The Spiegel column by Bastian Sick has turned to common translation errors.

I have complained about the trivialization of translation before. Sick, in an article on false friends, looks at the old chestnuts Silikon / Silizium, Billion and sensitiv, and a few other terms too. Well, for those who like this kind of thing, this is probably the kind of thing they like.

The column is called Zwiebelfisch, literally onion fish, a term meaning WF (wrong font) and similar to widow or orphan (both Schusterjunge – cobbler’s boy – in English, I believe – but what is Hurenkind?)

Bild vom 8. August, Stadtpark Fürth
(Click to enlarge)

I was checking up on the appearance of electronic anklets and came across this nice Chinese site.

bq. China national Jiangsu Province Jingjiang City Anhua Police Equipment Factory is specializing in producing police equipment. It’s main products of more than 30 varieties include handcuffs,fetters, plastic PE spontoons,spontoons, extension spontoons, electric spontoons, electric torches, traffic batons, rainproof, reflector coats, body armor,bayonet-proof coats, crash helmets,police belts, stop sign,police rope, portable road-blocks, peltate plates, test device for alcoholicity, tear-gas device, net-ejection device, hand metal locator, police rope and police whistle.

The test for alcoholicity seems worth preserving. Spontoons made it into Wikipedia too.

bq. A Spontoon is type or European lance that came into being after the pike-man craze, coming into play in the middle of the 17th century. Also called the European half pike, this very much resembled a pike that had a much shorter staff; usually no more than 7 feet long. The spontoon is remembered for being more of a signaling weapon than a polearm of war.

Why Germans who book loungers with their towels are not in the right.

I must have forgotten to recommend Ralf Höcker’s Lexikon der Rechtsirrtümer, an interesting paperback for those who want to read some legal German. Interesting and not trivializing or joky.

Now the Neues Lexikon der Rechtsirrtümer has appeared.

The Guardian has an article on this:

bq. A new German book of popular legal errors seeks to end years of Anglo-German holiday bickering over the rights and wrongs of bagging the best sun loungers with the strategic deployment of towels.
Furious British tourists have gained an unlikely ally in the form of German lawyer Ralf Höcker, who told the Guardian that his research into Spanish and German law had revealed that leaving towels on loungers was not legally binding.

bq. “A British tourist would be quite within their legal rights to ignore the reservation implied by the towels if there is nobody there,” said Cologne-based Mr Höcker, 34.

(Via eric haber’s blog)

Clifford Chance has succeeded in getting a 24-hour alcohol licence for its Canary Wharf Building, according to the Independent Online.

bq. A Clifford Chance spokes-woman said the firm had applied for the licence so it could serve drinks to clients at any time of day. “Often our lawyers will be working through the night on transactions with clients and will need refreshment,” she said. “And then there will be celebrations when a deal is concluded in the small hours.”

I’m a bit ignorant on the law – I would have assumed it was OK to keep a few cases of champagne on hand – but I suppose they’re selling it.