A Menu Lost in Translation: Difference between revisions

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On this first day of April, ~~I'd~~ like to propose a special dinner menu composed entirely of authentic Polish specialities. All of these dishes have been gleaned from actual English-language menus of various restaurants across Poland. Enjoy!

On this first day of April, I’d like to propose a special dinner menu composed entirely of authentic Polish specialities. All of these dishes have been gleaned from actual English-language menus of various restaurants across Poland. Enjoy!

{| style="margin: auto; width: 50%;"

|-

| ~~[[File:~~Menu z translatora.png~~|class=full-page|]]~~

| <gallery mode=packed heights=600px>Menu z translatora.png</gallery>

|}

Oops, it looks like someone used a machine translator to render the Polish menu into English. Believe it or not, even some relatively upscale restaurateurs do this without even having the menu proof-read by someone who actually speaks English. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes just confusing, and some are downright off-putting to any visiting foreign tourist. Again, all of the mistranslations above found their way into actual restaurant menus (though never all at once)!

Oops, it looks like someone used a machine translator to render the Polish menu into English!

So, ~~have you figured out what they were supposed to mean? You can type your guesses as comments to~~ this ~~Facebook post~~. ~~Unless you speak Polish~~, ~~of course~~, ~~then~~ you ~~don't need to guess~~.

Believe it or not, even some relatively upscale restaurants do this without even having the menu proof-read by someone who actually speaks English. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes just confusing, and some are downright off-putting to any visiting foreign tourist. But I kid you not: all of the items in the menu above are inspired by real-life mistranslations which found their way into actual bills of fare.

~~And if~~ you~~'re ready~~ to ~~see~~ the ~~correct answers, click "Show actual meanings" below~~!

So, have you figured out what they were supposed to mean? You can type your guesses as comments to [https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=942768843077973&id=228322137855984&m_entstream_source=timeline&paipv=1 this Facebook post.] Unless you speak Polish, then you don’t need to guess; but in that case, please don’t spoil the fun!

<!-- {| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="Show actual meanings" data-collapsetext="Hide actual meanings"

<nomobile>And if you’re ready to see the correct answers, then click “Show actual meanings” below!

{| class={{"}}mw-collapsible mw-collapsed{{"}} data-expandtext={{"}}Show actual meanings{{"}} data-collapsetext={{"}}Hide actual meanings{{"}}

|

|-

| ~~-->~~

|

~~== Follow the Japanese ==~~

~~[[File:Śledź po japońsku.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Japanese-style herrings by [http://straga.pl/ryby/sledz-po-polsku/#more-16500 Mr. and Mrs. Straga] ]]~~

|}</nomobile><mobileonly>And if you’re ready to see the correct answers, click on the link below!

Let's start with where the confusion came from. The Polish word "''śledź''" (pronounced ''shletch'') is the imperative mood of the verb "''śledzić''", meaning "to follow", "to trace" or "to investigate". But it's also got another meaning, which would be more fitting in this context: it's "herring". So a better translation of "''śledź po japońsku''" would have been "herring in the Japanese style ". Now what the heck is that?

The Japanese-style herring is a very appetising appetiser that was quite popular in Communist Poland. The recipe largely boils down to wrapping a marinated herring fillet around a hard-boiled egg. Perhaps the idea of wrapping a piece of uncooked fish around something reminded someone of ''maki sushi'' rolls, giving rise to its association with Japanese cuisine? Otherwise, this Polish invention has about as much to do with Japan as Hawaiian pizza has to do with Hawaii.

The egg and the fish are typically arranged on a bed of canned green peas laced with mayo and decorated with slices of onions and pickles. The marriage of fishy, salty, sour and fatty flavours means that this simple ''hors d'œuvre'' pairs perfectly with a shot of cold neat vodka.

~~Here's a recipe written in the industrial style reminiscent of the Communist era this delicacy hails from:~~

~~{{clear}}~~

{{ ~~Cytat~~

~~| Standard itemisation of raw materials for 5 helpings~~:

* herring fillets – 100 g [3.5 oz]

* onion – 100 g

* eggs (5 each) – 250 g [8.8 oz]

* mayonnaise – 100 g

* green peas – 200 g [7 oz]

* cucumbers, pickled or fresh – 50 g [1.8 oz]

* ground paprika

* sugar to taste

* 6% vinegar

Hard-boil and peel the eggs. Strain the peas. Slice the onion and the cucumbers. Mix the peas with some of the mayonnaise and arrange it on a platter or little plates for individual helpings. Wrap the eggs in herring fillets and place on the bed of peas. Decorate with onion slices powdered with paprika, cucumber slices and squirts of mayonnaise. A single helping should weigh 100 g [3.5 oz], including 20 g [0.7 oz] of herring.

