A couple of years ago I worked as a TA in one of UK high-schools. Even though the school knew that I am a translator and could help in many situations, my services were rather limited to letters and parents' evenings. There was a very large Polish community in the area and at that time - approximately 30 Polish (or with Polish origin) students.
At one point the school decided to buy a fancy machine translation software - I don't remember the name of it (way before Google Translator became popular). The managers decided to translate school newsletter and send it to all Polish families and to local representatives of Polish speaking groups and community classes, workshops, etc. As you can imagine, they did not use my services at all...
...
They didn't even ask me to proofread it before sending...
Just to remind you, this was sent to many many families. The text is heavily redacted - names and places - sorry, but this was necessary. I highlighted in purple the best pieces from the English and Polish versions (back translation under the image).
Press CTRL and + to enlarge.
Back translation of some examples with comments:
EN: judging panel
PL: sądzącej poduszeczki
EN: judging little pillow
(It's actually quite cute :)
EN: Magistrates Court Mock Trial Competition
PL: Urzędnikach mających Dziedziniec Wykpiwają Próbne Współzawodnictwa
EN: The Clerks, having the Courtyard, are Mocking/Sneering at the Trial Competition
(I never knew the clerks can be so cruel!)
EN: A report by a member of the team
PL: Pogłoska przez członek zaprzęgu
EN: A rumour by the member of the (horse/dog-drawn) carriage
(Gossiping is not a good quality, but I am actually impressed that horses or dogs can do it!)
EN: runners up
PL: biegacze do góry
EN: runners to the mountain
(That is quite an interesting competition)
EN: Sixth Form and Sixth Form Colleges
PL: Szóstych Kształtów i Seksty Formują Kolegia
EN: Sixth Shapes and Sixth (as in music) Are Forming Colleges
(I have no idea what sort of college is that...)
EN: Crooks (surname)
PL: Oszukańcy
EN: crooks, cheaters
(Not very trustworthy surname, don't you think?)
EN: Mark (forename)
PL: Oznaka
EN: Sign
(Unusual name choice)
I hope you like part 1, because I have a few more. They only get better :)
Please remember there are quite a few possibilities for different translations.
How did it end at school?
Well, after I finished crying from laughter, I immediately requested an appointment with the headteacher. Oh, that was an interesting conversation. In the end the head wrote a letter to all parents/recipients of the newsletter that it was sent away before proofreading and apologised for any offence it might have caused. This time I was asked to translate the letter...
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