Friday, June 3, 2011

Signs in Chinglish



First, Let me get this straight. There is a distinction between Taiwan English and Chinglish.

Taiwan English is standard English with Taiwanese characteristics. When you hear it, you can tell the person speaking is from Taiwan. At the same time, he is thoroughly understandable in international communication, even though the way he uses English may be different from that of Americans or other native speakers. This is what English users in Taiwan should be aiming at.

On the other hand, Chinglish is not understandable in international communication, often because it is simply wrong English. If you type a Chinese sentence in Google Translate, what you often get is Chinglish, because it is not understandable at all to those who don't know Chinese. Or they are just mistranslated.

Having said that, many Chinglish phrases can still be understood by those with a good command of Chinese or those who are familiar with the Taiwanese culture. For others, they can just be a good laugh. While they fail to perform the function it is meant to do, namely to let those who don't read Chinese understand what the signs say, they can at least be a good laugh! Here are some examples of those:


Rice cooked in can? I thought you meant "Rice tube pudding"...


A very important piece of information indeed. The fact that I don't have eggs propbably implies that I am not a fan...


How appetizing! And it has to be just one noodle.




All these just to say "Thanks"? Are you sure there aren't any other important facts?



So, by the time you reach the hall, your plates will be empty.



How typical!


Very helpful to know what they sell apart from rice and noodles.


My goodness! Better to keep the rule, then. But which rule?



So that's why I'm here.



Hmmm... Very inspiring.



So I don't need to pay for the coffee, right?



Just read it. No wonder I can't make my own cappucino. That's why I had to buy this cup.



Just in case you didn't know that ginseng is a good present. Really!



Looks nice, but you've got to have strong teeth to enjoy it.


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