Avoid the embarrassment of an inaccurate translation

At the first meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton an amusing incident occurred which serves as a reminder of the importance of choosing the precise word in intercultural communication. Mrs. Clinton gave Mr. Lavrov a souvenir in the form of a push button on which she intended to have the Russian word for “reset” written as a symbol of the start of a new relationship between the two governments. However, they mistranslated “reset” and instead wrote the Russian word for “overcharge.” Fortunately, this innocent mistake prompted only laughter and smiles, but it does point out the need to refer to professional translators and editors to avoid such blunders.