Good enough

How many translation mistakes can you spot on this disposable paper place mat?

I found three — one howler, one blip and one neologism. They're hard to ignore once you've noticed them but do they matter? Do they get in the way of communication? 

The blip is ‘I’ve already had a date at Praça D. João I.’ The source sentence used já. Já is a hardworking word. It can mean both right now or already. And it’s used in Portuguese more liberally than already is in English. The translation into English sounds a little unbalanced but it roughly communicates the meaning.

The howler is ‘I’ve mistakenly went to Rivoli…’. It should be ‘I’ve mistakenly been to Rivoli …’. Here the translation loses some clarity – by mixing two forms of the past tense the reader is left unclear if it means that the trip took place at a particular moment (‘I mistakenly went to...’) or that it was sometime before the present but the precise moment is not important (‘I've mistakenly been to...’). Still, the reader will understand it’s in the past.

The neologism is facade roof. This is making a good stab at translating pala. Pala is a serviceable word because it applies to many situations – a cap, an animal's head, a building, an envelope – in which one part juts out or projects as a covering. The corresponding word in English for a building could be canopy or awning or marquee or overhang. (Thanks to the participants in the discussion on stackexchange for elaborating the differences and overlaps.) Although I've never seen facade roof  used in this context it can be easily imagined: a roof on the front of a building. So, once again, the translation keeps the communication alive. 

The context is relevant too. The translation is for customers who don't read Portuguese. Many of them will have English as an additional language rather than their mother tongue. Maybe facade roof is just as accessible to these readers as awning or canopy, both of which are confined to buildings, camping and nautical situations.

My first thought on seeing the place mat was ‘I can improve this’. Having spent some time with it, I've let go of that feeling. Like a gardener in an overgrown garden, I'm enjoying the unpredictable growth.