5 Examples for El Paso’s Museum of Mistranslated Spanish

After seeing a museum pop-up in Japan dedicated to mistranslations, I think El Paso deserves its own.

Was the translator asleep at the job? Was a robotic AI in charge of translating those signs? There are a ton of reasons why a language can get mistranslated from one to another.

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That was never more evident than in the pop-up museum galleries put on in Tokyo Japan by UltraSuperNew Gallery last year.

In actuality, a publicity stunt/ promotion in partnership with language learning app Duolingo, according to them,

The hope is that when visitors look at the signs, menus, clothes, and other objects exhibited in the museum—objects that can make them chuckle, gasp, think, and reflect—they will notice there’s more depth to wonky English than they initially thought and become more emboldened to learn a foreign language.

DUOLINGO

I couldn't agree more.

But while Asian language mistranslations might be the most common they're not alone. Just ask anybody who's gone to an El Paso restaurant and noticed some glaring mistakes on the menu.

So I'm convinced El Paso needs its own museum of mistranslated Spanish.

Here are a few examples I think should go in:

1. LICKING FINGERS?

UNLESS it's finger-licking-good!

2. BABY PAINTING?

I'm not sure about you, but I was not aware of the demand for baby painting products.

3. YOU EASY TO READ?

Microwave instructions can be crazily complicated in any language.

4. YOU CAN ENROLL IN ENROLMENT?

You have to really look to the bottom, but I'm 90% sure matriculate means license plate.

5. DADDY MEAT

Yeah... while I'm sure daddy meat is delicious to some people I'm not sure it's exactly what they meant. Maybe a potato with meat?

Let me know what you think by emailing me at nico@klaq.com