You might have come across some cases where translation went wrong, but a recent instance from the Indian railways seems to rank high on the list of blunders. Ask why? It shows how the name of a station was translated instead of keeping it untouched and uncompromised. If you aren't aware of what we are talking about, let us tell you that it is about the viral photo of an express train from Jharkhand to Kerala.
The nameplate on the Hatia-Ernakulam Dharti Aaba Express messed up with its source station. While it read fine in Hindi and English, it read something way different in Malayalam fonts than suggesting passengers about the place called Hatia.
Curious to know what it read? While most proper nouns are not translated, especially names of railway stations, the nameplate on the train read "Kolapathakam" in Malayalam instead of "Hatia." Those who understand the South Indian language know what the weird translation stands for and that it nowhere certainly conveys the idea of the region located in the Northern state. Moreover, revealing what it means, it allegedly refers to a "murder."
According to local media reports, Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer has demanded in a written letter to Ranchi's Senior Mechanical Engineer to correct the nameplate. Meanwhile, the shocking instance of a railway train routing with an erred nameplate got netizens talking, making them tag the rail minister and draw his attention to the matter.
