A recent comment on my IKEA entry refers to the famous story that the Chevrolet Nova sold badly in Latin America because Nova means no va (‘doesn’t go’). This is a legend, and there are a number of other translation legends. It is debunked in detail on the Snopes Urband Legends pages.

bq. … the phrase “no va” (literally “doesn’t go”) and the word “nova” are distinct entities with different pronunciations in Spanish: the former is two words and is pronounced with the accent on the second word; the latter is one word with the accent on the first syllable. Assuming that Spanish speakers would naturally see the word “nova” as equivalent to the phrase “no va” and think “Hey, this car doesn’t go!” is akin to assuming that English speakers woud spurn a dinette set sold under the name Notable because nobody wants a dinette set that doesn’t include a table.

bq. This is another one of those tales that makes its point so well — just like the apocryphal one about George Washington and the cherry tree — that nobody wants to ruin it with a bunch of facts. Nonetheless, we’re here to ruin it.

Just a minute – the story about George Washington and the cherry tree is untrue?! But I learnt that at junior school…

I realize I am risking attracting a lot more comments with other translation myths in them. Recounting translation (and machine translation) myths is a popular activity that can get rather boring.

More mysterious signs have appeared:

(No bill stickers – Those damaging this will be held liable/ Rent this advertising space)

(Five semi-detached houses being built)

Here is the Amtsgericht (local court, lower court of first instance in criminal and civil matters) in Fürth on October 4th (back to normal from October 16th).

And here is a picture of the law firm mentioned earlier. Perhaps I did them an injustice: it’s clear that the 2.5 m moving of the vehicle lets both parties’ advertising appear in the best light.

This story from Salon News was reported on the Forensic Linguistics mailing list (thanks to Gillian Grebler).

The girl is 5 and her Hispanic father has been in prison for 5 years, so she doesn’t speak Spanish. Her mother requested that speaking Spanish be a condition of visitation (or access as we at least used to call it in BE – in BE we talk about a visitationof the plague but not of a parent).
The father talks English some of the time, but also tries to teach his daughter about Spanish and some terms.

bq. The judge did not oppose such instruction, but said the rest of the communication should be in English for the sake of the girl’s education.
“The principal form of communication during the periods of visitation is going to be English,” Reagan said. “That does not mean that you can’t instruct and teach her the Hispanic language.”

Good news from Robin Bonthrone, of Fry and Bonthrone:

The EU has adopted some of the International Accounting Standards (but not yet IAS 32, IAS 39 and related interpretation (SICs).

The text is available online: English version / German version.

You have to click on the little ‘1’ to get a PDF file of the Official Journal.

The texts are available in the other 9 official languages too (click on abbreviation at top of page).

This is great news, as the easiest way to get them so far has been as thick books often updated.

See also Robin Bonthrone’s article on German Financial Accounting translation in the Translation Journal.

Since the September 11th attacks, there has been a lot of talk about the U.S. not having enough translators and interpreters for Arabic and other ‘terrorist’ languages, and now this is in the news in connection with Guantanamo Bay, familiarly known as Gitmo (16 languages).

In this connection, the American Translators Association (ATA) has had national U.S. TV appearances by its PR co-Chair Kevin Hendzel (of ASET).

These can be seen online or downloaded via the ATA website (streaming audio and video).