Japanese transport officials in Osaka have shut down a foreign language website for the city’s subway system after a string of hilariously garbled lost in translation phrases went viral on social media.

Among a catalogue of errors were station names which were literally translated into English, resulting in stops being incorrectly cited as “Before the Zoo”, “Three Eyes”, “Sakai Muscle” and "Prince Bridge Now City”.

Other botched translations included an announcement promoting a new television commercial, which reportedly proclaimed: “Osaka Metro TV uploaded footage of city is the new born. Please visit the can’t usually see pretty CM filming behind the scenes!”

Osaka Metro attributed the errors to the use of an automated Microsoft translation programme launched last September, which offered information in English, Chinese, Korean and Thai, according to the Japan Times.

Following widespread social media attention in Japan on the quirkier translations used by the system, transport officials have reportedly shut down the multilingual website.