Wrong Dialects and English Bloopers: What Not to Do

Dave L
May 30, 2025
3:24 pm
0 comments

Wrong Dialects and English Bloopers: What Not to Do

Correct communication involves more than simply rendering words into another language. It also involves converting cultural concepts … which AI alone and ChatGPT do not do. Another key is to ensure using the correct dialect since countries speak and write the same language differently. For example …

For an advertising firm serving the Brazil National Tourism agency, we translated a series of promotional commercials from Portuguese into Latin American Spanish, specifically localized for the Chilean market. However, the Chilean media declined to air the commercials, citing concerns about the "quality of the translations." In reality, the translations were accurate and carefully adapted for Chile. While we had recommended our own professional dubbing services, the ad agency opted to dub the commercials themselves and selected an Argentine voice talent—unaware that his accent would not resonate well with Chilean audiences.

For the California DMV, we provided a translation into Croatian, and they hired a local "Croatian speaker" to record the narrative. The client’s reviewer claimed that the translation was incorrect and provided some changes. But the reviewer did not speak or write Croatian at all; she was Bosnian, with Serbian education - a totally different language. And when our project manager spoke in Croatian to test her, she was not able to understand it at all. FYI, there is no such language as Serbo-Croatian as many people assume.

The same principles apply if you are using an AI translation program: If you do not speak the target language, how will you know if it’s right? How will you identify the AI mistakes? Since you likely cannot, our subject-specialized, Master’s-level linguists do a final editing and proofreading … delivering a text with precision and accuracy.

When clients wish to review our work, following the correct process is essential. Dentsply, the world’s largest manufacturer of dental equipment, engaged us to translate their “Directions for Use” into multiple European languages. When reviewing our German translation, Dentsply followed proper protocol by returning their edited version to us for evaluation.

Upon review, we found that while the edits were made by a native German speaker, he lived near the Swiss border and spoke Swiss German. Professional German translations must adhere to Hochdeutsch (“Standard German”), specifically the standardized variant appropriate for the target country — whether Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

To ensure linguistic accuracy and regional appropriateness, clients must inform us where translations will be used.

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SOME OF WHAT WE TRANSLATE and INTERPRET
… from or into 120 languages, in all dialects and in most language combinations:

Books, articles, manuals, technical specs, contracts, patents, social media, conferences, meetings and phone calls … in all subjects from Aerospace to Zoology.

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BILLBOARDS and HUMOROUS WORD USAGES

Ace Hardware: Need a good screw?
IKEA: Come check out our stool samples.
Cryogenic Sperm Bank: Want to earn money hand over fist?

Great lines from synagogue newsletters:

“For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.”
“All women wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the rabbi in his private office.”
Fundraising campaign slogan: “I upped my pledge. Up yours!”

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Like poetry and music, each language has concepts that simply get lost in translation. And as with the synagogue newsletters, sometimes the source texts are not quite presented as you truly intended.

That’s why the experts at Auerbach International verify your meaning and strive to find equivalents … steps which AI alone and amateur linguists usually ignore.

When precision and accuracy matter, especially for technical subjects, come to us, the only folks with almost 35 years’ experience. To get a free quote, please click here or call us to discuss your needs.

We look forward to serving you!

Sincerely,