So, in 1982, Frank DaCosta wrote Writing BASIC Adventure Programs for the TRS-80. Shortly after, Hungarian translators got a hold of the book. And there was one weird error that somehow managed to compound itself and make the book really bizarre. You see, it mentions Orcs. I don’t know how many times, since the PDF I found of the original isn’t the kind that allows you to search the text. And it was given to a translator who evidently wasn’t familiar with the word. The Hungarian translation of Lord of the Rings had only come out a year or two before, and presumably the term wasn’t part of the fantasy lexicon of Hungary. So, they read it as “orca.” And because apparently the word used for “orca” in Hungarian translates literally into “sword-winged dolphin,” it somehow became “swordfish” (Hungarian translates “swordfish” more literally into “kardhal”). Somehow, this gave them the idea to plaster drawings of swordfish all over the book, as chapter headings and even on the cover.
Comparing the Universal Oneness of All Life to Yo Mama since 2010.
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.