In the process of teaching Cross-cultural Communications last semester, we touched upon the topic of language abuse. The assignment I gave to the students was to collect in the city examples of language abuse resulted from cultural misunderstanding in translation. Some of the examples collected include:
蟹粉小笼：crab pink small cage
拿铁咖啡：take iron coffee
一次性筷子：one sex chopsticks
残迹人电梯：disabled elevator
小心溺水：careful drowning
Astonished, I asked the students who collected them if they really found these translations in Shanghai and where they found them. Some places they mentioned did not worry me so much as they are in areas where few people care about or understand the English translations. However, crab pink small cage appears in Yu Garden (豫园), a tourist spot no international tour groups would leave Shanghai without visiting.
A friend sent me the photo below taken outside a restaurant.
I think anyone who understands a little English will burst into hysterical laughter reading the translated English versions. And afterwards, I believe, you will probably say: A metropolitan city like Shanghai should not allow this to happen! What can we English learners and teachers do about it?
posted on 2006-12-12 13:19
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