Many a natural pearl of wisdom is mislaid as lost in translation. The translators cultivate them in their shells, and then take a lot of pain to publish them. The breeders often insert grains into shells, so the pearl forms around them. Such grains are presented here, hoping to inspire the translators to grow even larger ones. So here are the intentionally bad translations, based mostly on ignoring the context. Other dirty tricks are not off the table. The translation back into English is often much longer. This is to avoid going back to the original word, so a description is used to denote its meaning in the shifted context.
| English | can be translated to Serbian as | ...and than translated back as |
|---|---|---|
| all in good time | svi u dobrom ritmu | everyone in good rhythm |
| sve u provodu | everything in entertainment | |
| blind date | ćorava urma | sight-impaired dactylifera |
| can't forget a single day | ne mogu da zaboravim jedan nevenčan dan | can't forget one unmarried day |
| ne mogu da zaboravim jedan jednokrevetni dan | can't forget one one-bed day | |
| carbon dating | zakazivanje randesa indigom | making a private appointment by carbon-copy paper |
| izlasci sa ugljenikom | going out with carbon (and not oxygen, phosphorus or any other element) | |
| civil suit | civilno odelo | opposite of uniform, the civvies |
| građansko udvaranje | bourgeois courtship | |
| grupa civila | a band of civilians | |
| cold in these parts | prehlada u ovim ulogama | flu in these roles |
| cotton sticks | pamuk se lepi | cotton gets glued |
| current issues | tekuća pitanja | liquid questions |
| strujna izdanja | electric editions | |
| everything you can't conceive | sve ne možeš da zatrudniš | all the time you can't get pregnant |
| fair: I think it's only fair | mislim da je to samo fer (za "nesebično" treba truda) | I thing it's no better than "fair" (needs effort for "selfless") |
| mislim da je samo plavokosa | I think blonde is her only color | |
| mislim da je to samo vašar | I think it's just a fair (not a regular retail outlet) | |
| fill in this form | napuni ovaj kalup | pour into this mold to the top |
| zatrpaj ovaj obrazac | shovel this model over | |
| natoči u ovaj oblik | pour into this shape | |
| here I go again on my own | ponovo ovuda idem po svom sopstvenom | I am taking this path once more over my proprietary |
| if that's the way it is going to be | ako je to put to ide da bude | if that is the road, it goes to happen |
| join the club | sastavi batinu | assemble the bludgeon |
| pridruži palicu za golf | associate the golf stick | |
| just for the record | pravedan za ploču | equitable for an LP |
| zaslužen za evidenciju | earned for evidence | |
| kitchen sinks | kuhinja tone | kitchen falls beneath |
| labor day | radni dan | workday |
| dan trudova | a day in labors | |
| lead scientist | olovni naučnik | apprentice made of lead |
| mess hall | hodnik u neredu | corridor in disarray |
| out of order | van narudžbine | outside of what was on the ordered quantity |
| preko reda | jumping the queue | |
| iz reda | from orderliness | |
| iz naređenja | from the command | |
| pardon my French | pomilujte mog Francuza | show some lenience towards my French one |
| pomilujte moje Francuze | caress my Frenchies | |
| d'izvinete na mom Francuzu | if you'd excuse me for my Frenchman | |
| power to the patients | snaga pacijentima | strenth to the patients |
| vlast pacijentima | authority to the patients | |
| struja pacijentima | electricity to the patients | |
| scenery | scenario | script of a play (not an artificial pearl - found it on Panoramio's translation into Serbian) |
| Sharp art on cover draws one to this book. | oštra umetnost na izvođenju tuđe pesme crta keca na ovu knjigu | severe artistry on the performance of other author's song outlines a digit of one on this book |
| speaker: an excelent pair of speakers ready for the stage | odličan par zvučnika spreman za stupanj | excellent stereo ready for the grade |
| there just isn't anywhere better to be | tamo pravedan nije ma gde bolje biti | over there righcheous is not better to be at any location |
| there's no such thing as a free lunch | tamo nema takve stvari kakav je slobodan ručak | out there no such object exists similar to a lunch in liberty |
| time after time | vreme posle vremena | the time after the end of time |
| ritam iza ritma | rhythm behind the rhythm | |
| vreme po vremenu | weather depending on time | |
| vreme po vremenu | time depending on weather | |
| treat: why you treat me this way | zašto me častiš ovim putem | why do you pay me drinks/food along this road |
| zašto me častiš ovim putem | what's the occasion to buy me this road | |
| won't you let me take you on a sea cruise | zar me nećeš pustiti da te držim za morsko krstarenje | will you not allow me to hold you by a maritime cruising |
| zar mi nećeš dozvoliti da te najmim na morskom krstarenju | will you not allow me to hire you on a seafaring cruise |