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Chinglish: Found in Translation
Chinglish offers a humorous and insightful look at misuses of the English language in Chinese street signs, products, and advertising. A long-standing favorite of English speaking tourists and visitors, Chinglish is now quickly becoming a culture relic: in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government was determined to wipe out incorrect English usage.
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 30, 2020
“Chinglish” = Chinese and English. We, in the Philippines, have “Taglish” which is Tagalog (our native tongue) and English.
This is a compilation of photos of public signs written in Chinese but with unintended funny translations into English like that one found on the way to the Great Wall which reads:
“People, flowers and help each other in breath. If you pluck the flowers and break off the branches, you will reduce your own life at the same time.”
One could get a sense, of course, of what the sign in Chinese is really saying: telling the passers-by, or reminding them, that the plants (flowers?) are good for the environment and help clean up the air so for your own sake do not pluck and destroy them.
But what could this building be, with a signage in Chinglish which reads:
“BUILDING STRUCTURE WONDER OF NATIONAL CREAM” (?)
This is a compilation of photos of public signs written in Chinese but with unintended funny translations into English like that one found on the way to the Great Wall which reads:
“People, flowers and help each other in breath. If you pluck the flowers and break off the branches, you will reduce your own life at the same time.”
One could get a sense, of course, of what the sign in Chinese is really saying: telling the passers-by, or reminding them, that the plants (flowers?) are good for the environment and help clean up the air so for your own sake do not pluck and destroy them.
But what could this building be, with a signage in Chinglish which reads:
“BUILDING STRUCTURE WONDER OF NATIONAL CREAM” (?)
February 6, 2017
A very funny book I got as a present from a fun-loving person ;) Some of these translations are of course only funny with the pictures combined. The weird part is that the translations are probably not totally off the meaning, but with the different cultures between eastern and western countries, most of the signs are hilarious to us, especially if we consider that English is not the most dominant language on earth, but *bad* English is. One of my favourite misquotes with the usual grammar 'problem' has got to be a sign, stuck in a bout of grass, stating "I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face" - I think that's a deep and universal quote not only valid for grass, if you ask me. For anyone who loves badly translated menu cards at your local Chinese. Great gift!
June 4, 2020
Not as hilarious as the sequel, but had some great info in the Preface and a few Chinglish pearls.
January 31, 2010
One of my very favorite forms of humor is laughing at the mistakes we make when confronted with another's culture. Loved David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day and a great article in the UUA's magazine from Robert Fulghum about his stay in Greece. And thank goodness I was able to laugh at my own gaffes in Mexico, such as when I told a gracious host who served a delicious soup that I eat my little grandmother. Of course what I was trying to say was that the soup tastes just like one my grandmother made. Ah, well.
Chinglish presents signs from China which contain the Chinese phrase and it's translation in English. I made quite a ruckus in the bookstore while I tried desperately to contain my laughing, but at least there was no snorting involved. My favorites were the "Keep off the grass" type signs: Protect a piece of green leaf and dedicate a share of love; Your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green; Green grass dreading your feet; I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face. See what I mean? Beautiful!
Chinglish presents signs from China which contain the Chinese phrase and it's translation in English. I made quite a ruckus in the bookstore while I tried desperately to contain my laughing, but at least there was no snorting involved. My favorites were the "Keep off the grass" type signs: Protect a piece of green leaf and dedicate a share of love; Your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green; Green grass dreading your feet; I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face. See what I mean? Beautiful!
June 23, 2008
Having recently traveled to China, I am happy to say that I have witnessed first hand the unbridled hilarity and mystery of Chinese to English translation.
For example:
A movie poster for The Last Samurai is manufactured for display in China. It reads:
The Last Samurai
"A tale of homosexuallust."[sic] -Seattle Tribune
For example:
A movie poster for The Last Samurai is manufactured for display in China. It reads:
The Last Samurai
"A tale of homosexuallust."[sic] -Seattle Tribune
July 31, 2008
I can't decide if I shold order the Black Pepper Cowboy Bone or the Plain Abalone Buttons Up The Duck. What do you think? Either way, I'm going to be really careful around people who don't use Head & Shoulders, because "Caution, Dander."
