The Importance of Double Checking Translations

If you have content localised from one language to another, you should always perform a sanity check to make sure that the correct number of chapters, sections, sentences, paragraphs, images etc. come back. Sounds obvious, but I’ve had first hand experience of “helpful” translators adding their own content to guides!

In an ideal world, you should have someone with an inkling of the target language check to see that what comes back bears some resemblance to what went out. Here’s a cautionary tale that illustrates why!

Welsh Sign with Out of Office Message

Writing Skills with Weird Al

I’m still loving Weird Al’s Word Crimes – it’s an entertaining crash course in good grammar and redeems a fun tune with less desirable lyrics.

It’s not Al’s first foray into pointing out grammatical best practices to the world though. Here are a couple of older vids of his you might’ve missed, plus good ol’ Word Crimes itself, which is always worth another listen. 🙂 Enjoy!

No Signs Please!

When I was little, you’d occassionally see posters saying “Post No Bills” on hoardings around town – in my innocence I thought it was a form of protest against charging people for things. I spotted the poster below on a doorway in Arklow. The “plain English”-ing of the old-style version somehow makes it funnier.

"No Signs Please" Sign