Saturday, January 24, 2009

Spell Check

I'm convinced using 'spellcheck' in a foreign language is a very difficult thing to do, especially when the Arabic alphabet you're used to contains no letter 'P' or 'X' and no 'V' or 'Ch' sounds. In addition, letters in Arabic always keep the same sound (unlike English for example, choice, change)

Here are some mistakes which are both delightful and genuine:


1
A delegate representing H.E. xxxx’s office would like to attend the presentation by Mr. xxxxxx. We need a seat from him with delegates. What do you think, he can spear seats with delegates?

2
Dear All
This is a good work and the price seems to be reasonable. I think we need to go a head ASAP but when it comes to the contents it need opinions of 2 to 3 bored members after the first or second draft.
(bored / board)

3
The visit erection is three days.
(erection / duration)

4
Data storage in financial whorehouses.
(whorehouses/ warehouses)

5
Headline in Al Ayam newspaper in 2005, “Where is there freedom?”
(there / their)

6
A sandwich shop called ‘Sand Witches’

7
An aquaintance was very upset one day and started complaining about the hospital, saying they were terrible. I thought he might mean the doctors, or the cleanliness or any number of things. But no, he was angry about the fact various plural nouns such as patients had been spelt with an appostrophe 's on the signposts; patient's.

And as he so rightly put it, “It’s a governmental institution, they’ve had the signposts made in metal and those spelling mistakes are going to be there for ever. They should be correctly spelt, it is bad for us.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The mixing up of similar words, possesive and plural, and bad grammar are all over signs and smaller newspapers even here in Canada. Drives me crazy too!

Pixie said...

I ove that about the Gulf! It makes bad spellers fell smart(e).

Web-OJ said...

And I don't know why, but they can never say my surname, "Saldanha." They've baptised me, "Sultana". As it means, "Princess", I'm not complaining.

Please "bark" your car.

Please "bay" your rent by the 5th of the, "moth"

I am "weeling" to "spear" you 5 minutes for a meeting.

... and the famous Egyptian way of saying, "Thankees Gadh" (Thanks God)

Walla! I love Kuwait! :-)

Shirley Sunman said...

More on speaking; I love the use of the sound, 'cack' instead of 'cake' and also the universal use of 'backside' instead of 'around the back'. I have to admit to now using both quite naturally ...