~~| oryg = Normatyw surowcowy na 5 porcji:~~

* filety śledziowe – 100 g

* cebula – 100 g

* jaja (5 szt.) – 250 g

* majonez – 100 g

* groszek zielony – 200 g

* ogórek kwaszony lub świeży – 50 g

* papryka

* cukier do smaku

* ocet 6-procentowy

Jaja ugotować na twardo, obrać. Groszek odcedzić, odsączyć. Cebulę i ogórki pokrajać w krążki. Groszek wymieszać z częścią majonezu i ułożyć z niego podstawę na półmisku lub jednoporcjowo na talerzykach. Jaja owinąć filetami śledziowymi, ustawić na postumencie z groszku. Udekorować krążkami cebuli oprószonej papryką, plastrami ogórka oraz oszprycować majonezem. Porcja potrawy powinna ważyć 100 g, w tym śledź 20 g.

~~| źródło = [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Technologia_gastronomiczna_z_towaroznaws/805HF2xNTS0C?hl=pl&gbpv=1&bsq=japo%C5%84sku]~~

}}

~~== Dumplings with Spinach and Celebration ==~~

~~[[File:Pierogi ze spinaczem.jpg~~|~~thumb|left|upright=.6|A tray of frozen "potato-and-paper-clip ''pierogi''"]]~~

After the cold starter it's time for a hot one: ''pierogi ze szpinakiem i fetą'', or dumplings with spinach and, um, celebration. ''Pierogi'', the delicious Polish stuffed and boiled dumplings, often go hand in hand with celebration, that's true. One kind, sauerkraut-and-mushroom ''pierogi'', is traditionally served at the Christmas Eve dinner. In fact, the very word "''pierogi''" comes from "*''pirŭ''", the Proto-Slavic term for a feast. Pierogi are a celebratory food ''par excellence''.

But the spinach in our ''pierogi'' mixed not with ''feta'', the Polish equivalent of a ''fête'', but with feta, the Greek brined cheese. Add some garlic and you're going to have a truly delightful ''pierogi'' filling. While not as classic as potato-and-cheese, ground-meat or mushroom-and-kraut varieties, spinach-filled ''pierogi'' are nonetheless both tasty and popular.

And~~, well, it could have been worse. After all, it's not only Polish businesses catering~~ to ~~English-speaking patrons that make translation mistakes;~~ the ~~same may happen to U.S. businesses selling supposedly Polish food to Polish Americans. Like~~ the ~~one that confused the Polish words "''szpinak''" ("spinach") and "''spinacz''" ("paper clip"). Office-supplies ''pierogi'', anyone?~~

~~[http://bajecznakuchnia.blogspot.com/2016/02/pierogi-ze-szpinakiem-i-serem-feta.html Pierogi ze szpinakiem i fetą]~~

~~{{clear}}~~

~~== Cervical Cancer Soup ==~~

~~[[File:zupa-z-raków_3.jpg|thumb|<s>Cervical cancer</s> crayfish soup is a 19th-century Polish classic.]]~~

A ~~British tourist~~ in ~~Poznań who once found another "cervical cancer" dish on the menu had this to say about the experience:~~

'''[[Key:A Menu Lost in Translation|Show actual meanings]]'''</mobileonly>

~~{{ Cytat~~

| No one I know has had cervical cancer, but I can imagine that if it had been seen by somebody else, they might have been well upset. As it was, I quickly lost my appetite; the meaning doesn’t exactly encourage you to order anything, does it?

~~| źródło = Owen Durray, quoted in: [https:~~/~~/www.translatemedia.com/translation-blog/polish-restaurant-offers-cervical-cancer-on-menu-due-to-translation-error]~~

}}

The ~~restaurant's spokesperson said they would be "having a word with [their] translator". Which, I guess, means they would somehow try and talk to Google Translate.~~

{{Nawigacja|poprz=Epic Cooking: The Decorous Rite of the Mushroom Hunt|nast=Of This Ye Shall Not Eat for It Is an Abomination}}

~~Let's see what happened here step by step. The original~~ Polish ~~name for the key ingredient is "''szyjki rakowe''" (pronounced ''{{small|SHIY}}~~-kee rah-{{small|KAW}}-veh''). "''Szyjki''" could be literally translated as "little necks", but in this case it refers to crayfish tails (although, technically, crayfish have neither tails nor necks, but abdomina). "''Rak''", the Polish word for crayfish, is also used for most things that the English language calls by the Latin word for "crab", that is, "cancer" – such as the Zodiac sign and, yes, the disease. And specifically, "''rak szyjki macicy''", or "cancer of the neck of the womb", is the Polish medical term for cervical cancer. "''Szyjki rakowe''" and "''rak szyjki''" may look and sound similar, but the difference in meaning is that between delicious and disgusting.

