# Food Adventures in Translations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276 "2024-12-28T22:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/1 "2024-12-28T22:00:43Z")
Pretty wacky skimping on hiring translators at the fried intestine company. Which is in Taiwan apparently, traditional characters and (New Taiwan) $ price. ‘Signature deep fried large intestine’. ‘炸’ can mean ‘explode’ as in 爆炸 ‘explosion’, but also oil fry as in ‘酥炸’ (deep) fried. [![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_62,w_100,c_scale/v200/188e80e4-e149-4e6c-8e73-78cb99a2da2e) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_62,w_100,c_scale/v200/188e80e4-e149-4e6c-8e73-78cb99a2da2e) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/2 "2024-12-28T22:09:28Z")
A Japanese place I used to eat had something on the menu translated as “Steam Thing”. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/3 "2024-12-28T23:22:22Z")
Or, it could just be a warning. Perhaps the first couple of logographs translate something akin to, “Make sure toilet is working before eating.” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/4 "2024-12-28T23:28:57Z")
For a long time, the Russian market near me had a big sign in the freezer section “Curd Cheese Bars”. When I finally opened the doors and picked one up, it became apparent they meant “Individually Wrapped Chocolate Coated Cheesecake Bites”. They were cheap, delicious and there were many brands and varieties. I miss that store. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/5 "2024-12-28T23:58:31Z")
My personal favorirte bad English on menus in foreign countries is when _crap_ is misspelled as _crap_. Thank you, no. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/6 "2024-12-29T00:44:15Z")
52 bucks for an exploded colon? I guess it’s one of those “we only have to sell one” things. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/7 "2024-12-29T00:58:14Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > My personal favorirte bad English on menus in foreign countries is when _crap_ is misspelled as _crap_. … ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/8 "2024-12-29T01:01:09Z")
Hey, I just discovered that when you want to reply with just an elipsis it is too short for idiot Discourse to allow it (known) and that it would trim it to two dots (known) but if you reply with _five_ dots it will let you _and_ trim off two dots for the proper three. Neat. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/9 "2024-12-29T01:45:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > 52 bucks for an exploded colon? I guess it’s one of those “we only have to sell one” things. $1.59 after the conversion. Cheap colon blow at that price! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/10 "2024-12-29T02:44:24Z")
Dammit. That should be: My personal favorite bad English on menus in foreign countries is when _crab_ is misspelled as _crap_. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/11 "2024-12-29T02:50:03Z")
Huh. My guess was carp. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/12 "2024-12-29T03:31:25Z")
This was at a local supermarket. I think it was some kind of grain beverage. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/v4RV80k.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/v4RV80k) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/13 "2024-12-29T05:11:28Z")
A Polish grocery sometimes has Eegs with Traut, like an amazing boiled egg salad with smoked salmon/trout & scallion except it’s eegs and traut. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/14 "2024-12-29T11:54:29Z")
> [@French word "shampooing"; I'm confused](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-word-shampooing-im-confused/981598/22): > > There was that place called Funny Lunch I once came across. For some reason, I never felt like eating there. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/15 "2024-12-29T13:09:46Z")
My most absurd recollection was in the [**Plaça Reial in Barcelona**](https://www.google.de/maps/search/pla%C3%A7a+reial+barcelona+restaurants/@41.3799816,2.1732357,756m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D), in the corner in the map where you see Roma Reial - Mediterranean Restaurant today. I forgot what the restaurant was called in the mid `90s, but they translated all the dishes with beans (green beans, backed beans…) with jewish women in English and Jüdinnen in German. Green Jewish Women, Baked Jewish Women… Jüdinnen grün, gebackene Jüdinnen… I know why they made this mistake: _judías_ in Spanish means both beans and female jewish person, but still. What I did not understand is why they translated every instance where the word _salmón_ came up as _worm_ in English and _Wurm_ in German: worm teriyaki, Wurm gebraten, worm in tomato sauce, Wurm mit Gemüse… I had lots of fun (still remember it today) and a coffee. In the Hilton Hotel in Hokkaido the breakfast was announced as “Viking style”. I was underwhelmed when I found out they meant breakfast buffet. Japan had lots of unexpected translations, but I did not yet have a digital camera then and did not take pictures. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/16 "2024-12-29T13:20:20Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > In the Hilton Hotel in Hokkaido the breakfast was announced as “Viking style”. I was underwhelmed when I found out they meant breakfast buffet. I think they were aiming for **Smörgåsbord** , which is Swedish for “sandwich board.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/17 "2024-12-29T13:29:29Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > For a long time, the Russian market near me had a big sign in the freezer section “Curd Cheese Bars”. When I finally opened the doors and picked one up, it became apparent they meant “Individually Wrapped Chocolate Coated Cheesecake Bites”. They were cheap, delicious and there were many brands and varieties. I miss that store. They’re called _syrki_ in Russian, from _syr_ (“cheese”). An entrepreneur on _ **Dragon’s Den** _ (aka _ **Shark Tank** _) wanted to market them as “Russian cheesecake.” And yes, they are delicious, especially when they’re filled with jam. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/18 "2024-12-29T17:18:43Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I know why they made this mistake: _judías_ in Spanish means both beans and female jewish person, but still. I would have been even more baffled. In the south Texas dialect of Spanish, beans are frijoles, or lentejas if referring specifically to lentils. I’ve never heard of judias used for beans. At first I thought maybe it was Catalan rather than Spanish, but sure enough Google translate lists judias as one of the words that beans translates into in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/19 "2024-12-29T17:34:48Z")
Indeed, I should have specified that _judías_ is Castillian Spanish for beans, _[fríjoles](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_vulgaris)_ is American Spanish. Catalan calls the pulses _[mongetes](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_vulgaris)_ (little nuns, which is also funny). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276/20 "2024-12-29T17:36:09Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > My most absurd recollection was in the [**Plaça Reial in Barcelona**](https://www.google.de/maps/search/pla%C3%A7a+reial+barcelona+restaurants/@41.3799816,2.1732357,756m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D), in the corner in the map where you see Roma Reial - Mediterranean Restaurant today. I forgot what the restaurant was called in the mid `90s, but they translated all the dishes with beans (green beans, backed beans…) with jewish women in English and Jüdinnen in German. Green Jewish Women, Baked Jewish Women… Jüdinnen grün, gebackene Jüdinnen… I know why they made this mistake: _judías_ in Spanish means both beans and female jewish person, but still. What I did not understand is why they translated every instance where the word _salmón_ came up as _worm_ in English and _Wurm_ in German: worm teriyaki, Wurm gebraten, worm in tomato sauce, Wurm mit Gemüse… I had lots of fun (still remember it today) and a coffee. Both your examples are really hilarious. My own example is rather lame in comparison, when I was on vacation in the late 70s/early 80s with my family in Middelkerke, Belgium (in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium), one restaurant had “Steak mit Pinseln” on the German menu, which translates to “steak with paintbrushes”. We were confused and asked the waiter what it meant, and he or she answered “Oh, it’s a steak with champignons.”, and then the penny dropped, because mushrooms in German means (in the declined dative) “Pilzen”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-adventures-in-translations/1012276.md?page=2)