A Google Translate error turned an annual celebration in Spain into something a bit too tantalizing when it changed the Galician word grelo into clitoris, inviting Spanish speakers to celebrate the “Feria Clitoris” (Clitoris Festival).
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As Pontes’ Rapini Festival takes place during Carnival, which next year falls in early February, if you fancy nipping down and nibbling on a few mouthwatering grelo.
“We discovered that Google translates any mention of grelos, on any website”, the same way, said town hall spokesperson Montserrat García.
The mix-up came about because local officials wrote the announcement in Galician, one of the official languages of northern Spain, and naturally, they used Google to translate the text into Spanish.
“Since 1981”, the announcement read, “the festival has made the clitoris one of the star products of its local gastronomy”.
The online translation tool likely mistook the Galician word for the Portuguese version, which refers to the vegetable but also can be used as slang 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.
As reported on Mirror, Garcia said, “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”. The Guardian noted that the Galician word, “grelo” is now translated as “brote” or sprout. The buds of the vegetable do somewhat resemble broccoli but do not form a large head and the edible parts of the plant are the leaves, buds and stems. Turnip greens, also called rapini, are actually a leafy green vegetable popular in Spanish and Italian cuisine.
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The vegetable is most commonly eaten with cured pork and potatoes.
