The Beirut Municipality used Google Translate for the English & French versions of it

Surrealism and the Beirut Municipality Website

Beirut city falls on the eastern beach from the Mediterranean Sea, borders it a west the sea, and south its suburbs and the region of its immortality an extension to a hunt and its neighborhood, Wsh
And Beirut falls in a moderate region that is distinguished by the quality of the weather and straightness in the climate and a beauty in the view, and mentions some of the sources by that Beirut name derived from (Pyrite)
And when Beirut is said in the Ottoman time, but he the meek Beirut is meant by it inside its fence and while is but from regions that enter today Beirut scope

And the truth, the development of Beirut city outside the fence, but it came a result social economic and demographic requirements, where the city numbers started increasing successively
Beirut city falls on the eastern beach from the Mediterranean Sea, borders it a west the sea, and south its suburbs and the region of its immortality an extension to a hunt and its neighborhood, Wsh
And Beirut falls in a moderate region that is distinguished by the quality of the weather and straightness in the climate and a beauty in the view, and mentions some of the sources by that Beirut name derived from (Pyrite)
And it appears that this fence accompanied the city since its foundation on some historians opinion that goes back with it to the Canaanites time Walhthien, and they believe by that a rise

” The revolution of the heavy oil ” its burial in its cradle yesterday is the decision of the Cabinet the support of the container with three thousands liras and its value treasury

Beirut got in the Roman era a superior fame, being a greater and more important center an institute of the law all over the empire, and it has increased an importance this more famous

We certainly cannot increase tourism nor encourage foreigners to settle in Lebanon if our institutions fail to enhance our international image.

The Municipality of Beirut for instance launched a new web portal, www.beirut.gov.lb, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It did not, however, hire a translator to develop the website’s English and French pages. The Municipality found it handy to resort to Google Translate, which – at best – translates words from Arabic into English or French, but cannot translate sentences and totally ignores grammar rules.
Yet, the webmaster adopted Google’s translation, with jewels such as the masterpiece posted above. The text simply makes no sense. A five year old child, if asked to write about Beirut, can come up with something better.

We do not expect all web workers to be professional translators, but we do expect them at least to read what they post. We do expect the Beirut Municipality civil servants and council members to check out what their website says about their city. We do expect USAID, as a funder, to examine whether American taxpayers’ money was properly used. These are legitimate expectations, especially when Beirut is the World Book Capital.

“… the Canaanites time Walhthien, and they believe by that a rise.”

This is how the text ends. Hopefully, this does not annouce the end of tourism in Lebanon.

The Beirut Municipality website is a perfect symptom of the terrible situation of Lebanese public administrations: misuse of funds, laziness, and no sense of ownership of anything “public”.

Tajaddod Youth calls today on the Municipality of Beirut to publish a proper English and French translation of its portal’s Arabic pages, followed by an innovative web campaign to promote our capital. Tajaddod Youth moreover stands ready to support such a process through its members’ skills, aspiration to a modern Lebanon, and respect for their capital’s glorious history.

http://www.tajaddod-youth.com/blog-page/1365/