The machine lost in translation

The machine lost in translation

BEIJING: China imported a U.S.-made scream machine to scare
away the birds at Beijing airport -- except they didn't recognize
the noises and refused to budge.

The bird-dispersing equipment had recorded the screams of
American birds or the sounds of the birds' natural enemies, the
Beijing Evening News said.

"Local birds did not understand the foreign language," the
newspaper said.

So Chinese experts "translated" the U.S. bird noises into
those of their Chinese counterparts.

"The workers have already recorded six or seven bird screams
which are common in Beijing," it said, adding that the new scare
tactics were undergoing tests. -- Reuters