotTranslation/LiveActionTV
39	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Music}}
40	* BlindIdiotTranslation/TabletopGames
41	* BlindIdiotTranslation/VideoGames
42	* BlindIdiotTranslation/{{Webcomics}}
43	* BlindIdiotTranslation/WebOriginal
44	* BlindIdiotTranslation/WesternAnimation
45	* BlindIdiotTranslation/RealLife
46	[[/index]]
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Context Main / BlindIdiotTranslation