[[Category: Advocaat]]

[[Category: Advocaat ice cream]]

[[Category: Apple fritters]]

[[Category: Avocado]]

[[Category: Buckwheat]]

[[Category: Crayfish]]

[[Category: Dumplings]]

[[Category: Eggs]]

[[Category: Feta]]

[[Category: Herring]]

[[Category: Mushrooms]]

[[Category: Pickled cucumber]]

[[Category: Polish-style roasted chicken]]

[[Category: Sugar]]

[[Category: Rum]]

[[Category: Reading sauce]]

[[Category: Spinach]]

[[Category: Wine]]

[[Category: James Cocks]]

[[Category: Brazil]]

[[Category: Netherlands]]

[[Category: Mexico]]

[[Category: United Kingdom]]

[[Category: Early Modern Period]]

[[Category: 19th century]]

[[Category: 20th century]]

[[Category: Recipës]]

[[pl:Czy macie menu po angielsku?]]

[~~https://zakochanewzupach.~~pl~~/wykwintna-zupa-z-rakow-z-dolnoslaskiego-stolu/ Zupa z szyjek rakowych]~~

~~== Denmark from Chicken ==~~

~~[https~~:~~//polki.pl/przepisy/obiad,kurczak-nadziewany-~~po~~-polsku,9119,przepis.html Dania z kurczaka]~~

~~== Buckwheat with Cocks Sauce ==~~

~~[http://trzecitalerz.blogspot.com/2018/08/kasza-gryczana-z-kurkami-kuchnia.html Kasza z sosem kurkowym]~~

~~== Ice Cream with Barrister ==~~

~~[http://asiuuulek.blogspot.com/2016/06/lody-adwokatowe.html Lody z adwokatem~~]

~~== Apple Pie Guilty ==~~

~~[https://www.doradcasmaku.pl/przepis-jablka-w-ciescie-z-winem-39777 Jabłko w cieście winnym~~]

