Examples of counter-examples ...
And cascading translations ... that hit the shallows
I don't know about you, but personally, when I see a series of "shells" (uh, "typo"?) on a corporate document, I have serious doubts about, precisely, the seriousness of the product or service purchased or about to be purchased, and I even have a strong urge to make a quick reverse, and then a masterful and final U-turn.
Thus begins the chronicle of a foretold death.
If there is no respect for the consumer, the reader, the visitor, we cannot expect a positive or lasting impact, in financial terms, to mention the perhaps most visual aspect; and certainly the most sensitive.
No, we can and must cut the losses there.
Because who would like some "Chicken that bites" (for Breaded chicken bites), cookies "with flavour of very butter" (for Extra butter flavour) or even Peas of chick (for Chick peas)? If a battery is swallow, promptly see a doctor (for "If a battery is swallow(-ed), promptly see a doctor")...
Enough is enough!
Personally, I think that it has always been forbidden to swallow swallows (they want us to gulp snakes while we're at it!), or why not batteries... and that, if necessary, it's preferable to go to the E.R urgently (!), rather than going "promptly" to the doctor. As for "Peas of chick", even Google, "an enemy that wishes you well", in one or two words (chickpeas or chick peas), would not have fallen for that "trick".
This makes it clear. Without at least a human proofreading, a minimum of critical thinking and common sense, we run the risk of falling far short in the image conveyed by our products, service offering or equivalent.
And today, can we still afford this kind of lamentable, inexcusable, even dangerous inaccuracies, when the health of consumers may be at stake in some cases, and in a context of globalisation of supply and demand where small and medium-sized structures can reach customers on the other side of the globe without investing millions; and vice versa. Competition is fierce and everywhere. Only the most agile and respectful of customers will have a chance to last.
Even worse, we all know the famous game of the Chi... whispers (or telephone)... ; wireless ! Or word-of-mouth game, the pleasure consisting in comparing the final version of the same sentence, whispered over and over again from one person to another, with its original version. So, imagine the case of a translation from a rather rare language (Russian?) into a so-called "major" language (English?). Translation which would in turn be translated into a third language, French for example. It is easy to imagine that if the first translation from Russian to English is erroneous or imprecise in certain nebulous areas, the following ones will have the same defect, in one way or another.
The impact can be moderate if the meaning is not distorted and the general idea is understandable. But it is difficult to take a position when you receive a message stating that "this case has been settled with the opposing party in an extremely favourable manner, including even VAT on the cost of the goods etc.", a message that further enjoins us to "inform them with the utmost urgency of the full details of the bank account etc.". »
The weight of words ...
Free your mind!... and travel in first class, but not in states of undress, as the translation in Spanish of the slogan "Fly in leather" [Travel in leather (seat)] from an American airline company by "Vuela en cuero" (i.e. "Fly naked",) might have suggested. Because of what ? ...a " mere " lack of sensitivity to this popular particularism...
Shame, lost, and what a waste!