"Lost In Translation": Karnataka's Highway Warning Signboard Is Viral

An emergency signboard installed on a highway near Karnataka's Kodagu has caught the internet's attention due to its humorous mistranslation from Kannada to English.

A user named 'Kodagu Connect' shared an image of the signboard on social media, which read, "Urgent make an accident." The signboard is a poor translation of the Kannada phrase "Avasarave Apaghatakke Karana," which actually means "Overspeeding is the reason for accidents."

However, NDTV couldn't verify the authenticity of this viral image.

See the viral picture here:

The mistranslation, "urgent makes an accident," left the internet divided. While some questioned the government's effort in translating signboards into English, others found the error amusing and took it in stride.

A user wrote, "'Haste is the cause of the accident' the real translation," a user commented. 

"Bro used chatgpt even for this," another user joked. 

"Kannada matters not English," remarked the third user. 

"One comma after urgent and the meaning will completely change, " the fourth user wrote.

The fifth user joked, "Better tag insurance agents. They will get it fixed fast."

In March, locals in Karnataka's Kodagu district put up a makeshift signboard warning travellers of Google's navigation mistake. The hilarious signboard urges users to not follow Google's directions and take a different route to reach the Club Mahindra resort. 

A picture of the signboard was shared by the X handle of Kodagu Connect. ''Google is wrong. This road does not go to Club Mahindra,'' reads the sign. The signboard was put up by local villagers who got tired of lost travellers asking for directions after being misled by Google Maps.