|}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{data|1 April 2021}}
+{{data|1 April 2022}}
-On this first day of April, I'd like to propose a special dinner menu composed entirely of authentic  Polish specialities. All of these dishes have been gleaned from actual English-language menus of various restaurants across Poland. Enjoy!
+On this first day of April, I’d like to propose a&nbsp;special dinner menu composed entirely of authentic  Polish specialities. All of these dishes have been gleaned from actual English-language menus of various restaurants across Poland. Enjoy!
 {| style="margin: auto; width: 50%;"
 |-
-| [[File:Menu z translatora.png|class=full-page|]]
+| <gallery mode=packed heights=600px>Menu z translatora.png</gallery>
 |}
-Oops, it looks like someone used a machine translator to render the Polish menu into English. Believe it or not, even some relatively upscale restaurateurs do this without even having the menu proof-read by someone who actually speaks English. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes just confusing, and some are downright off-putting to any visiting foreign tourist. Again, all of the mistranslations above found their way into actual restaurant menus (though never all at once)!
+Oops, it looks like someone used a&nbsp;machine translator to render the Polish menu into English!
-So, have you figured out what they were supposed to mean? You can type your guesses as comments to this Facebook post. Unless you speak Polish, of course, then you don't need to guess.
+Believe it or not, even some relatively upscale restaurants do this without even having the menu proof-read by someone who actually speaks English. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes just confusing, and some are downright off-putting to any visiting foreign tourist. But I kid you not: all of the items in the menu above are inspired by real-life mistranslations which found their way into actual bills of fare.
-And if you're ready to see the correct answers, click "Show actual meanings" below!
+So, have you figured out what they were supposed to mean? You can type your guesses as comments to [https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=942768843077973&id=228322137855984&m_entstream_source=timeline&paipv=1 this Facebook post.] Unless you speak Polish, then you don’t need to guess; but in that case, please don’t spoil the fun!
-<!-- {| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="Show actual meanings" data-collapsetext="Hide actual meanings"
+<nomobile>And if you’re ready to see the correct answers, then click “Show actual meanings” below!
+{| class={{"}}mw-collapsible mw-collapsed{{"}} data-expandtext={{"}}Show actual meanings{{"}} data-collapsetext={{"}}Hide actual meanings{{"}}
 |
 |-
-| -->
+|
-== Follow the Japanese ==
+{{Key:A Menu Lost in Translation}}
-[[File:Śledź po japońsku.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Japanese-style herrings by [http://straga.pl/ryby/sledz-po-polsku/#more-16500 Mr. and Mrs. Straga] ]]
+|}</nomobile><mobileonly>And if you’re ready to see the correct answers, click on the link below!
-Let's start with where the confusion came from. The Polish word "''śledź''" (pronounced ''shletch'') is the imperative mood of the verb "''śledzić''", meaning "to follow", "to trace" or "to investigate". But it's also got another meaning, which would be more fitting in this context: it's "herring". So a better translation of "''śledź po japońsku''" would have been "herring in the Japanese style ". Now what the heck is that?
-The Japanese-style herring is a very appetising appetiser that was quite popular in Communist Poland. The recipe largely boils down to wrapping a marinated herring fillet around a hard-boiled egg. Perhaps the idea of wrapping a piece of uncooked fish around something reminded someone of ''maki sushi'' rolls, giving rise to its association with Japanese cuisine? Otherwise, this Polish invention has about as much to do with Japan as Hawaiian pizza has to do with Hawaii.
-The egg and the fish are typically arranged on a bed of canned green peas laced with mayo and decorated with slices of onions and pickles. The marriage of fishy, salty, sour and fatty flavours means that this simple ''hors d'œuvre'' pairs perfectly with a shot of cold neat vodka.
-Here's a recipe written in the industrial style reminiscent of the Communist era this delicacy hails from:
-{{clear}}
-{{ Cytat
-| Standard itemisation of raw materials for 5 helpings:
-* herring fillets – 100 g [3.5 oz]
-* onion – 100 g
-* eggs (5 each) – 250 g [8.8 oz]
-* mayonnaise – 100 g
-* green peas – 200 g [7 oz]
-* cucumbers, pickled or fresh – 50 g [1.8 oz]
-* ground paprika
-* sugar to taste
-* 6% vinegar
-Hard-boil and peel the eggs. Strain the peas. Slice the onion and the cucumbers. Mix the peas with some of the mayonnaise and arrange it on a platter or little plates for individual helpings. Wrap the eggs in herring fillets and place on the bed of peas. Decorate with onion slices powdered with paprika, cucumber slices and squirts of mayonnaise. A single helping should weigh 100&nbsp;g  [3.5&nbsp;oz], including 20&nbsp;g [0.7&nbsp;oz] of herring.
-| oryg = Normatyw surowcowy na 5 porcji:
-* filety śledziowe – 100 g
-* cebula – 100 g
-* jaja (5 szt.) – 250 g
-* majonez – 100 g
-* groszek zielony – 200 g
-* ogórek kwaszony lub świeży – 50 g
