4.06.2010

Lost in Translation

Everyone was confused by language today. I started learning the Khmer alphabet (yikes!) and our staff translator brought me yet another translation riddle. How would you describe the following phrase?

"Affordable Kitchen Solutions for Quality Living"

When I told him that the phrase was essentially meaningless, and correctly guessed that it was a slogan of some kind, he said, "But how do I translate it into Khmer?"

Our best effort was:

"Not Very Expensive Ways to Solve Problems in Your Kitchen That Will Make Your Life Better"

Of course, there's no literal Khmer translation. And I have a sneaking suspicion that those "affordable solutions" are not really affordable at all.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I would guess that gourmet or high-tech kitchens are not a huge priority among the people you work with on a daily basis : )

Suze said...

Maybe you can suggest the new slogan to the company. It is so much catchier than the original. I am coming up with a jingle right now...

Suze said...

Happy now??? ;)