Are your eyebrows dying? The dangers of instant translations.

There are many useful tools available on the internet, one is the automatic language translation software. I have a YouTube channel and often receive messages in foreign (to me) languages and by using the translation sites, I know within seconds whether the message is nice or nasty.  All you need to do is go onto one of the translations sites, cut and paste a piece of text written in a language you don't understand and either choose the language if you know what it is or leave the software to figure it out.  Simply press 'translate' and the software gives the translation in English. Or vice versa.  So far its been great for short sentences or greetings but anything more and the results are, well, sub-optimal.  Given a larger paragraph, the translation sites translate literally from the selected language into English.  Often this is sufficient and with a bit of thought the meaning can be decoded but unfortunately many times the output is a stew of unrelated, and often amusing, English sentences that leave the reader no wiser than before.
 
While probably not done by computer software, you only have to look at the name boards outside some of the shops here (Doha) and in the UAE to see the danger of taking easy translations at face value.  There are endless examples where an Arabic or Hindi business name has been translated word for literal word, into English.  The translators seem to be unaware that to anyone with more than schoolyard English, the business name is either nonsensical eg “Travel and Walk Rent a Car” or amusing eg 'Riff Raff Tailors', the mattress shop called “JoySleep” and the oddly named 'Moist Flower Electronics', then there's the, never fails to amuse, 'Parking at Backside' signs or the vaguely lewd eg 'Fanny International' or 'Gang Massage'.
All this was brought to mind by a local beauty saloon (yes its spelt 'saloon') that's opened up down the road.  Below are some pages from their price list.  The price list proves that accepting the output from someone who says they 'know English' or running it through Google Translate/Babelfish/Bing can be a dangerous thing to do. I don't know about you, but I am intrigued by the Swishing Programme though I don't fancy cooking any Egyptians thanks.

 Moving onto Page 2 where we meet the Department of Cleaning the Skin which offers a session wrinkled skin, though they don't specify whether that removes or adds wrinkles.  Feeling energetic? Maybe you need the skin exhausting session.  And what the erecta is, well, I hate to think but its possibly illegal here.

Moving onto the next page and I'll leave it to you to enjoy in peace.  Its wonderful.

Expats need to integrate more with local culture - official

From ArabianBusiness.com of 3 May '09

I spent 6 months prior to moving to Dubai diligently attending Arabic language classes at night school. However, when I arrived here I quickly found that the languages I *really* needed to learn were Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog (the language of the Phillipines). I've only used the Arabic I learnt to translate CD covers, speak to the Bedu ladies at cultural days and to translate a few road signs in the backblocks of Oman that were in Arabic only. Sad really.

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UAE expatriates need to make more of an effort to integrate with the local culture, such as learning Arabic, according to the head of a government programme that promotes national identity. The outside world knew little about the UAE’s unique culture because the media focused on its large-scale developments and impressive buildings, said Ahmed Al Mansoori, the director general of Watani.

However, the country’s multiculturalism was one of its greatest assets and those choosing to live in the UAE should embrace it, he said, according to UAE daily The National.

“The overseas perception of the UAE is of its physical developments; its tall buildings and landmarks. But less is known about its cultural development,” Mansoori said. “I believe there is a responsibility for a family living in the UAE to ensure their children learn Arabic to help them become a part of the community,” he added.However, integration was not an issue the government could enforce and it was up to individuals to make the effort, Mansoori conceded.“People should not be forced to integrate. It is not the responsibility of the government.However, initiatives such as Watani, aim to make integration opportunities more readily available, he added. “It is natural that people will want to reach out to members of their own nationality, but our objective is to provide opportunities for expats to learn about local culture, break down stereotypes and integrate with the broader community.”The programme works closely with schools and education authorities to ensure that heritage is featured in curriculums.Its main annual event is a desert camp, where families and students learn about traditional ways of life and are taught basket weaving, yolla dancing and the presentation of the national flag.This year the camp was opened to non-nationals for the first time. A spokesperson for another cultural group, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, added that interest in its activities had increased “significantly” over the last few years.“We run regular tours of the Jumeirah mosque and now get 1,000 people a week, with a mix of tourists and residents. We also host cultural breakfasts and lunches that are always oversubscribed,” he revealed. “The demand for our services has increased significantly over the last few years, reflecting the increase in visitors and expat residents in Dubai. It also demonstrates a willingness for people to integrate with the local community,” the spokesperson added.

From the menu

Restaurants in Dubai whose menus are printed only in English have been issued with warning letters by the Dubai Municipality. There is a DM rule, which has been in existence for several years, requiring all food outlets, from Maccas to Level 41, to have menus in Arabic "in addition to any other language". A Dubai Municipality official quoted in the Gulf News said, "The move comes as part of the UAE government's decision to use Arabic as the first language in the country." The restaurants have 15 days to comply or face fines from AED1,000 ($291) to AED10,000 ($2,919).