Lost in Translation

There are lots of funny translations to be seen in Japan. Here are some examples (all from our camera):

Sometimes, it's a question of word choice (and spelling).

Sometimes, that pesky L/R problem pops up. (This is Lamb Soup-Curry, in case you were wondering.)

Sometimes, the translation is just too literal.

And sometimes it doesn't makes any sense at all.

The thing is - these are funny, but you can almost always figure out what they are trying to say (well, except for that last one). Heck - that you get the meaning when the words are so off is 80% of the fun.

Funny translations, however - while funny - are not always fun.

Allow me to illustrate.

Last night, as we were going through our online account statements, we noticed three withdrawals from our savings account. They were on random dates pretty close to one another (July 3, 9 and 13), each for 2,000 JPY (about $20), and were labeled "Cable Internet Charge."

This was disturbing for a few reasons. First, while we do have cable Internet at our apartment, we don't have the bill set up to automatically withdraw from our bank account. Second, the cable Internet bill comes once a month - not three times in two weeks. Finally, the amount was way off - not only should our bill be less than 2,000 JPY a month, but it is never a round number.

Worried, Michael called the bank's customer service line (thank goodness for 24 hour customer service!). All I heard was "OH - now I understand." The exchange rate has been pretty good lately (under 95 JPY per $1), so we transferred money back to the US (and into dollars) several times over the past few weeks. Three times, to be exact. Funny translations strike again.

"Cable Internet Charge" = Electronic Wire Transfer Fee

Who would have guessed? Not us!