The importance of correct translation becomes especially evident when errors are discovered. The talent of a translator lies not so much in the knowledge of foreign languages ​​as in attention to detail and the ability to analyze the big picture. Even a small error sometimes leads to serious or even tragic consequences. Inaccuracies in transcriptions change the course of events. Using the expression "to be out of place", we do not even guess where this phraseological unit came from.

Bright Side  found fatal mistakes made by translators - some of them even changed the course of history.

Khrushchev's "threat"

In 1956, in the midst of the Cold War, First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev spoke at the Polish embassy in front of representatives of different countries. To the surprise of those present, Nikita Sergeevich  said : “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you! " Western media perceived the words of the Soviet leader as a direct threat. In fact, Khrushchev wanted to quote Karl Marx that the proletariat is the gravedigger of capitalism, and the translator translated the phrase verbatim.

The correct translation should have sounded differently: "Socialism is more effective, so it will outlive capitalism." This is not to say that the phrase sounds friendlier, but this is more a thesis from the book than a threat to the West.

Have the pip

The phraseologism popular in Russia came to us from the French language. In the 18th century, Russian aristocrats mistranslated "ne pas être dans son assiette", which actually means "to be in an unseen position." The fact is that the word assiette  has  two meanings: "plate" and "position of the body when riding". However, the general public liked the imagery of the expression so much that it quickly took root.

Why was Eve created from Adam's rib?

Many of us are convinced that the first woman, Eve, was created from the rib of the first man, Adam. And we are not wondering why exactly from the rib. In fact, this basic knowledge is nothing more than a  mistake of the  translator, who did not know that the Hebrew word tsela has two meanings: "edge" and "reflection". Therefore, the phrase should sound like this: "God created a woman as a reflection of a man."

Jimmy Carter's awkward proposal

In 1977, US President Jimmy Carter visited Poland. He took an expert in translations from Polish with him as his assistants. Carter  began  his speech with a greeting: "I have come to ask your opinion and understand what the Polish people want from the future." The translator turned the president's innocent phrase into the version "I want to have an intimate relationship with the Poles."

The troubles did not end there. The leader's words, “I left the United States this morning,” sounded in Polish as “I left the United States to never return,” which greatly excited the public. Later, the president's speech became the reason for numerous jokes.
 

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The famous saying of Christ “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” is found twice in the Bible. While some believe that this is a hyperbole, others believe that the narrow fortress gate in Jerusalem was called the eye of a needle.

In fact, the poetic dictum  arose  from the negligence of the translator, who confused the words kamelos, which means "camel," and kamilos, "rope, rope." Therefore, it would be more correct to sound "It is easier to stretch a rope through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

"Dog" islands

The toponym "Canary" comes from the Latin Canariae Insulae, which literally means "Dog Islands". According to another version, seals used to be called dogs, united there in large colonies.
 

Waitangi Treaty

In 1840, the British signed  an agreement  with the Maori tribes   to transfer New Zealand to British control. This treaty is considered to be the basis for the creation of the state of New Zealand. The agreement was originally written in English and then quickly translated overnight by a local missionary. The Maori text contained a large number of errors and discrepancies with the original, due to which there were many contradictions. Local residents agreed to the terms without delving into the content.

After both sides signed the agreement, the settlers gained full control over the aborigines and the ability to sell land, which was not spelled out in the translated document. Dissatisfied Maori staged armed uprisings, and the new authorities suppressed them because the tribes did not fulfill the treaty. By the end of the 19th century, the New Zealand authorities decided that the papers had no legal effect.

Spread the thought along the tree

The well-known expression “to spread one's thoughts along the tree”, that is, to talk on abstract topics and go into unnecessary details, also arose due to an incorrect translation. For the first time this phrase appears in the "Lay of Igor's Campaign", where "thought" is indicated as "cape", which means "squirrel" in Old Slavonic.

The sentence "Boyan the prophetic, if someone wanted to make a song, the thought spread over the tree, like a gray wolf on the ground, a gray eagle under the clouds" should be translated as follows: "Boyan, folding his song, studied the whole world around him: he ran like a squirrel on a tree, gray wolf - on the ground, flying an eagle in the sky.

A word that cost $ 71 million

In 1980, the Spaniard Willie Ramirez was admitted to an American hospital. The patient was in serious condition, but his family could not explain what happened, as they did not know English. Ramirez had food poisoning. One of the employees of the clinic translated “poisoned” from Spanish as intoxicated, but in English this word is applied only to those who have taken a large dose of drugs or alcohol.

After the wrong diagnosis, doctors  prescribed  treatment, which caused the man to develop complications and paralysis of the limbs. Later, the hospital paid him compensation in the amount of $ 71 million.

Source:  https://www.adme.ru/svoboda-kultura/9-oshibok-pere...ichego-ne-podozrevaya-2067815/

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