Finns tend not to think all that much of Swedes, I think, so the translation errors in Amazon’s new site in Sweden might amuse:
The internet giant mixed up the Argentine and Swedish flags, labelled frying pans as items for women, allowed the sale of a swastika-emblazoned shower curtain and described a silicone baking mould as suitable for “chocolate, faeces, goose water and bread”.
At least one of those seems entirely sensible. But if Jussi could aid us with this one:
Some of the errors were more offensive. The word for a cockerel was often translated as kuk, a faintly vulgar word for penis. Thus an embroidery pattern depicting a rooster became “cross-stitch for adults – big dick, do it yourself”. A stopcock head was rendered “finish dickhead”.
Presumably there are dickheads in and from Finland – nowhere is entirely free of them – but why would a Swede want to buy one?
I’ve been told there’s a minor translation issue with a shower curtain featuring rape flowers too.
presumably the eestii’s feel the same about the finns. Knew one once who texted all their friends and family in English using auto complete “because it’s quicker”. I said but there’s a Finnish dictionary in the phone, why not use that? I was given a derisive snort.
Another offering is a pair of pearl earrings apparently just right for “European prostitutes”.
There is the classic Finnish recipe: Fish Cock (Kalakukko). And definitely read the description on that site 🙂
BiW
Were I in America I would order some cans of ham cock (not convinced about the fish cock though) to support these guys. Their approach to the English language reminds me of several Germans I have known who, contrary to the general stereotype, had an excellent if coarse sense of humour.
TMB,
So I’m guessing “european ladies evening wear” -> “european lady of the evening” -> “european prostitute”?
They’re in Finland, and deliver to the UK. It’s a bit expensive for just one tin, but not so bad if you’re ordering something else as well. The ham cock is nice (for tinned food) but the fish cock is better IMHO.
Machine translations are fun, aren’t they? There’s a spanish word, morbida describes a woman you might cherish spending some time with. The sort of women would charge for that time like to put it through GoogleTranslate for adverts in english. Very difficult convincing them that an obsession with illness & death isn’t going to be a selling point.
Kalakukko, fishcock, a traditional Savonian dish. Inside rye bread baked small herrings, pork and pork fat.
Well, kukko is a rooster and isn’t that Americanism? Cock in Queen’s English.
Swedes on the other hand, what Finns traditionally think of them is that the men are gay and all men used to wear hairnets when doing their national service. How do you distinquish two Swedes in a sauna from each other? In Finnish language the operating word is separate. You separate them with an iron bar.
So in Finnish cock the bird is kukko. Cock the penis is kikkeli, kalu, kulli, pippeli, molo, karlsnabel, and the most rude of them all, kyrpä.
RlJ – I’m sure you’re on the right track there.
BiS – Seems odd at first blush but then things are now sometimes described in English as “to die for”, generally by women, perhaps, and often referring to trivial things like clothes and shoes.
BIS
I would use ‘tiene morbo’ of a woman in Spanish, meaning she’s not beautiful but something in her is sexually attractive (to me, I mean). Often for a faded beauty too. Maybe that says more about me than I want to reveal here……
The French used to have a good term for this. Avoir du Chien – which I understood to mean “she’s attractive but I can’t quite say why”.
Kalakukko, fishcock, a traditional Savonian dish. Inside rye bread baked small herrings, pork and pork fat.
Another reason to thank God I was born a septic.
The French used to have a good term for this. Avoir du Chien – which I understood to mean “she’s attractive but I can’t quite say why”.
In the Ohio American dialect that would translate to “She’s table grade”.
@bilbaoboy
Yes. I read it as “sexually attractive”. But the “weight” equivalent expressions have can vary enormously across cultures. I can remember getting in a mile of shit with my French ex by describing a woman of our mutual acquaintance as “quite attractive”. In English, is there any way of being less full hearted with a compliment? It’s what you say about someone when you can’t think of anything particularly positive but don’t want to offend. Basically, any woman without a hump & with both eyes on the same side of her head could qualify. She read the English as I’d an overwhelming urge to shag the bint rotten & intended doing something about it.
Off Topic:
Joe Biden is in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan today and tomorrow. If the public polls were to be believed, he’d only be doing Iowa. Actually, if the polls were to be believed, he’d be campaigning in Texas.
The fact that he’s in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, rather than Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona tells me that things are going much worse for Biden than people want to believe. It also tells me that Biden’s campaign managers have internal polling telling them they are in deep shit. Minnesota hasn’t gone Republican in a presidential election in over 40 years (Nixon, 1972), there should be no reason for a Democrat candidate to be in Minnesota less than week before the election.
Trump. Big time.
So Dennis, what are your views on trad Yank “food”, such as scrapple, slippery dumplings, chitterlings, brain sandwiches?
Dennis, I hope you’re right. Diogenes, I know nothing about Yankee food, check out Mack’s kitchen and Grill on youtube. Those por chops will melt in your mouth. True dat.
https://youtu.be/cleCtBP0o5Y
It seems that it could be a record turnout in the election, I’d have thought high turnout would favour Biden as apathy about him and Harris would seem to be a big issue
when a small ad refers to a “chica morbosa” doesn’t that mean kinky?
Dennis: Do you guys in Ohio not have beds, or do you prefer to channel “The Postman Always Rings Twice”? Over here the ladies are ‘Bedworthy’, which I suppose is more direct than ‘quite attractive’.
Thanks Jussi for sending me to an image of Carly Simon with pokies…
There’s a good range of Swedish jokes in Finland. One of my favourites…..
Q What’s the Swedish war flag?
A A white cross on a white background…
So Dennis, what are your views on trad Yank “food”, such as scrapple, slippery dumplings, chitterlings, brain sandwiches?
That’s all Southern shit… And anyone living below the Mason Dixon line is pretty much a wog anyway.
Dennis: Do you guys in Ohio not have beds, or do you prefer to channel “The Postman Always Rings Twice”? Over here the ladies are ‘Bedworthy’, which I suppose is more direct than ‘quite attractive’.
Either you lack imagination or any experience with oral sex.
I never realised that Pennsylvania was below the Mason Dixon line. Thanks for the info, Dennis
Diogenes, I’m reading Biskind’s Beatty biography and re-watching his films as I go along.
There are wogs in PA. Unfortunately nobody bothered to build a wall between the North and the South either before or after the Civil War.
Jussi, Watch out for tuna from the fish that thinks. Plus football
“Love in her eyes sits playing
And sheds delicious death.”
Mr Handel, a while back.
” Do you want the Cock Soup?”
https://acstore.co.uk/product/grace-cock-flavour-soup-50g/