Tag: bad Spanish

Elizabeth Warren Launches Campaign Website in what she Believes is the Spanish Language

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En realidad no estoy en, y he aquí por qué [yup, whatevs]
What’s with U.S. presidential candidates and sloppy Spanish?

Not to be outdone by Bernie Sanders’ donut-lorem-lorem “Spanish-language” Website thing, democratic contender Elizabeth Warren is also courting the so-called Hispanic vote with –what else?– sloppy Spanish!

Warren, who will be occasionally referred to by this blogger as “La Guarren” has spiced up her fundraising campaign Website with what she believes is copy in Spanish.

In addition to a phrase that makes no sense whatsoever (En realidad, no estoy en, y he aquí por qué,) la Guarren thinks “Cuestiones” is Spanish for Questions…. (oh an don’t get me started on the “los” vs. “las” disaster.)

I’m pretty sure that among the 50 plus million Hispanics that have “invaded” this great country, politicians can find at least one person who can properly write copy in Spanish (ahem, ahem.)

Get your act together, people, I’ll be watching!

Last but not least: This blog’s 2020 US Presidential Campaign and Hispandering tags are officially open. So yay!

French Café Google Translates Menu. Hilarity Ensues

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MenusFranciaThe owners of the Café Cordial in Paris’ Opera District are very nice people. Not only do they make sure to mumble some English words for the crowds of American visitors who show up there everyday without speaking a word of French; but they even go out of their way to translate their menu not in one but in two languages.

While some of the English translations in their menu is OK (I just said “OK,”) it is clear that they got lost in the [Google] Spanish translation.

Here are some hilarious examples.

BLOGGER’S NOTE: Apologies to the monolingual crowd; this is funny only if you understand both English and Spanish.

1. Croissant = The thing that grows

There’s the translation for croissant as “1 que crece” (literally: one thing that grows) and toast as “brindis,” as in the toast to happiness….

1quecrece

2. Smoked Salmon = The salmon who had too much to smoke

SalmonFumado

3. The Horny Goat that is served over a salutation

CabraCalor

There are several more yet to be highlighted… Be my guest and find them yourselves, will you? I’m too busy dealing with the country’s Happy Hours.

Photos: Laura Martínez, Paris 2015

FUNIBER Wants You to Master in Bad Spanish

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I just love it when teaching institutions spend their money luring U.S. Hispanics to whatever it is that they do. But my favorite ones have to be those who offer a Master in Spanish as a Second Language by pitching the course in, well, lousy Spanish.

Take FUNIBER (Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana,) an obscure academic institution that has been advertising in some Latino-targeted sites in the U.S., promising students to make the most out of speaking Spanish.

Problem is: If you are truly a Spanish-speaker (so presumably you can teach others) you’d know you have to say “Haz de tu español una gran ventaja” and NOT “Has de tu español una gran ventaja,” simply because, you know? it is WRONG!

Too subtle for you? Go check your dictionary. But, more importantly, don’t let these guys fool you!