Förlorad i Översätta (Lost in Translate)

(This post may not be quite as funny for non-swedish speakers, but I will try to accommodate.)

WELL, NOW EXCUSE ME.

I am being totally misquoted, misinterpreted and frankly generally Dissed by Google Translate. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally really glad that it exists, but what it did to me today could lead to wars in the long run.

Background: E. sent me a completely brilliant and entertaining photo album today which inspired me to use the comment function in Picasa Web Albums to give some well-deserved cred.


Little did I know that the overly eager 'Google Translate', (who has apparently flunked the finer nuances of Swedish 101), had some surprises in store that would lead to a series of denial behaviours from me. Behold.

Exhibit A: picture of Lars jumping in the air in an impressively graphic shape

(What I meant to say: "Lars, the human rune". In swedish, 'Lars Rune' is a valid name, and 'Runan' is the main auditorium of the university that E. and I went to...)




Exhibit B: Picture of two people in backlight

This next one needs an explanatory picture.


(What I meant to say: " what a cool shape between the foreheads")


Exhibit C: Picture of a man with a flag

(What I meant to say: "Wow, not a bad flag they have! Really* nice picture")

Jag kapitulerar...

* skit- in swedish is a fully valid and perfectly innocent amplifier prefix. But I guess y'all either think I'm a filthy cussmouth now, or maybe I'm just loath to use the F word in compliments. Geez, I'm classier than that. THANKS Google. ;)

BONUS for swedish speakers! This post run through Google Translate into Swedish is actually redeemingly accurate; but it makes me sound delightfully quaint... ;)