AI Translation Fails That Will Make You Laugh (and Think Twice Before Using Free Tools)

Imagine typing “good morning” into a translation app… and the result gets you arrested.

Sounds like a bad joke, but that’s exactly what happened to a Palestinian man in 2017. After posting a photo on Facebook with a bulldozer and a simple Arabic greeting “yusbihuhum”, Facebook’s AI translated it into “attack them” in Hebrew and “hurt them” in English. Israeli police, alarmed by the supposed threat, arrested him on the spot. Only later did they realize the translation was a total fail.

AI translation tools are everywhere. From Google Translate to Facebook’s auto-captioning to built-in browser features, they’re fast, convenient, and sometimes hilariously (or horrifically) wrong. This blog explores some of the funniest real-life AI translation blunders – but also the hidden risks behind relying too heavily on free machine translation.

Why People Rely on AI Translation (So Much)

There’s a reason billions of people use AI-powered translation tools every day. Google Translate, DeepL, Microsoft Bing Translator, and other services have become everyday essentials. Whether you're navigating a foreign country, translating an email, or reading product reviews, these tools offer instant help – often for free.

The appeal? They’re fast, easy, and always available. It is understandable why small businesses use them to localize product descriptions, why tourists use them to order food abroad and why students use them to translate quotes for essays. AI translation bridges language gaps in ways that were unthinkable two decades ago.

But speed and convenience come at a cost: context, cultural nuance, and accuracy.

Some Funny Examples

Let’s dive into the good stuff – the fails. Here are some legendary translation flubs that will make you laugh and maybe double-check your next translation.

The Restaurant Menu Catastrophe

In China, one translated menu proudly listed: “Fried children”. What the chef meant, of course, was “fried chicken”. Menus are full of these mix-ups. “Grilled Salmon with Herpes Sauce” (should’ve been herbs) and “Roasted Husband” (likely meant roast pork) have all made their rounds online.

These mistakes happen when machines go too literal, ignore grammar, or pull from mismatched datasets. And while funny, they also highlight why context is everything.

Public Sign Blunders

A sign in English warned: “Execution in progress.” Visitors were understandably alarmed until it was clarified – it meant “construction in progress.”

From “Slippery when wet” becoming “Slide and die” to “No entry” translating as “Don’t enter, you idiot,” public signage translations are goldmines of bad AI language.

Marketing Gone Wrong

Brand slogans are especially vulnerable. When Pepsi entered China, its slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” was translated to “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”

Marketing relies on tone, nuance, and emotion – things free translation tools often miss completely. Marketing is one of the fields where only a human can understand the intricacies.

Medical or Legal Confusions

Imagine a medical document where “mild pain” gets translated as “small suffering,” or a legal brief where “legal counsel” becomes “law helper.” In serious fields, mistranslations aren’t just embarrassing – they’re dangerous.

In 2018, a mistranslation led to a woman in the UK being prescribed double the recommended dose of her medication. The consequences were very real.

User-Submitted and Social Media Fails

Of course, social media is a breeding ground for AI masterpieces. One legendary example? Type “dog” 19 times into Google Translate (Maori to English), and it once returned:

“Doomsday Clock is three minutes at twelve. We are experiencing characters and dramatic developments in the world, which indicate that we are increasingly approaching the end times and Jesus’ return.” Turns out, religious texts are overrepresented in AI training data, especially for less-common languages. The result: unexpected sermons in your translations.

How and why does this happen?

Well, machine translation uses two main methods:

Statistical models: Based on probabilities and word pairings found in training data.

Neural networks: Try to mimic human learning by identifying patterns, grammar rules, and syntax.

Both rely heavily on data – and that data isn’t always perfect. Common issues include:

Lack of cultural context

Literal (not idiomatic) translations

No proofreading or human oversight

Bias in training data (gender, religion, etc.)

A notorious example of bias? Google Translate often assigns male pronouns to words like “engineer” or “doctor,” and female pronouns to “nurse” or “teacher” even if the original language didn’t include gender. The AI simply mirrors what it "learned" from text data, reinforcing stereotypes.

When You Shouldn’t Use Free AI Translation Tools

So, when shouldn’t you trust these tools?

Professional settings: Legal, medical, or financial documents must be precise. AI tools don’t provide legal protections or guarantees. These mistakes can lead to real-life consequences.

Marketing and branding: You don’t want your slogan to imply necromancy (looking at you, Pepsi…). Slogans often need to be localized so that they are relatable to the local audience.

Multilingual websites: Poor translations make your brand look unprofessional—or even offensive. In this digital world, your website is your business card. Entrust it to us to make your business shine in the eyes of your customers.

Better Alternatives

We’re not anti-AI – far from it actually. We understand that machine translation (MT) offers speed and affordability that traditional human translation can’t always match. That’s why we offer different levels of MT incorporation in our process—so you can find the service that suits your needs best:

Hire a partner who provides human translations: Especially for important documents or campaigns where accuracy and tone are critical.

Use hybrid services: Platforms like DeepL Pro, Gengo, or Unbabel blend AI with human editing to reduce costs while maintaining quality.

Review and localization: Don’t just translate—adapt your message to the target culture and language. Our diverse team of experts from various backgrounds ensures your message resonates locally.

Proofread everything: If nothing else, have a native speaker review your content. We have plenty of qualified specialists ready to help refine your message—even if it started with AI.

AI translation is an amazing tool – but it’s not perfect

Machine Translation can help you order lunch in Lisbon, but maybe don’t rely on it for your business contract. It can save you in a pinch, but left unchecked, it might call for your arrest (or bring your ancestors back from the grave).

So next time you open Google Translate, remember: just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s without risks.

Final laugh? An elevator safety sign in China once read: “Touching wires causes instant death. $200 fine.” We don’t even want to know what the original sentence was.