July 21, 2014
Chinglish is a thing guys! This book was hilarious ("Sham Poo" is my favourite:D). Thanks again to awesome Jenny for sending me this gem. I'll be revisiting this book when I need "cheer up".
Read
April 9, 2021(read for class)
July 19, 2018
funny little book. good for a laugh
December 17, 2018
Not as funny as I was expecting.
April 25, 2019
Real fun.
December 28, 2022
I had some fun moments reading this, ha ha. But then there were some scary moments as well, when I couldn't see anything wrong in the Chinglish...
March 10, 2014
Kirky little book.
This could have actually been a little longer book. I found the narrative section of the book rushed and haphazard, but containing some interesting discussion regarding cross-cultural use of language and why certain types of language errors happen.
"The reinterpretation of language allows for a tremendous amount of humor, And humor is, and always has been, a cross cultural form of communication... Chinglish is very often funny because of the sometimes scarily direct nature of the new meaning produced by the translation. A "deformed man toilet" in Shanghai or an "anus hospital" in Beijing is funny because it instantly destroys linguistic euphemisms we Westerners have carefully built up when talking about sensitive topics. Chinglish annihilates these conventions right away..." P7
"The harbinger of Chinglish might be found, according to some scholars, in Chinese Pidgin English... [created by] mixing words from Portuguese, Indian, English, and various Chinese dialects, and spelling them according to Chinese syntax. Some believe that the idiomatic expressions "Long time no see" or "No can do" have originated from that time." P8-9
"Many problems arise not from spelling mistakes but from a poor understanding of the cultural context into which one must translate. Language always embodies cultural context and a translator, ideally, is capable of translating into that different cultural setting." P9
English may be defined as a hypotactic language whereas Chinese is rather paratactic. English relies heavily on a logical sequence; Chinese is deeply rooted in its graphic imagery... That is why a word-by-word translation usually fails or produces unintelligible content which is at best humorous if not hazardous at times." P10
-Sign on a restaurant: "Welcome the foreign friend come" p18
-From a restaurant menu: "The meat fries the mushroom" p18
-Sign on a people move: "Keep your legs no running" p28
-Sign in front of an escalator: "When old man's child go up hand ladder temporary need the family to accompany" p29
-Sign on a display case: "Don't press the glass to get hurt" p31
-Sign on a lawn: "I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face." P32
-Sign on a gate: "The ancient building is renovating excuse me for bringing trouble to you." P33
-From a restaurant menu: "Tube-shaped container glutinous rice chicken" p39
-From a restaurant menu: "Orange juice...Lemon juice...Strange juice..." P40
-Sign on a gate: "The visitor halts" p43
-Sign on a lawn: "your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green" p46
-Sign on a train platform: "Happy trip for you" p54
-"Please love your life" p57
-"Slip and fall down carefully" p60
-Sign on a gate: "Don't come in" p65
-"Fixed expectations District" p72
-Sign on an ATM: "Please don't dump your receipt and keep it carefully to avoid gangster get your information" p75
-Sign on a lawn: "Green grass dreading your feet" p78
Police tips: “avoiding being stolen should be always remembered. Be prepared for danger in times of safety" p95
-Sign on a taxicab door: "Don't forget to carry your thing" p110
This could have actually been a little longer book. I found the narrative section of the book rushed and haphazard, but containing some interesting discussion regarding cross-cultural use of language and why certain types of language errors happen.