-* papryka
-* cukier do smaku
-* ocet 6-procentowy
-Jaja ugotować na twardo, obrać. Groszek odcedzić, odsączyć. Cebulę i ogórki pokrajać w krążki. Groszek wymieszać z częścią majonezu i ułożyć z niego podstawę na półmisku lub jednoporcjowo na talerzykach. Jaja owinąć filetami śledziowymi, ustawić na postumencie z groszku. Udekorować krążkami cebuli oprószonej papryką, plastrami ogórka oraz oszprycować majonezem. Porcja potrawy powinna ważyć 100 g, w tym śledź 20 g.
-| źródło = [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Technologia_gastronomiczna_z_towaroznaws/805HF2xNTS0C?hl=pl&gbpv=1&bsq=japo%C5%84sku]
-}}
-== Dumplings with Spinach and Celebration ==
-[[File:Pierogi ze spinaczem.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.6|A tray of frozen "potato-and-paper-clip ''pierogi''"]]
-After the cold starter it's time for a hot one: ''pierogi ze szpinakiem i fetą'', or dumplings with spinach and, um, celebration. ''Pierogi'', the delicious Polish stuffed and boiled dumplings, often go hand in hand with celebration, that's true. One kind, sauerkraut-and-mushroom ''pierogi'', is traditionally served at the Christmas Eve dinner. In fact, the very word "''pierogi''" comes from "*''pirŭ''", the Proto-Slavic term for a feast. Pierogi are a celebratory food ''par excellence''.
-But the spinach in our ''pierogi'' mixed not with ''feta'', the Polish equivalent of a ''fête'', but with feta, the Greek brined cheese. Add some garlic and you're going to have a truly delightful ''pierogi'' filling. While not as classic as potato-and-cheese, ground-meat or mushroom-and-kraut varieties, spinach-filled ''pierogi'' are nonetheless both tasty and popular.
-And, well, it could have been worse. After all, it's not only Polish businesses catering to English-speaking patrons that make translation mistakes; the same may happen to U.S. businesses selling supposedly Polish food to Polish Americans. Like the one that confused the Polish words "''szpinak''" ("spinach") and "''spinacz''" ("paper clip"). Office-supplies ''pierogi'', anyone?
-[http://bajecznakuchnia.blogspot.com/2016/02/pierogi-ze-szpinakiem-i-serem-feta.html Pierogi ze szpinakiem i fetą]
-{{clear}}
-== Cervical Cancer Soup ==
-[[File:zupa-z-raków_3.jpg|thumb|<s>Cervical cancer</s> crayfish soup is a 19th-century Polish classic.]]
-A British tourist in Poznań who once found another "cervical cancer" dish on the menu had this to say about the experience:
+'''[[Key:A Menu Lost in Translation|Show actual meanings]]'''</mobileonly>
-{{ Cytat
-| No one I know has had cervical cancer, but I can imagine that if it had been seen by somebody else, they might have been well upset. As it was, I quickly lost my appetite; the meaning doesn’t exactly encourage you to order anything, does it?
-| źródło = Owen Durray, quoted in: [https://www.translatemedia.com/translation-blog/polish-restaurant-offers-cervical-cancer-on-menu-due-to-translation-error]
-}}
-The restaurant's spokesperson said they would be "having a word with [their] translator". Which, I guess, means they would somehow try and talk to Google Translate.
+{{Nawigacja|poprz=Epic Cooking: The Decorous Rite of the Mushroom Hunt|nast=Of This Ye Shall Not Eat for It Is an Abomination}}
-Let's see what happened here step by step. The original Polish name for the key ingredient is "''szyjki rakowe''" (pronounced ''{{small|SHIY}}-kee rah-{{small|KAW}}-veh''). "''Szyjki''" could be literally translated as "little necks", but in this case it refers to crayfish tails (although, technically, crayfish have neither tails nor necks, but abdomina). "''Rak''", the Polish word for crayfish, is also used for most things that the English language calls by the Latin word for "crab", that is, "cancer" – such as the Zodiac sign and, yes, the disease. And specifically, "''rak szyjki macicy''", or "cancer of the neck of the womb", is the Polish medical term for cervical cancer. "''Szyjki rakowe''" and "''rak szyjki''" may look and sound similar, but the difference in meaning is that between delicious and disgusting.
+[[Category: Advocaat]]
+[[Category: Advocaat ice cream]]
+[[Category: Apple fritters]]
+[[Category: Avocado]]
+[[Category: Buckwheat]]
+[[Category: Crayfish]]
+[[Category: Dumplings]]
+[[Category: Eggs]]
+[[Category: Feta]]
+[[Category: Herring]]
+[[Category: Mushrooms]]
+[[Category: Pickled cucumber]]
+[[Category: Polish-style roasted chicken]]
+[[Category: Sugar]]
+[[Category: Rum]]
+[[Category: Reading sauce]]
+[[Category: Spinach]]
+[[Category: Wine]]
+[[Category: James Cocks]]
+[[Category: Brazil]]
+[[Category: Netherlands]]
+[[Category: Mexico]]
+[[Category: United Kingdom]]
+[[Category: Early Modern Period]]
+[[Category: 19th century]]
+[[Category: 20th century]]
+[[Category: Recipës]]
+[[pl:Czy macie menu po angielsku?]]
-[https://zakochanewzupach.pl/wykwintna-zupa-z-rakow-z-dolnoslaskiego-stolu/ Zupa z szyjek rakowych]
-== Denmark from Chicken ==
-[https://polki.pl/przepisy/obiad,kurczak-nadziewany-po-polsku,9119,przepis.html Dania z kurczaka]
-== Buckwheat with Cocks Sauce ==
-[http://trzecitalerz.blogspot.com/2018/08/kasza-gryczana-z-kurkami-kuchnia.html Kasza z sosem kurkowym]
-== Ice Cream with Barrister ==
-[http://asiuuulek.blogspot.com/2016/06/lody-adwokatowe.html Lody z adwokatem]
-==  Apple Pie Guilty ==
-[https://www.doradcasmaku.pl/przepis-jablka-w-ciescie-z-winem-39777 Jabłko w cieście winnym]
-|}