Monday 27 July 2009

w kawiarnii

Outside Tribeca, Rynek Główny, Sunday, 6.30pm:

Waitress: Czy mogę zapytać co Pani robi?

- Robię korektę.

Waitress: ???

- W angielskiej wersji menu są błędy. Normalnie płacą mnie za to. Jestem tłumaczką, to mój zawód.

Waitress: ...

12 comments:

Bennox said...

:)

But were you writing on their menu, or just doing virtual corrections?

pinolona said...

writing on the menu. She wouldn't have bothered if I'd been doing it virtually...

student SGH said...

what you came across is nothing uncommon... sadly...

They should have been grateful!

Anonymous said...

Pinolona you should do it profesionally. Poland is a big "market" in this area.

Restaurants, Tourist tracks, shops have usually only Polish information...

Look at this for example...

http://tatry.z-ne.pl/UserFiles/Image/tatry/uwaga-niedzwiedz.jpg

poor non-Polish tourists :D

pinolona said...

Bartek: actually the Tribeca menu isn't too bad compared to some. I was just bored waiting for service :)

Anon: I do do it professionally that's the point! Unfortunately menus don't really have enough content for it to be worth checking them for a living, while most restaurants and cafes would probably baulk at paying even a relatively humble fee per word or page.

Liking the picture though, thanks!!

Anonymous said...

I know of course that you do it profesionally. But maybe You should do it more "aggressively" :)

For example, if i were you i would print 1000 nice little "Business cards"

"Dear .... owner, your....has some language mistakes (or) is only in Polish. This is an obstacle for non Polish visitors and i would be glad to ......and so on. my E-mail....."

And all you need to do is leave such a card in the restaurants, tourist points, clubs, pubs...

Even if only 10% "call" you back, then you can still make some money...

Michael Dembinski said...

Andrew Nathan, one of the owners of Lacrosse Legal and Financial Translations, moved to a new house and checked out his local restaurant. He did just this with the menu and gave it to the owner. It was a 'nautical themed' restaurant; Andrew's corrected translation was not just more accurate English, it captured the poetry of the original Polish menu. The owner was so impressed he invited Andrew and his wife for a slap-up meal free of charge!

Michael Dembinski said...

My favourite, from the Orbis Tychy, August 1989, was:

Zestaw surówek

A set of rawness

Anonymous said...

Pinolona

that Menu was written not only for native speaker!!! :D

You destroyed somebody possesions without asking "Can I make correction?"! You were impolite!!! You should be punished!!!

pinolona said...

anonymous - you are scary. what do you mean 'not only for native speaker'? does that mean that non-natives speak a different English to the rest of us, or don't have the right to a correct menu?

I did not destroy their possessions. Given the amount of tourism Kraków receives, it's appalling that restaurants and cafes allow such poor standards.

And if they had served us five - rather than twenty - minutes after we sat down, I might not have felt the need to occupy myself with correcting their menu...

pinolona said...

Michael - thanks for the set of rawness example. My favourite so far has to be the wine list:
'Wina - Guilt'

Oh how true in so many ways.

Michael Dembinski said...

Wina - Guilt - that is priceless!

Stick to the red, in moderation, and you need feel no guilt.

Did I tell you about the CV that said Marital Status: Slow?

(slow as in wolny)