"The reinterpretation of language allows for a tremendous amount of humor, And humor is, and always has been, a cross cultural form of communication... Chinglish is very often funny because of the sometimes scarily direct nature of the new meaning produced by the translation. A "deformed man toilet" in Shanghai or an "anus hospital" in Beijing is funny because it instantly destroys linguistic euphemisms we Westerners have carefully built up when talking about sensitive topics. Chinglish annihilates these conventions right away..." P7
"The harbinger of Chinglish might be found, according to some scholars, in Chinese Pidgin English... [created by] mixing words from Portuguese, Indian, English, and various Chinese dialects, and spelling them according to Chinese syntax. Some believe that the idiomatic expressions "Long time no see" or "No can do" have originated from that time." P8-9
"Many problems arise not from spelling mistakes but from a poor understanding of the cultural context into which one must translate. Language always embodies cultural context and a translator, ideally, is capable of translating into that different cultural setting." P9
English may be defined as a hypotactic language whereas Chinese is rather paratactic. English relies heavily on a logical sequence; Chinese is deeply rooted in its graphic imagery... That is why a word-by-word translation usually fails or produces unintelligible content which is at best humorous if not hazardous at times." P10
-Sign on a restaurant: "Welcome the foreign friend come" p18
-From a restaurant menu: "The meat fries the mushroom" p18
-Sign on a people move: "Keep your legs no running" p28
-Sign in front of an escalator: "When old man's child go up hand ladder temporary need the family to accompany" p29
-Sign on a display case: "Don't press the glass to get hurt" p31
-Sign on a lawn: "I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face." P32
-Sign on a gate: "The ancient building is renovating excuse me for bringing trouble to you." P33
-From a restaurant menu: "Tube-shaped container glutinous rice chicken" p39
-From a restaurant menu: "Orange juice...Lemon juice...Strange juice..." P40
-Sign on a gate: "The visitor halts" p43
-Sign on a lawn: "your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green" p46
-Sign on a train platform: "Happy trip for you" p54
-"Please love your life" p57
-"Slip and fall down carefully" p60
-Sign on a gate: "Don't come in" p65
-"Fixed expectations District" p72
-Sign on an ATM: "Please don't dump your receipt and keep it carefully to avoid gangster get your information" p75
-Sign on a lawn: "Green grass dreading your feet" p78
Police tips: “avoiding being stolen should be always remembered. Be prepared for danger in times of safety" p95
-Sign on a taxicab door: "Don't forget to carry your thing" p110
January 23, 2017
Something that gets lost in the translation...! Chinglish is meant to offer a hilarious, humorous and insightful look at accidental misuses of the English language in Chinese street signs, Asian products, and advertising. Not meant as a mockery but as a cute quirk of culture. It warms my heart and I hope it does yours too! I love finding these in life...!
It has been a beloved and long-standing favorite of English speaking tourists and visitors, however, Chinglish is now quickly becoming a culture relic: in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government was determined to wipe out incorrect English usage; and make it, a thing of THE PAST! So quick, find them fast, like Pokémon, before they are all gone!!! Catch them all. I love this quirky unique book. There is nothing out there like it. I live in Vancouver BC, with a very large Asian population, and I love finding these lovely little signs and prducts. My favorite here is the location called Fuk Hing Enterprises! Best ever!
It has been a beloved and long-standing favorite of English speaking tourists and visitors, however, Chinglish is now quickly becoming a culture relic: in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government was determined to wipe out incorrect English usage; and make it, a thing of THE PAST! So quick, find them fast, like Pokémon, before they are all gone!!! Catch them all. I love this quirky unique book. There is nothing out there like it. I live in Vancouver BC, with a very large Asian population, and I love finding these lovely little signs and prducts. My favorite here is the location called Fuk Hing Enterprises! Best ever!
March 12, 2013
Humour is a subjective thing, I know, but this book disappoints me. Only about half of the pictures can truly be called funny; the rest are simply... well, non-standard English. I think what kills this book is its lack of comments. Compare it with the website www.engrish.com, where almost every picture is accompanied by a witty comment. Often it's the remarks/comments that really crack me up! This book has unfortunately wasted its potential. One more thing I don't understand: why does the author have to write a lengthy blurb about translation which sounds almost like an introduction to an academic paper? It simply doesn't fit. I can honestly say I can do a much better job if I were to produce a book like this. Heck, maybe I should go right ahead. "Fat water not flow other men's field"!
