In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, one of the tasks facing the city fathers of Beijing, besides cleaning up the poisonous air and modernizing the public toilets, was what to do about signage. The signs in Beijing often feature something called Chinglish or Engrish – literal translations from the Chinese to English that don't quite catch the meaning or spirit intended. Idioms, it seems, do not translate well, especially between two languages without a common root base. For example, a Beijing hospital that specializes in treatment for gastrointestinal disorders had a gigantic billboard on its roof informing the world that it was a "Stomach-Intestine-Anus Hospital." Literally true, but not exactly what they were going for.
Idioms are unique to their particular language and culture. They enrich and inform language with the history of the people speaking it (and are therefore sometimes not quite PC – the Spanish equivalent of "Cheese it!" or "Nix!" translates as "the Moor is on the beach"). How do you find a corresponding idiomatic expression for a language that shares no common denominators with yours? Add in the fact that Asian languages are based on pictograms rather than individual letters, and you can see the problem. There is also the complication that there are so many versions of English: American, Canadian, British, Australian, South African, etc. – not to mention Americans' notorious inability or unwillingness to speak any language but their own (an old joke: if you speak three languages, you are trilingual; if you speak two languages, you are bilingual; if you speak one language, you're an American). So Asian countries that want to attract English-speaking tourists are faced with a formidable task. What results is often funny, sometimes incomprehensible, but on occasion, actually poetic.
There are several websites devoted to Engrish or Chinglish. One I check frequently is "Engrish Funny" , featuring examples sent in by readers. Some of the submissions
reflect a distinct lack of understanding of euphemism that would be
difficult to explain to a non-speaker: why is "Deformed Man Toilet" not
acceptible? Or "Porky Children's Wear"? And what about "This Way to
Contorted Hermit Mount" or "For Restrooms – Go Back Toward Your Behind"? Why is one way to say this correct and the other not?
Food seems to be another problematic area. Some of the names of dishes
in restaurants are fascinating but don't tell the reader much about
what is actually in them: "Temple Explode Chicken Cube"; "A Chicken
Estimates to Laugh" (sounds like a fun lunch, anyway). I don't know if
I'd want to order "France Style Fried Children -a Whole One" or "A
Shiny Cat in Sauce" and I certainly would give "Putrifish by Sheep
Lube" a pass, even though the package claims, "I will eat this and will
become fortunate altogether."
Sometimes, though, the translations are remarkable accurate. On a
children's Halloween toy, "Spider – Horrendously Animal!" And who could
argue with this sign next to a pond in a park, "Pick Your Steps!
Prevent Suddenly Fall in the Lake!" In contrast, some of the signs and
labels lack a certain clarity. What, after all, is a "Sensitive Trash
Can"? And on a door, "It Knocks." What knocks? The door? Something on the other side? Some are absolutely mysterious: on a tee
shirt, "A great gaming alone can done & must be win." And what to
make of the sign in the bus terminal: "Continuously Ameliorate! Create
the new high that has ever had again."? Some of them make a certain sense but don't appear to have much to do with the item they are on. On a piece of embroidered linen, we find –
"May you the
succeed!
I am little tiny
bird though I
am ugly I am
gentle may I
use your ninja"
Not exactly clear, but who could refuse a request preceeded by "though I/am ugly I am/gentle" ? My ninja is yours!
In a lot of the signage, there is a real sense of concern for the
reader, reminding the unaware foreigner that he ain't in Kansas anymore. "Beware! Monkey steal your thing!" and "Warning! On All Buses, Keep Money Safe in Underwear. Luggage Gangsters in Operation" are good things for the smart traveler to know. Public behavior in unfamiliar countries can also be confusing to the stranger, but many of these signs give the reader some valuable clues: "Protect greening so as to endow benefit to descendents" and "You can enjoy the fresh air after finishing a civilized urinating" are easy to understand (pick up your trash and don't pee outside). And there is nothing vague or unclear about: "Habit-forming drug users and drunken persons are seriously prohibited because the safety must come first" and "Police: the liquor queen does not drive a car."
Sometimes the signs and labels carry a plaintive quality that is actually quite sweet. This appears on some sort of eye-mask: "Green releases eyes from exhaustion. Because I want to see your face with a smile." And who wouldn't buy "a most comfortable notebook you have ever run into"? On a stuffed bear, there is this little verse, worthy of any Hallmark card:
Bear
I believe…
Anything for you. though you're not here. Never
see me crying you know inside.
Toys seem to sport these little proto-poems a lot. This little gem is found on a package with two animal figurines, Bobi & Tom: "From time to time, the usual moment seems terribly beautiful." I'd buy Bobi & Tom just for that. In fact, I kept uncovering found poems everywhere: toys, t-shirts, and this on a brown paper shopping bag:
It is great and I
want you who are the bag
which is easy to use to surely use.
Gertrude Stein couldn't have written it better.