The Budapest Business Journal presents a little rant about the Hungarian National Office for Translations and Attestations (OFFI):
bq. Everyone has a tale to tell about the creaking grasp of certain languages too often displayed by those who translate for this creaking institution, founded way back in 1869. If youre a native English speaker, for one, a glance at OFFIs website will provide plenty of chuckles, where the text appears in places to have been written in some 19th century form of Hunglish.
bq. The trouble is, of course, is that if a translation has the OFFI seal and jolly little ribbon attached, then for all intents and purposes in the eyes of the law, the pope is Jewish if the OFFI version has it so.
Here is the English OFFI site. There is indeed a contrast in style here:
bq. OFFI Rt.’s operation is supported by modern background technology developed and upgraded over the years while responding to stringent requirements. The core of the IT support is a computer network which not only offers word processing software to support the core business but also handles business administration and provides electronic contacting facilities.
An enjoyable and good rant, esp. the poppycock point of the merits of an experienced, professional translator with NO formal quals. vs. an out-of-touch Uni. professor of languages with a string of useless titles to his or her name.
I wonder, besides, what is a ‘deed of dissolution of marriage’, as offered by OFFI: a private divorce settlement between husband or wife; a court-ordered divorce decree; or something with lashings of goulash non-Hungarian lawyers are not privy to?
Yes, someone had fun writing that.