August 28, 2008
Now this is funny.
What I really love about it is that a lot of the mistakes sound like koans or random bits of poetry.
"Your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green"
"When old man's child go up hand ladder temporary need family to accompany"
"Tube-shaped container glutinous rice chicken"
"The splendid joy of success is waving to you in your wonderful bowling"
Mildly racist? Yeah. A forward does explain the difficulties of translating Chinese into English to counteract this a touch, but it's still there for those of you who are concerned.
Still, it is amusing.
What I really love about it is that a lot of the mistakes sound like koans or random bits of poetry.
"Your careful step keeps tiny grass invariably green"
"When old man's child go up hand ladder temporary need family to accompany"
"Tube-shaped container glutinous rice chicken"
"The splendid joy of success is waving to you in your wonderful bowling"
Mildly racist? Yeah. A forward does explain the difficulties of translating Chinese into English to counteract this a touch, but it's still there for those of you who are concerned.
Still, it is amusing.
January 16, 2010
I don't know why I came across so many books like this over the holidays. I guess for lack of a better gift people buy pointless books. This one however is hilarious. "Laugh out loud, I need to stop laughing before I move on to the next one because it hurts" type of laughing. Especially when you know that the terribly translated signs in China are not rare, but commonplace. This book may also be funnier if you have some Chinese people in your family who can appreciate it even more.
December 17, 2012
The phenomena of Chinglish is good fun. (As amusing as bad Chinese tattoos that Westerners get). This book doesn't have the best examples I've seen but is nevertheless quite good. I have to say what I liked best about it was that in most cases it included the original Chinese sign so I was able to figure out what was supposed to be said, and how the mistakes were made. So it turned into very good (and fun) practice for reading Chinese signs.
June 23, 2008
Having recently traveled to China, I am happy to say that I have witnessed first hand the unbridled hilarity and mystery of Chinese to English translation.
For example:
A movie poster for The Last Samurai is manufactured for display in China. It reads:
The Last Samurai
"A tale of homosexuallust."[sic] -Seattle Tribune
For example:
A movie poster for The Last Samurai is manufactured for display in China. It reads:
The Last Samurai
"A tale of homosexuallust."[sic] -Seattle Tribune
August 25, 2011
One of Thomas Jefferson's hobbies was translating part of work into English (he read 7 languages) and then translating it back again to see if he could do it. It's not easy.
This humorous book looks at Chinese to English translations on common signs and through cultural/linguistic differences the results are hilarious.
This humorous book looks at Chinese to English translations on common signs and through cultural/linguistic differences the results are hilarious.
October 16, 2013
Goofy good fun.
1 -- How cool that the Chinese as a people care enough to translate signs into English so that visitors can travel in their country!
2 -- Maybe even cooler, the author/compiler of this book, whose first language in German, understands enough Chinese and English subtleties to know that these signs are funny.
1 -- How cool that the Chinese as a people care enough to translate signs into English so that visitors can travel in their country!
2 -- Maybe even cooler, the author/compiler of this book, whose first language in German, understands enough Chinese and English subtleties to know that these signs are funny.
September 20, 2008
The introduction was actually a pretty thoughtful meditation on why Chinese translates into English so badly (i.e. humorously). The author/editor postulates that phrases like "no can do" came from the kind of crazy pidgin English you find in this book.
November 9, 2007
Too short.
February 8, 2011
"I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face." --Poorly translated but weirdly effective Keep Off the Grass sign
August 3, 2011
Pretty hilarious coffee table book.
January 5, 2014
Perfect coffee table collection! You will ROTFL. Guaranteed.
February 19, 2011
Funny stuff.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews