Toilet as "loo"

Taken a few years ago at the Henan Provincial Labor Union building. I assume someone just a dictionary and translated toilet as “loo”.

The 21th Floor

Here is an interesting bit of Chinglish / Engrish taken at a Beijing hotel in Zhongguancun (the Silicon Valley of Beijing as it were).





The twenty-firTH floor?

Wacky pirated DVD subtitles

As is well known, one can find DVDs at extremely low prices in China. It is often unclear if the DVDs of recent movies are pirated or not. Often though, the subtitles in English are quite funny. Not sure why technically, but it seems the pirates must re-enter subtitles and the English is very different from the actual speech or text. Here is an example from American Gangster:

* In the opening scene, Denzel and partners are dousing someone in gasoline. The victim screams "Damn!" or something. The subtitles say: "what damn". Then "damn of mix Zhang".

* The movie's title scrolls across the screen: "AMERICAN GANGSTER". The subtitles say: "name of movie: the United States be".

* "Based on a true story". The subtitles say "reorganize from the true story".

* When the mentor gangster is distributing Thanksgiving turkeys from a truck, the subtitles say: "Thanks-giving Day happiness".

* 1968 - Harlem. The subtitles say: "1968 year black living quarters".

* As the mentor gangster distributes turkeys from the truck, the subtitles say: "give you".

There is more. But that's all for now.

Lubricants + Vibrated Condoms = Wacky Engrish

I prefer my condoms pre-vibrated, don't you?

Shenzhen's "Keep Off the Grass" signs

Having lived off and on in Shenzhen for several years, I often see such Engrish signs on grassy patches between high-rises and office buildings (Shenzhen has actually done a good job in terms of the "green-ization" of its urban environment). These are creative takes on "keep off the grass" to attract the attention of Shenzhen's working masses.

The sign covered by Boing Boing says something like this in Chinese:

"Together you and I shall be the bodyguards of the green-ization!"

Ghost Rider Rogue & Michael Scofield

Nothing is more ubiquitous in modern China than pollution and pirated DVDs. Here again are some interesting Engrish moments:

I was not aware that Nicole Kodman (sic) and Ewan McGregor starred in Ghost Rider -- and that Ghost Rider is really called Moulin Rogue!

This two-disc set of Prison Break re-translated the Chinese blurb into broken English:

"Michael Scofield, a hand-to-hand fight to the death to be a desperate wishes of the Nushi.Consideration of a few months of his brother Lincoln will be sentenced to death for murder.But Michael convinced he is innocent.To save his limb, Michael robbery of a bank."

Etc. The lack of spaces after the periods is as seen.

Amusing pirated DVD covers in China

Check out this pirated DVD cover as seen in China for the movie on 9/11, "Flight 93." As is the case here, the priates simply construct a hybrid English and Chinese cover with random bits of

English inserted no matter what the meaning.

The first photo mentions that Flight 93 is "Terrifving! - Thrm trlr Boct."

The second and third photos mention that the film is quite jovial and entertaining:

"Nick Love'S follow up to The Football Factory may be the best bloke film of the year."

"Deliciously entertaining. - The Observer"

"Savagely funny. - Nuts"

Fantasia Investment

Only in China would some sort of investment company name itself "Fantasia Investment!" :-) I cetainly would not entrust my funds to "Fantasia" Investment!

只有在中国会有投资公司的英文名字是 " Fantasia" 投资. "Fantasia " 英文的意思差不多是 "幻想".

Amusing pirated DVD covers in China

Pirated DVDs are still on sale ubiquitously on the streets (and in shops) in China. Of interest are the covers of the DVDs which often have rather poor or amusingly incorrect English.

Witness the cover of this collection of 24 episodes:

"Wenty Four"

Racist Park

Another wrong translation. The Chinese on the sign says "The Park of the Ethnic Chinese Race" -- poorly translated as "Racist Park."

翻译错误: 英文的意思是 "种族歧视公园."

Choking the Chinese chicken

Beware! Do not bring poultry back to Hong Kong from China or the Customs Man will choke your chicken! :-)