While most people, or at least translators, seem to agree that translation software is no replacement for a professional, human translation, I have often heard the opinion that a program like Google Translate is good for getting a basic understanding of subject matter if only for personal use. But it looks like translation software can muddle even the shortest of phrases and names making comprehensibility impossible. For instance:
God save the queen – Gott speichert die Königin
Buckingham Palace – Kompensationsschinkenpalast
Hamlet – Dörfchen
Downing Street – Niederwerfende Straße
These are just a few of the hilarious examples in Ute Brammertz’s book ‘God save the Queen – God speichert die Königin’. Ute Brammertz is a writer, editor and translator from Munich now living in Oxford. She has compiled a list of German-English translations found on the internet. The list turned into a small book with German language commentary, which I can recommend for any German – English translator’s entertainment.
