short circuitA few weeks ago, in our regular Directors’ meeting, the Deputy Director of our translation service gave us a wonderful example of the limitations of machine translation.  The European Economic and Social Committee’s motto is that it is a ‘bridge between the European Union and organised civil society.’ She showed us a Dutch version of one of our brochures where this motto had been translated, by the machine, as ‘A short circuit between the European Union and organised civil society.’ I like it!