буква эм (англ.)

[avva]

Две истории о выпавшей букве "m", взяты с переводческой рассылки. Особенно вторая хороша.

Первая:

In a sociological study of various generations, the client
writes (in Danish):

"The younger the generation, the clearer the tendency to
see it as desirable that more power be given to local
beauties."

The mind boggled for a moment. (What sort of things go
on out in the countryside?) Until I realised that it was
*just* possible that the final two words, "lokale yndigheder",
should perhaps have been "lokale myndigheder", "local
authorities"

Вторая, рассказанная другим участником рассылки в ответ на первую:

Ah. Well, some years ago we printed a new translation of the Book of Mormon in Spanish. One verse said "Los élderes ordenan presbíteros y maestros mediante la imposición de manos." There was an "m" missing. How many copies did we have to destroy? Don't ask. You couldn't have asked for a worse contretemps.

Comments

[ex-ilyavinar899.livejournal.com]

У Литтлвуда была история: какой-то профессор заболел, и написал на доске, что он "will miss his classes". Какой-то шутник стёр букву c в слове classes. Увидав это, профессор также стёр букву l.

[kalvado.livejournal.com]

ne miss, a meet naskol'ko ya pomnu..

[ex-ilyavinar899.livejournal.com]

возможно, "will not be able to meet his classes - lasses - asses".

Физики шутят

[kapahel.livejournal.com]

Professor Tomson will not meet his classes today"

[kinuski.livejournal.com]

Thomson (http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Thomson.html), actually.

Thomson, unable to meet his class one day, posted on the door of his lecture room a notice that read:
"Professor Thomson will not meet his classes today."
The disappointed class decided to play a joke on the professor. Erasing the "c" they left the legend to read:
"Professor Thomson will not meet his lasses today."
The next day when the class assembled in anticipation of the effect of their joke, they were astonished and chagrined to find that the professor had outwitted them. The legend was now found to read:
"Professor Thomson will not meet his asses today."
(Cyrus Northrup, University of Washington Address, November 2, 1908) (http://www.geocities.com/ilian73/anecdote.html#kelvin)

О времени рождения Христа

[otjbiz.livejournal.com]

Моя гёрлфренда работала некогда в одной печатной конторе, которую в частности облюбовали неформальные и альтернативные религиозные течения в целях распечатки воззваний к потенциальной пастве. Одна из формулировок запомнилась: “Христос – это Овен и пастух, а мы – его ягнята”. Это был, видимо, художественный перевод с английского чего-то вроде “Christ is Aries and Shepherd”, т.е. агнец и пастырь.

A lower brow one:

[arich.livejournal.com]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22pubic+phone%22
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22pubic+relations%22
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22pubic+library%22

Ну, и так далее

[ex-ilyavinar899.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/nihuyator/213108.html