An article on BBC News Asia-Pacific reported that officials in the Chinese capital, Beijing, have launched a campaign to wipe out Chinglish - the mistranslated phrases often seen on Chinese street signs and product labels.
One such example : 'To take notice of safe, the slippery are very crafty' (Sign warning of slippery road)
Nonetheless, bad English are not the only problem to these bemusing and sometimes confusing mistranslated phrases. The leader of a special panel made up by English professors and expatriates living in Beijing to review these mistranslation now see the need for the Chinese people to "learn more about the culture of Western countries, so that people can better study and use a foreign language."
Below are more memorable examples of Chinglish sent by viewers to BBC News: At the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi'an a sign said "Cherishing Flowers and Trees" which meant "keep off the grass". The other on a cruise on the Yangtse River, "Don't Bother" instead of "Do not Disturb" on the cabin doors. There were many others but these always made me smile. Lee Tomkow, Santa Barbara, California
My favourite is: "Please take advantage of the chambermaids" on a hotel brochure. Andrei Pogonaru, Bucharest, Romania.
While staying in a hotel in China I noticed that in with the free (complimentary) bath stuff was a number of items for sale including a pair of boxer shorts labelled "Uncomplimentary Pants"!! Stephen Mowll, Poole, Dorset, UK
Below is a photo from Flickr which exemplifies the cultural differences - listed on the sign are some recreational activities prohibited on the grass area, yet in the Western culture, lawn or grass areas are created for exactly this very purpose! Rather then conveying a message, the sign violate the cultural expectation of the reader and leave them confused/alienated. A simple sign- "keep off the grass" will serve the purpose.
On either side of the sign is the reason given for the banned activies: please cherish the lawn/please respect life.
Each language articulates or organises the
world differently because different cultures take on different
emotions and attitudes when they conceptualise their experiences
or ideas and these are transmitted through their languages.
We must be equipped with an intercultural awareness besides
the language itself because target readers’ expectations
differ by their linguistic conventions as well as their cultural
norms... read more about this blog
