There’s a quirky little panel in the latest issue of Archaeology.

The magazine ran an online poll giving readers a chance to vote for their favourite Maya royal name — names made delightfully exotic by their translation into English.

Topping the poll with 24% of the vote was Smoking Squirrel, followed by 18 Rabbit (15%), Lady Six Sky (13%) and Moon Skull (12%). Others making up the top 10 were Smoke Monkey, Knot-eye Jaguar, Turtle Tooth and Curl Snout.

Translation can make anything funny. Take this ABC News report on how US presidential contenders fare in Chinese; the ballot in Massachusetts could well feature names such as Sticky Rice (Mitt Romney), Triumphant Wheat (John McCain), Tired Forest (Hilary Clinton) and Profound Horse (Barack Obama).

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