Lost in Translation

[DLB]

We've all run into this in varying degrees... I bought an inexpensive electric solder sucker for a non-woodworking project. For the most part the instructions were adequate. But the only instruction that had a warning symbol (triangle with exclamation point inside) next to it has me puzzled:

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

I'll be puzzling over what this could possibly mean or even be referring to, but was amused and thought I'd share.

- David

[CreekWood]

For $7.99, your supposed to be impressed that you actually got a user guide!
For a few dollars more, I'd at least expect them to run that sentence through Google Translate. But that can get you in trouble too...I once asked a friend overseas if his church youth group enjoyed their week at camp. After a fit of laughing, he informed me that, no, they didn't go to the penitentiary.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Several years ago, I was tasked with reviewing several several patents that had been machine-translated from German, IIRC. It wasn’t easy going. The subject invention, some technical apparatus, apparently had multiple “vagina” features. None of which made much sense to me.

A day or three later, I finally realized that if I substituted the word “orifice” for each instance of the word “vagina”, things made sense after all!

[RFGuy]

Dennis,

I am an engineer and even I don't like to read patents. I don't think anyone does. Sounds like you found a way to make them interesting, for once. I would have stuck with the original translation!

[BigSky]

We've all run into this in varying degrees... I bought an inexpensive electric solder sucker for a non-woodworking project. For the most part the instructions were adequate. But the only instruction that had a warning symbol (triangle with exclamation point inside) next to it has me puzzled:

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

I'll be puzzling over what this could possibly mean or even be referring to, but was amused and thought I'd share.

- David

Fall back to what you know about solder removal.

Press the "on" to suck it up and then switch to "outburst" to blow it out.

[RFGuy]

We've all run into this in varying degrees... I bought an inexpensive electric solder sucker for a non-woodworking project. For the most part the instructions were adequate. But the only instruction that had a warning symbol (triangle with exclamation point inside) next to it has me puzzled:

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

I'll be puzzling over what this could possibly mean or even be referring to, but was amused and thought I'd share.

- David

Fall back to what you know about solder removal.

Press the "on" to suck it up and then switch to "outburst" to blow it out.

Yeah, I was wondering what they really meant. I have read quite a few broken English instructions, particularly ones translated from Chinese as this one probably originated there. IF it was a warning, my guess is they were trying to say the solder could be hot when you eject it from the solder sucker. I assume the actual instructions part kinda had the description right about operation, but this was a warning?

[edma194]

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

What is the problem? Just follow the instructions. Press on the hardle to remove the hors, then unclench to get the tin to automatically outburct. Do you need pictures to make it clearer?

Ok, maybe 'hors' was supposed to be 'short'. That would explain a little.

[DLB]

Unlike other powered desoldering tools I've used, this one exhausts through the tip. The vacuum source is a solenoid, so when you press the button it creates a momentary vacuum at the tip. If you release the button quickly, it exhausts air combined with hot solder. Like a sneeze (or "outburct"). Not pretty. It has a little bit of recoil when you trigger the solenoid, on my first attempt my finger slipped off the button from the recoil. So in about one second it pulled the hot solder off of the connection then blew it all over the circuit board. Yay! It actually works pretty well once you figure it out. After that I held the switch down and pointed the tip into a wet rag, but I didn't see any more solder in the exhaust. So I think you just need to hold it down while the solder cools back to solid and stays inside the tool.

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

Just like it says...

- David

[RFGuy]

Unlike other powered desoldering tools I've used, this one exhausts through the tip. The vacuum source is a solenoid, so when you press the button it creates a momentary vacuum at the tip. If you release the button quickly, it exhausts air combined with hot solder. Like a sneeze (or "outburct"). Not pretty. It has a little bit of recoil when you trigger the solenoid, on my first attempt my finger slipped off the button from the recoil. So in about one second it pulled the hot solder off of the connection then blew it all over the circuit board. Yay! It actually works pretty well once you figure it out. After that I held the switch down and pointed the tip into a wet rag, but I didn't see any more solder in the exhaust. So I think you just need to hold it down while the solder cools back to solid and stays inside the tool.

"Press the on the hardle remove solder hors, When unclench switch the tin automatic outburct."

Just like it says...

- David

David,

Sorry from your original post, I thought you were saying the instructions made sense and that the one broken English line was a warning due to the triangle next to it. Yeah, that is how they work. A good quality one of those can be fantastic. I took on a project to rework hundreds of circuit boards back in college to earn some extra money from my employer at the time. It was a real life saver, but my fingers were really sore after using it on hundreds of reworked boards. Of course a true solder rework station by comparison is night and day different. All of their broken English makes sense for the most part, I think. What stumped me was "hors". At first I thought it was supposed to be "hot" and that they were instructing how to use the tool and that it will remove hot solder, but then caution it will be "outburst" or blow out when you release the switch - in other words be careful where that hot solder lands. However, "hors" is actually a French word with multiple meanings depending on usage. I am no expert in that language and I won't post a possible meaning for it because there are too many online depending the usage of the word and what source you check. Just wondering if maybe the translator got mixed up on that one word and slipped into Chinese->French translation and/or thought it had a meaning in English, i.e. same word in multiple languages.

[DLB]

The instructions were clear up to that point, in hindsight maybe a little thin on detail. Paraphrasing : Plug it in, 5 minute warm up, place the tip against the solder, when the solder melts push the button and solder will be absorbed. Nothing confusing or with major grammatical errors. Followed by the warning I quoted. It probably would have been clear to someone familiar with the type. The ones I've experienced were a much higher grade of tool, and like I said did not exhaust through the tip. This is perfectly adequate, might benefit from a check valve to divert the exhaust. Results were superior to braided solder wicking tape, at least on through-hole, it's fast, and ~$35.

- David