SINGAPORE - A photo of the wrong Tamil translation of popular food destination Lau Pa Sat on a signboard is making its rounds on Facebook.

While the Tamil words for Lau and Pa are correct on the signboard, the word Sat has been translated into Sani, which means Saturday in Tamil. The word, however, can also be used to curse people in Tamil.

Such a negative meaning may rile some people, Mr Samikannu Sithambaram, president of the Singapore Tamil Teachers' Union, told The Straits Times. He said that the mistake could have come about because the translaters thought that Sat in Lau Pa Sat stood for the short form of Saturday.

"Some people, especially if they are not local, won't know what Lau Pa Sat is. They should have really done their homework," he said.

Such signs are typically put up by the Singapore Tourism Board.

He added that there have been other instances where Tamil translation had failed. Most recently, he said that seniors received letters on the Pioneer Generation Package "in Greek" because the Tamil font was not supported.

Previously, Tamil signs at Gardens By The Bay were also almost all wrong, until the errors were pointed out and corrected, he said.