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Showing results for tags 'chinglish'.
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An ongoing topic - click here for Most Recent Post row, row, row your boat . . .
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This is an interesting article about names for foreign brands in China, and also the other way around What's In A Brand Name? Chinese Brand Names Of Multinationalshttp://www.hutong-school.com/sites/default/files/cocacola.jpghttp://www.hutong-school.com/sites/default/files/wallmart.jpghttp://www.hutong-school.com/sites/default/files/lays_0.jpg http://www.hutong-school.com/sites/default/files/top-brands.jpg
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English is supposedly one of the hardest languages to learn, so we can't really blame these native Chinese speakers for not being about to translate their language very well. http://offbeat.topix.com/slideshow/18191/slide1
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With the big Expo (aka World's Fair) in Shanghai some folks are trying to get the Chinglish fixed. Shanghai Is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English ("Cash Recycling Machine"???) -
As a writer, I am beginning to take more notice of signs and how people communicate in China. I tossed around the idea of writing a book during recent weeks, in which I would discuss the many differences between a High Context Culture like China, versus a Low Context Culture like America. Americans use words and phrases to convey thoughts. The better you articulate your thoughts with words, the better you can be understood. China on the other hand, is a High Context Culture, where most everything is implied in the culture, which often leaves those who are unfamiliar with the culture at a real loss for understanding. Most of us have seen funny signs in China, that have been translated into English. The translation process often brings laughs and smiles from Westerners, as many of the cultural aspects of the language simply cannot be translated, or would take several paragraphs to get the real thought across. As I learn more about Chinese culture and language, it is becoming more clear why some of these signs translate the way they do. Chinese people in general, have a hard time being direct in thought and expression compared to their Western counterparts. For us, if we don't want someone to walk on our grass, we may place a sign stating, "Keep Off the Grass." Not so in China. Here are a few examples of signs I've been capturing lately: http://i44.tinypic.com/1r4s3a.jpg http://i40.tinypic.com/17df9v.jpg http://i40.tinypic.com/2zfiyc6.jpg As you can see, they have gone to great lengths in the Chinese language to convey that the grass is beautiful, and took a lot of work to make it that way. You should therefore be careful to take care of it also, out of respect. Surely my words are unable to convey the exact meaning and cultural aspect, but suffice it to say, the Chinese are much more poetic in their expressions. Course, you must keep in mind that it's winter now when I took these pictures, so the grass isn't too green right now...
