Jaunted - Strathclyde
http://www.jaunted.com/
The Pop Culture Travel Guideen-usCopyright 2006 - SFO MEDIA2012-02-11T11:04:49ZJauntedJauntedJauntedhttp://www.jaunted.com/images/jauntedw.jpg
http://www.jaunted.com/
Donkeys Essential For Surviving Fires
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/11/7/62440/9524
We already know that the Chinese have launched a campaign to fix up their somewhat comical English. It's a pity, really, that gems like the "No entry on peacetime" sign at Beijing Airport won't welcome travelers anymore. But it seems that on our own English-speaking shores, we can't get other languages right. We can, however, get them funny.
The Fire and Rescue department in Strathclyde, Scotland, recently translated a safety handout into multiple minority languages: jolly friendly of them, we say. But, as so often happens, something got lost in translation. The Urdu version, translated back into English, gives us this hint on escaping from a burning building:
Never jump out of a window straight. Put yourself on a donkey etc and come down.
Seems the Urdu words for donkey and cushion are similar; this kind of mix-up could happen to anyone. But if you see any Urdu-speakers on your travels panicking and frantically seeking a donkey, be as community-spirited as the Strathclyde Fire department and help them out.