fredericton-road-sign-translation

Being bilingual can be hard. Just ask New Brunswick, Canada’s only officially bilingual province. In Fredericton, for example, you can be excused for laughing instead of following the directions on some construction signs in the city.

The signs, which warn of ‘Raised Manholes,’ sound a little different when translated into French. The warning of ‘Trous d’homme sur eleves’ translates directly to “men’s holes are over-elevated.”

The translation from Google is even funnier — and harder to understand. Google thinks ‘Trous d’homme sur eleves’ translates to “Warning: manholes on pupils.” Does Google mean eyes, or students in a classroom? I’m still not sure.

What I am sure of is that I’m glad my manhole isn’t over-elevated.