I remember the Japanese manual thing from my first motorcycle, a demon-possessed Honda 250. "Please to take the 10 mm T-handle spanner to the dynamo securing nut," etc., etc.

You really have to speak another language--not necessarily the same target language--to translate properly. The true test, of course, is that when you translate it back into the original the meaning is intact. With the benefit of a BA in Slavic Languages and more than passing familiarity with the Romance languages, I am confident translating from English into Spanish, French, and German, but I always double check on the back end. Literal meanings usually are not sufficient.

Another goody in the vein which Mac cited was translating the phrase "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" into Russian, which reportedly came back as "the vodka is good, but the steak is lousy." Those were supposed to be computerized translations. Rumor has it that an actual translator was working with Pepsi's slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi generation." Apparently it was rendered in Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead." cool

R.

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."