During a regular visit to the local Canadian Tire Hardware store, I chanced upon the work glove section and spied a pair of blue and yellow work gloves, bearing the cryptic label
Rancher
Lined
This being urban Canada, I could not see where I would need such a glove but figured it is probably a heavy duty work glove. The French version really puzzled me. It said
Propriétaire de ranch
doublé
literally - Lined Ranch Owner
Nowhere could I see a real person, lined or not. Especially that doublé can also mean
1. overtaken - as in doubler une voiture sur la route,
2. dubbed - as in film doublé en Français
3. double-crossed - doubler quelqu'un
4. increased twofold - as in "le nombre de crimes a doublé"
The Canadian Packaging legislation stipulates that the generic name of the product be shown in English and in French. Had the word Gloves be used, the meaning would have been absolutely clear and the French translation, hopefully, much better done.
It all comes down to credibility. The French customer will laugh or maybe even get offended - if they cannot provide a credible translation, what does this say about the product and the company itself?
Do this right - Don't be a Lined Rancher.
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