Lost in Translation
How long did you think I would go before I'd have a post with that title? I mean, really?
A few months ago I was reading an article about Yao Ming in one of the sports magazines. I can't remember which one because my sister Megan subscribes to ALL of them. Otherwise I would link to the article. Anyway, in the story was Yao's reaction to the Chinese language tatoos that are everywhere in the US. People claim that their ink is the Chinese word for Power when it really means toaster, or nothing at all. Basketball fans in China apparently get a huge kick out of spotting these.
Can't blame them in the least.
Constantly we see mangled English on signs, clothes, dishes--you name it. For the small business owners I feel sorry. They spent a lot of money for nice signage to draw in Western customers, and what they got was awful. Like the Paradise Bra next to Home Bar. Or the Export Cloths Store down the street. On clothing it is even funnier, because there is such an attempt to make the clothing appear American or French. Like the teenage girl I saw in Sui Wan Tou whose mother probably wouldn't have let her out of the house if she knew that her daughter's t-shirt announced in glitter that she was elegant and valuable.
Here is a sheet and comforter set I saw at A. Best, a Wal-Mart competitor here in China. I was drawn to the red poppies, until I saw what the English words on it said
(in case you can't read it it says, "Hope it Was Happy!")
I like to call it the Things that Make You Go HMMM Set (Ladies, have you ever had a man go away for business and come back with a tan?). Just before you leave your cheating husband, you make the bed up with these.
More as I run across them.
A few months ago I was reading an article about Yao Ming in one of the sports magazines. I can't remember which one because my sister Megan subscribes to ALL of them. Otherwise I would link to the article. Anyway, in the story was Yao's reaction to the Chinese language tatoos that are everywhere in the US. People claim that their ink is the Chinese word for Power when it really means toaster, or nothing at all. Basketball fans in China apparently get a huge kick out of spotting these.
Can't blame them in the least.
Constantly we see mangled English on signs, clothes, dishes--you name it. For the small business owners I feel sorry. They spent a lot of money for nice signage to draw in Western customers, and what they got was awful. Like the Paradise Bra next to Home Bar. Or the Export Cloths Store down the street. On clothing it is even funnier, because there is such an attempt to make the clothing appear American or French. Like the teenage girl I saw in Sui Wan Tou whose mother probably wouldn't have let her out of the house if she knew that her daughter's t-shirt announced in glitter that she was elegant and valuable.
Here is a sheet and comforter set I saw at A. Best, a Wal-Mart competitor here in China. I was drawn to the red poppies, until I saw what the English words on it said
(in case you can't read it it says, "Hope it Was Happy!")
I like to call it the Things that Make You Go HMMM Set (Ladies, have you ever had a man go away for business and come back with a tan?). Just before you leave your cheating husband, you make the bed up with these.
More as I run across them.
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