Valpo, almost clear of the fog...almost...Click here for the site.
Firstly, I didn't know they were doing this although it was bleeding obvious that the city was crying out for a site. It should have been done years ago.
Secondly, I'm incredibly surprised by the quality of the new site. It's well laid out, well designed, full of really useful information and isn't just the usual "everything's great" kind of tourism site. Some of the interviews are really interesting and express similar points of views to mine. They aren't afraid to tell it like it is and say that there are issues that need to be addressed here. I'm actually really impressed and that's not something I can say very often about the management of tourism and investment in this city.
However (there's always a however), the English version of the site sucks. It's poorly translated and full of spelling mistakes. This city is full of native English speakers, many of whom would probably have been willing to translate the website for free or for very little money. Instead, the council hires a Chilean who, despite obviously having a high level of English, translates idioms and expressions literally and has a problem with basic spelling. It's shoddy work and, unfortunately, all too common in all of South America. It's indicative of the approach to business here: Have a good idea and then execute it cheaply and poorly.
This is a real shame because the Spanish version is really good.
Another problem is that the website doesn't show up in any google searches in English. What's the point in having a site that no one knows about and no one can find? Google ads don't cost all that much and the city is really missing a trick in not advertising this way. Search for Valparaiso Chile tourism, valparaiso chile, city of valparaiso chile, visit valparaiso chile, things to do in valparaiso chile, hotels and accommodation in valparaiso chile, history of valparaiso chile, photos of valparaiso chile and nothing comes up...well this blog does from time to time...
11 comments:
I wrote to them after the site went up and told them I'd edit it FOR FREE....and no one's gotten back to me.
There's one part where I swear if you didn't know what the cueca was you'd think they were talking about prostitution.
Now that doesn't surprise me...sadly...
And I just had to go find the cueca info. It's pretty hilarious:
La Cueca Porteña
It is called cueca chora or brava (tough, coarse) because it tells the stories of Valparaiso's old red light district, where manhood was measured in a clean fistfight. Musicians would go from restaurant to restaurant and from bar to bar until sunrise, always prepared for what was asked of them: Another cueca, dammit!.
indeed my english sometimes sucks but this english version for the cueca chora goes much further.....
salu2,
luchovalpo
well, actually is not far from truth: la cueca chora doesn't have anything to do with the common one, because of the syle.
anyway, i agree with meredith...
*because of the style, not syle
lucho-long time no hear! your english is way better than the translator's. arrggghhhh, it's such a shame the translation is so poor...the website is so close to being just what the city needs...
B-the cueca chora is like prostitution??
is not like prostitution, is just a different style. indeed, la cueca chora was born in the quintas de recreo (brothels) and is completely different to the one you know from the south of chile...
i don't know if you've heard about Roberto Parra. He was the one who worked on it a lot!
Haha, Meredith, I wrote to a vineyard and offered to translate their website for free too because it was SO awful. Like Matt says, how is it possible that they can't find one native speaker or totally bilingual Chilean to do the job when there are so many out there!?!
My guess is that the translating job was a pituto issue - it's not what you know, it's who you know.
Wayne, it wouldn't surprise me. The credits for the site say who the translator is and also mentions everyone else who was involved in its creation. The weird thing is that some of the translation is absolutely perfect and then, in the next paragraph it'll be awful. Translating bi-polarity, perhaps.
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