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Previous: IBM consulting ad | Main | Next: Nature's Answer echinacea packaging
March 11, 2006 12:03 PM
Broken: RFID scanner message
Stian Grytor sends in a picture from Oslo, Norway:
This is a shot of one of the new RFID scanners that can be seen these days on all sorts of public transportation throughout Oslo, Norway.
Deployed, but not yet in use, they are apparently "Out of work."
[Before they're deployed, they're unemployed? -mh]
Umm, but, why would it be translated into English at all? If they're being deployed in Norway, shouldn't the message be in, like, Norwegian?
E.T., it's common for a lot of public signage in Europe to be in both the native language and English, since a lot of Europeans know at least basic English and it's become the lingua franca for conducting business accross international borders.
Steve J, I'm not saying you're wrong -- maybe it's different in Scandinavia -- but I didn't notice a lot of English signage last time I was in Belgium or the Netherlands (notable exception: Schiphol airport). I most especially didn't see a lot of English signage in France ...
In any case, if the idea is to use English to facilitate communication, then it's still broken, because they translated it wrong.
If I was going to create a RFID scanner system for use in public transit I would defently put any messages in english since it would be easier to sell the machines without modifiying them to the world. However if my first language wasent english i would probably make the same mistake and mis-translate it.
The scanners were produced by the French company Thales, so I'm pretty sure it's a genuine mistake.
Anyway, after being made fun of in the newspapers, the public transportation company fixed the scanners so that they now display the Norwegian version of "Out of order". It cost them quite a bit of money, too, according to one article.
Stian Grytøyr, you made a funny! You said,
"The company FIXED the scanners so that they now read the Norwegian version of 'Out Of Order'."
In other words, they are fixed, but they are still 'Out of Order'. That's funny!
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Previous: IBM consulting ad | Main | Next: Nature's Answer echinacea packaging
First!
Posted by: your mom at March 11, 2006 12:08 PM