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To a Robot, the Cinque Terre Is “Chicken Patty” or even “Gym Daddy”

Rick Steves with iPhone

We have a vast selection of travel talks posted on YouTube and at ricksteves.com/travel-talks. YouTube likes everything to be captioned, so they use voice-recognition software that does an amazing job of automating that laborious transcription process. But occasionally, what I say and what their robotic ears hear are quite different…amusingly different. My assistant Skyla Sorensen has been busy proofreading YouTube’s automated work and found some crazy mistakes that we are thankful she caught. Here are some actual examples of how a voice-recognition robot can mangle a phrase in a Rick Steves travel lecture:

  • Visit places like the beautiful Italian villages of “Gym Daddy”…or is it “Chicken Patty”… (Cinque Terre)
  • On the coast of Portugal, eat some delicious “burning coals” (barnacles)
  • Taste some local “Vietnamese hookers” in the Italian countryside (Vignoles)
  • Check out the pietà Michelangelo made in his “girly” 20s (early)
  • Travel to the best place to go in Poland, “crack house” (Kraków)
  • Warsaw is the capital, “butt-crack houses” the university (but Kraków has the university)
  • If you don’t know what to order in Provence, just “do your best” (get bouillabaisse)
  • Two hours north of Rome, visit the beautiful “Chiquita banana Rachel” (Civita di Bagnoregio)
  • Look at the Armory where Venetians would take potential enemies to say, “Don’t mess with Dennis” (Venice)
  • Go to the Uffizi and see “peanut butter and jelly” (Venus by Botticelli)
  • If you venture to the Holy Land, be sure to notice the “terrorist” settlements, the “terrorist” hills, and the “terrorist” vineyards (terraced settlements, hills, and vineyards)
  • Sample the gastronomic “papas” in Spain (tapas)
  • Throughout northern Europe you’ll see coastal towns with an “antibiotic” heritage (Hanseatic)
  • Try doing “man-licking” in the high Alps, it’s very accessible for all ages (Männlichen)
  • In France, don’t miss the exciting city of “Blah!” (Blois)
  • Get “beat stupid” in Eastern Europe. It’s a local favorite (beet stew)
  • In Iran, you’ll hear religious sayings ingrained in their culture, like “enchilada” (insha’Allah)
  • Another cultural aspect of the Middle East is that “veterans” eat camels (Bedouins)
  • If you want to make a difference without leaving your house, donate to “Bred for the Road,” my favorite charity (Bread for the World)
  • For more information on my travel philosophy, check out my “Travel As a Blood Clot” talk (Travel As a Political Act)
  • And finally, don’t forget to try out the local language. When you meet a German, greet him by saying “Good dog!” (Guten Tag)
Comments

10 Replies to “To a Robot, the Cinque Terre Is “Chicken Patty” or even “Gym Daddy””

  1. I got a great laugh out of each one of those techo-bloopers!
    Maybe someone programmed it that way just to make us laugh?!
    Thanks, Rick, for sharing.

  2. Hysterical! Thanks for sharing! I laughed out loud, especially crack house, travel as a blood clot, and good dog.

  6. I laughed so hard I cried. You made my day! I’ve always been a huge fan of Rick’s and wouldn’t go anywhere before checking with him. Thanks!

  7. I’ve noticed this while watching Rick’s travel lectures with the CC on even though I am not hard of hearing – there are tons of bizarre misinterpretations throughout every one, virtually in every sentence. Sadly, anyone who is hard of hearing would have a hard time figuring out what Rick was trying to say. On the plus side though, it makes for a hilarious blog post and this is the funniest one I’ve ever read.

  9. Hilarious. I use Siri to dictate my daily emails about my great days on your trips. I get mistakes all the time. Siri is not good with foreign words and will sometimes not let you spell them corrrectly. I go back and type the word in all caps and then hit return. Usually that works. Thanks again for all the laughs!!!!

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