We are Not Alone; S'pore is Singlish, China has Chinglish..
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Teacher fighting to change Chinglish signs
January 26, 2007
ONLY in China is the slippery very crafty, you must receive strangers carefully and the police warmly warn people not to drive tiredly.
It's good for a chuckle, but these language gaffes have left Beijing teacher Liu Yongli simply embarrassed.
He has spent the last three years photographing more than 1,000 examples of the bizarre ways English has been used on signs in Beijing and a few other cities.
A favourite of his reads: 'To take notice of safe, the slippery are very crafty'.
It is actually warning people to take care when using a sloping driveway.
And another: 'On the taxi the guest stands forward'. Mr Liu, who teaches English at a university, suggests the simpler 'Taxi pick-up point' instead.
He first noticed how bad Beijing's Chinglish problem was in 2003 when studying for his masters degree.
'A lot of the common English, and that used on signs, does not appear in textbooks.'
Beijing has set up a body specifically to tackle the problem ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, but Mr Liu said a national standard was needed.
'The government should publish a standard book that people and departments who make signs can refer to,' he said.
He has taken reporters to a large car dealership where the word 'exit' has been written as 'export' throughout, the two words being identical in Chinese. - Reuters. -
Double posting
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you double posted?
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I reckon if you did a direct translation to chinese, you get the message.
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HARRHAARRHAAARRRRR!!!!Originally posted by ditzy:I reckon if you did a direct translation to chinese, you get the message.
China must surely think the world of their Mandarin! They assume direct translation of every word to be the same in English!!
hheeheheheheeeeee..... -
I could do this all day.
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can do both translation of the pics? don't how to read
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Do you know how to say dried goods in chinese?Originally posted by Agenda:can do both translation of the pics? don't how to read -
You gonna make me laugh till I pee my pants in my office!Originally posted by ditzy:I could do this all day.
haaarrrrrhahahahaaaaaaa...
heeheheheeeeeeee.....