(Image Citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinglish)
George Steiner once said and I quote, “Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence.” A large number of English-speaking tourists travel to China every year, hence, it is only natural to create bilingual signs with English subtitles. Also, the people of China are known for their zeal to learn the English language. Irrespective of the fascination of travel enthusiasts to explore the country, the English-speaking guests often face many difficulties while finding their way around People’s Republic of China. Sadly, not all business owners in China are willing to invest in professional translation, and software solutions used for translation are not always reliable.
Due to incorrect translation, signs that are supposed to help the tourists find their way, end-up causing outbursts of inexorable laughter. Below are some pictures with funny Chinese to English translation that Wikipedia very creatively termed as ‘Chinglish.’
This is a warning sign written in Chinese and translated in English. It is created to warn people at the time of thunderstorms. The actual meaning is – Please do not climb the mountain; however, the complexity of translation makes it a ‘sign’ of laughter.
Now, this one is hilarious. It is a (mis)translation of the location of public washroom. The actual translation is ‘Public washroom is on the second floor.’
Want to do some calculations? This is a signboard in Shanghai’s ferry dock, which in correct English means ‘Mind the gap.’
Here, they have used an uncommon word to convey a simple message. The actual sign should be ‘Please close gently.’ However, the word ‘steek’ is used that means, ‘enclose, close, shut,’ instead of the common word.
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