Enjoying dreadful translations

LEVEL: Upper-intermediate to advanced

FOR: Teenagers, adults

TIME: 45-90 min

AIMS: To point out the necessity of "translation in context"

I came across this text in an apartment we stayed at during our skiing holiday in Italy. It was listed as "House Rules". The teacher in me just couldn't help copying it on the spot as I realised it could be exploited in many ways, needless to say - it was hilarious. My intention was not in the least to mock the people who'd drawn it up and translated into English. I simply thought I could use it in my classroom to demonstrate to ss what happens when you "get lost in translation".

As for activities you could do, here are some suggestions:
-ask the ss to read it silently and tell you why it is so funny (eg, the person who wrote it probably translated it from their mother tongue literally - by looking up words in a dictionary)
- pair the ss up and tell them to underline the parts of the text that do make sense
- read aloud paragraph by paragraph and establish what the actual message is
- each pair is given a slip of paper and asked to translate one paragraph of the text into their mother tongue, trying to convey the basic message
- then each pair hands their translation to the pair on their right - now they have to translate the paragraph back into English
- translations are finally compared to the original text
- ask your ss in groups to try and come up with several rules or principles of good translation. My students gave me these: paying attention to the context, changing word order sometimes if it appears more natural, spelling, shifting from passive into active and vice versa, shortening sentences, expanding them when necessarry but always trying to retain the meaning

My students have always found this translation activity hugely enjoyable and extremely useful.

DEAR GUESTS!

WE WELKOME YOU AND WE WISH YOU A PLESANT AND PACEFULL HOLIDAY. IN ORDER TO AVOID UNPLESANT DRAWBACKS DURING YOUR PERMANENCE HERE, WE INVITE YOU TO OBSERVE WHAT FOLLOWS:
1. ARRIVAL - AFTER TAKING POSSESION OF YOUR FLAT, WE ADVISE YOU TO COMMUNICATE US AT ONCE (24 HOURS) EVERY POSSIBLE ANORMALY YOU WILL FIND AUT IN YOUR FLAT, IN ORDER TO AVOID MISANDESTANDING AT THE END OF YOUR LOCATION.

2. SKIIS AND SKIIBOOTS - YOU SCHOULD LEAVE YOUR SKIING EQUIPMENT IN THE SPECIAL STORSROOMS OR CELLARS. PLEASE, NEVER LEAVE IT IN THE LANDING OF THE MAINSTARS.

3. SILEMCE - WE PREY YOU NOT TO DO NOICE (TV,RADIOS, CLATTERING, LOUD VOICE ECC.) ABOVE ALL IN THE FIRST AFTERNOON AND AFTER 22 A CLOCK, BECOUSE OF RECIPROCAL RESPECT.

4. VALUTABLES - THE MANAGEMENT WILL NOT ANSWER FOR VALUTABLES LEFT IN FLATS OR CELLARS.

5. THE RUBBISCH - YOU HAVE TO THROW YUR RUBBISH IN THE SPECIAL RUBBISH-BIN. YOU WILL FIND IT JUST NEARBY YOUR HAUS. PLEASE, NEVER LEAVE IT IN THE LANDING OF THE MAINSTARS.

6. THE HEATING - THE FLAT'S THERMOSTATS HAVE TO BE REGULATET AT MOST 20? . THE CENTRAL HEATING IS FIXED AT THIS TEMPERATURE AND RESPECTS SETTLED TIMES, BECOUSE OF TECHNICAL REASONS. THEREFORE IT WOULD BE UNEUSEFULL TO LIFT IT UP.

7. DEPARTURE - THE FLAT WILL HAVE TO BE RETURNED BY 10 A CLOCK. THE PREAVIOUS DAY YOU HAVE TO INFORM US ABAUT YOUR DEPARTURE'S TIME, ON THE CONTRARY THERE WILL BE A CECK AT OUR DISCRETION. OUR STAFF WILL GIVE YOU YOUR CAUTION MONEY BECK AFTER HAVING CONTROL THE FLAT AND AT A PRE-ARRANGED TIME. AT THE MOMENT OF THE FLAT'S RESTITUTION, IT WILL HAVE TO BE TIDY AND PERFECTLY NEAT, OTHERWISE YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR CLEANING CHARGES.

WE WISCH YOU A PLEASANT HOLYDAY, HOPPENING FOR YOUR POLITE COOPERATION. - AGENZIA GRUENWALD