Google translation blunder gives festival X-rated name

OFFICIALS in Spain were left embarrassed after Google mistranslated the name of a food festival, giving it an X-rated title.

But on the Castillian Spanish version of the town’s website, powered by Google Translate, the Galician word for rapini, “grelo”, was mistaken for the Portuguese “grelo”, a slang term for clitoris.

The error meant visitors looking for event information on the Castillian page were directed to one on the “fiera clitoris”, or clitoris festival.

“The clitoris is one of the typical products of Galician cuisine. Since 1981, the festival has made the clitoris one of the star products of the local gastronomy,” it read. There were also prizes for the best clitoris recipes, it added.

Townhall spokeswoman Monserrat García said: “Google Translate recognised our Galician word ‘grelo’ as Portuguese and translated into the Spanish for clitoris.

“It’s a very serious error on the part of Google and we are thinking about making an official complaint for Google to properly recognise the Galician language so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”

Rapini, also known as broccoli rabe, is a sub-species of turnip that is often used in Galician cuisine and is also a common ingredient in Italian and Portuguese dishes. The vegetable is most commonly eaten with cured pork and potatoes. The festival, which promotes regional products, is scheduled to take place on February 15.