Translators and translations from the Stuttgart, Tübingen and Reutlingen area and nationwide

There are some well-known translation errors which provoke a big smile. These translation errors show how important a correct translation is. German Translation Business Service in Tübingen has extensive experience of translating texts.

“Equal goes it loose” – everyone knows the famous sentence ascribed to the former Federal President Heinrich Lübke. What is that supposed to mean? He is said to have translated the German “Gleich geht‘s los” in this way when referring to the start of a horse race. It turned out later in fact that he never said the sentence, but nonetheless Lübke’s famous translation errors still provide one or two hilarious moments today when people talk about the difficulties that can arise when translating.

Many people also still remember the joke by the comedian Otto, who translated the English “I am thirsty” with “Und ich bin Donnerstag” (“I am Thursday”).

Why do people laugh when they hear these translations that are so obviously wrong? And why does it often happen unintentionally?

The answer is: because often one language cannot be translated word for word into another language. Similarly to a living being, a language is a highly complex construct that consists of far more than just the right words. It all comes down to how these words are used and in what context, and how the grammar affects the meaning and content. There are also major differences. So anyone who simply picks up a dictionary to translate a text from one language to another is bound to make mistakes if they have no further knowledge of the language. In everyday situations in private life this might not be so dramatic. But when it comes to official occasions or business, it is a completely different matter. Something that led to fun and hilarity in private life can rapidly lead to a major disagreement or even a perceived insult in international business dealings.

Everyone must have been annoyed at some point by completely incomprehensible instruction manuals. Even though the translation might seem funny initially, in the event of doubt it is no help, for example, if you need to install an electrical device correctly. The same applies to international contracts: if legal documents are translated wrongly, this can have serious consequences, including financially. Incorrect translations are immediately obvious during interpreting, when the spoken word is translated simultaneously or consecutively into another language. In the worst case, interpreting errors can lead to the dialogue being abandoned.

But even someone who has learned a language at school rarely acquires such a good knowledge that they can do justice to the requirements of business life. Languages change and develop, and are closely connected to the culture of the country concerned. Qualified translators who have made translation their profession know these finer points.

GTBS, German Translation Business Service, from Tübingen, one of the German companies for professional translations and interpreter services, attaches great value to the highest quality when translating for customers from Tübingen, Reutlingen, Stuttgart and the rest of the Federal Republic. The employees’ many years of experience guarantee that customers from both the private and business environments can always rely on perfectly translated texts. Only qualified, and to some extent also sworn, translators who have many years’ professional experience work here. The four-eyes principle provides certainty for customers, because every text is also reviewed by a second, independent translator. GTBS translates into every official language in the world, and it is its exceptionally large network that makes this possible. And it also goes without saying that GTBS has been certified both in accordance with the general standard DIN EN ISO 9001, and also, first and foremost, in accordance with the standard DIN EN ISO 17100 – after a long audit process this confirms that the company works at the highest quality level, particularly in the field of translations and interpreting assignments.

Customers from a wide variety of sectors, such as law, medical technology, commerce and trade, rely on professional companies of this type for translation services – they know that in order to lose nothing of its quality, a very good text needs to be translated with the same attentiveness as when it was written in the source language. People who pay attention to perfection when translating and interpreting are working for the future and are a byword for successful communication.

In addition, GTBS applies fixed prices, which make the costing easier for the customer – even if the project is urgent.

Speed was also called for recently, when many companies had to update their websites as a result of the new General Data Protection Regulation – in all the languages in which their website is available! Here too, translation agencies such as GTBS from Tübingen are a contact you can trust.