Lost In Google Translation: Writer Refusing To Leave Home

According to a headline on Vísir, a writer from Westman Islands refuses to leave their home. This may seem like a wise decision—after all, the fall is slowly but surely creeping up on us. Why would anyone in their right mind want to go out, when there’s a possibility to curl up on a sofa, cover yourself with cozy blankets and enjoy a cup of your favorite fall beverage—as long as it’s not a pumpkin spice latte; you don’t want to be that big of a cliché.

But then you start to wonder, what if this mysterious writer has other reasons to stay indoors besides the changing seasons? Maybe they belong to a risk group and are afraid of catching COVID? Perhaps their OCD is getting the best of them? For all we know, the writer might be a real life Vitalstatistix, the village leader from Asterix & Obelix, who is famously afraid that the sky may fall on his head.

Upon taking a closer look at the article, it comes to light that the main character isn’t actually a writer but a bird called “rita” in Icelandic. Apparently Google Translate isn’t that familiar with our feathered friends, since it only knows the homonym verb “að rita”, meaning “to write”. Thus, a bird became a writer.

It appears that only birds have the audacity to refuse stepping out of their homes. According to Grapevine’s sources, us humans—whether we’re writers or not—must still continue visiting the outside world.