Comments on: Curious English in the Capital City

By: Punax

Punax — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:53:31 +0000

hey why don’t you send your images to engrish.com ?

By: 长舟丫

长舟丫 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:28:00 +0000

Like your blog a lot! BTW I second what others have said – there’s nothing freaky about “WAY OUT”. In fact it’s a very useful thing to have around, and let’s face it, “EXIT” is soooo latinate. Can it be that there are no Way Out signs in the States?

By: China Law Blog

China Law Blog — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:57:22 +0000

I’ve never understood these “crackdowns.” Who is going to lead them? The same people who did the signs in the first place? I mean, if they have all these great translators, wouldn’t one think they would have used them in the first place.

I have a Korean friend/client who is very high up at a very large Korean company. He has an MBA from a very good US business school and he lived in the US for around ten years. I told him I did not like reading his company’s e-mailed newsletter because the language was so stitled. It was usually a correct (though not always) but it was clearly written by a foreigner. My friend vehemently agreed with me and told me that he had been urging his company to bring on an American editor but they had refused, out of a belief the editor would (1) not fit in, (2) charge too much, and (3) not understand the company. Lastly, they were afraid it would make their highly paid and highly qualified staff look bad. So in the end, they are spending all this money (and it is pretty slick) producing crap. I see the same thing happening in China.

By: Jeremy Yeh

Jeremy Yeh — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:36:48 +0000

here is my collection.
how r u?–怎麼是你？
how old r u?–怎麼老是你？

By: Freda

Freda — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:50:39 +0000

Hi, Ben, I know your blog from 21st century. I enjoy reading the stories you have experienced. Good luck!

By: sarah

sarah — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:50:36 +0000

At a temple in Kunming, I saw my favorite Chinglish sign ever: “Please don’t make confused noise when chanting.”

So, remember that in your future temple visits–no confused noises.

I also lived in Taibei for a bit near an building called Grand Quality Quintessence…which I guess meant the apartments were just fantastic?

By: maxiewawa

maxiewawa — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:46:50 +0000

This isn’t Chinglish, or even Chinglis, but I think it’s still really funny. It’s from today’s Shanghai Daily.

Shakespeare’s plays, like the ballet “Swan Lake,” are the long-time favorites of Shanghai audiences.

I just imagine Shakespeare jumping around in tights and laugh.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200706/20070625/article_320758.htm

By: RedKemp

RedKemp — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 02:21:41 +0000

I believe I saw that “help protect the railings” sign at the summer palace. It’s pretty logical though. The railings protect the cultural relics, therefore protecting the railings protects the relics. I love it.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:45:58 +0000

@Jon

Those are indeed the Perilous Hills of the Forbidden City. They are in the garden, near the back gate.

By the way, here’s my personal favorite Fuzhou Chinglish if anybody is interested.

http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=20

By: Jen

Jen — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:59:10 +0000

I don’t speak Chinese, so I’m left to wonder at the “Way Out” sign. If you’ve ever travelled on the London Underground, you’ll notice signs everywhere that say “Way Out” to help the millions of zombies on the trains figure out how to get out of the stations (and some of the stations are more complicated than others). So, is it a translation thing? Do the characters say something else?