Indiscriminate use of Google Translate

Written "English" produced by Germans

Toytown Germany > Discussion forum > Themes > Translations

Serenissima

Apr 8 2008, 11:32 am

I received a strange email from an estate agent in relation to employing the services of a surveyor. This is it exactly (with personal details xxx'ed out):

QUOTE

many thanks for theirs mail.
Mr. xxxx is our belly-thing sensible to be recommended, Tel. xxx,

He(It) gladly sits down by mail with you in connection.
Questions with regard to the expiration and expenses should be discussed directly with Mr. xxxx.

With further inquiries with regard to the single-family house Mrs. xxxx, Tel. xxxx, is gladly available to you.

I wonder if someone has just plugged the German equivalent into a website translation service such as Google and took the English 'translation' as accurate? And what is a 'belly-thing'???

Editor Bob

Apr 8 2008, 11:36 am

We get similar things posted to TT by Germans as well.

See this recent private ad for a microwave, for example:

QUOTE (Munichjo)

I want to sell my as good as new one microwaves for just 20.00 €.
Microwave has all his functions, optically and according to function
a big class in silver colour. I sell because of the new-ordered kitchen
If you want to see, I can come up via email the pictures to you.
Only serious prospective customers are searched.
please write to me.

Gobbledygook.

Serenissima

Apr 8 2008, 11:38 am

What I'm worried about is that my German to them is just as much gobbledegook

Allershausen

Apr 8 2008, 11:40 am

QUOTE (Serenissima @ Apr 8 2008, 12:32 pm)

And what is a 'belly-thing'???

The German phrase is Bauchgefühl, which means gut feeling.

mystery

Apr 8 2008, 11:41 am

I want to know what the "belly thing" is too!

Yeah? @allershausen

jester

Apr 8 2008, 11:50 am

lol, translations for translations!

Lorelei

Apr 9 2008, 4:38 pm

Probably a good indication of how professional the estate agent is likely to be.

Then again... they might not be using Google Translate, but employing a headhunter from Borneo who speaks pidgin. In that case, a "belly-thing" might be some kind of decorative piercing, a pig's tusk perhaps, to match the one through his nose.

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