Press
Language is often a barrier on holiday, not just when speaking, but also on information signs. This warning sign amuses beachgoers in Italy.
Brindisi – The Spiaggia Santa Lucia attracts numerous bathers, especially in summer. But the beach in southern Italy not only offers relaxation, it also provides a few laughs. A warning sign with an amusing translation error has probably been known locally for some time and is now circulating online. But there are also texts in other holiday regions where the translation is not quite successful – like on this menu, for example.
Spiaggia Santa Lucia: Warning sign on Italian beach shows “Blue emergency number 1530”
The warning sign, which is intended to ensure bathing safety on the beach, appears to have been translated from Italian into several other languages in order to be understandable for tourists. A picture shows that the translation was flawed right from the first word.
“Attention!” is written in large red letters instead of “Attenzione!”. “Unsafe bathing due to lack of adequate rescue service. Water barrier not marked for navigation,” the text continues, but unfortunately this does not make it any clearer.
A smaller red sign shows the “Blue Emergency Number 1530”. “Any signaling of emergency in the sea or on the beach can be done by calling a fixed or mobile phone,” the sign tries in vain to explain.
“Since Google Translate, such signs should be a thing of the past,” says one user on the portal Südtirolnews.itwhich also reported. “The lines in Italy are really very long… It seems that people have not yet realized that there are services on the Internet that now deliver very good translation results – completely free of charge…”, writes one user under the picture. “The Germans should be happy that there are signs in German at all in southern Italy,” says another.
Lifeguards and emergency numbers: What the Italy sign actually means
What the sign is supposed to make clear is that there are no lifeguards on site and caution is advised. The swimming area is limited to 200 meters from the shore because boats travel beyond that and pose a danger to swimmers. The “urgency number” refers to a local emergency number.
It is questionable whether the sign provides more safety than confusion. Other signs do not regulate behavior on the beach, but in the public toilet. Also a Shield to protect the family pet, causes smiles on the Internet. (No)
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