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Lost in Translation – Chinese style

September 5, 2014 Claire Annette Noland 4 Comments

gr wall cell phone
Getting around China was interesting since I don’t speak the language and certainly can’t read it. Things became even more interesting when we started reading signs that had been translated into English. The creativity of the translators is amazing or else the Chinese – English dictionary was written with a sense of humor.

 

 

 

We learned that climbing The Great Wall of China can be dangerous. great wallgr wall cell phone   Shopping can be dangerous, too. silk market   I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to try this soup: china duck soup   How do cocktails get appointed? I did try to get by one so that I could get one free. china by beer

It was nice to see to see that the lobster was able to enjoy a glass of wine.

china lobster

This fruit ice would be perfect for a special evening: china romantic fruit ice

 

Use caution when you go into the bathroom: china don't slip

I wonder if there was another place to take a bath? china bathtub

 

I’m still not quite sure about these two: china study   china ruthless people

As with all field trips, there are books that enrich the experience. I love Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss and illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. This is the children’s version of their adult book and focuses on how commas can completely change the meaning of a sentence. They have also written Twenty-Odd Ducks (punctuation) and Girls Like Spaghetti (apostrophes). The hilarious illustrations show exactly how the sentences differ depending on where you put a comma. eats shoots and leaves

Another great book is Dear Dear: A Book of Homophones by Gene Barton in which Aunt Ant writes a letter to Deer and it is filled with wonderfully illustrated homophones such as “The Moose loves Mousse. He ate eight bowls.”    Deer Dear

The kids all thought the examples were hilarious and promptly came up with some of their own sentences.   Have you ever seen oddly written signs or misplaced punctuation that made you think?

raining cats and dogs

Filed Under: Books, Field Trips, Food, Places Tagged With: Chinese menu translations, Chinese translations, Dear Deer, Eats Shoots & Leaves, Great Wall of China Signs, odd Chinese signs

Previous Post: « China – children’s books to read before you go
Next Post: Celebrating Sunflowers – #Life is Good »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. evelyneholingue says

    September 13, 2014 at 1:25 am

    I can totally relate with the effort Chinese people put in the English translation! This is quite funny, though. My favorite:the beer and cocktail because they already got the American marketing Buy One Get One Free.
    A new concept for me when I came from France.
    Claire, I might invite you to share this on my blog when I post about being lost in translation.
    China is still new for most of us from the western world and I’m sure it would interest many readers.
    As for the picture books I know Dear Deer but not Eats, Shoots and Leaves. I should get this series since I love this kind of topic.
    Thank you for a great post.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      September 18, 2014 at 11:39 pm

      I remember some of your stories about your language mishaps. I am sure we all make mistakes as we try to communicate with someone in another language.

      Reply
  2. Mee Magnum says

    May 10, 2015 at 2:46 am

    oh these are GREAT (BTW, very cool font here… just noticed).

    I posted a similar article on my blog a few months ago… I was wondering if I could post your article… giving you, of course total credit as well as links back to your blog?

    –Mee (The Chinese Quest)

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      May 17, 2015 at 9:27 pm

      So sorry to be responding late. I’d be honored to have you post my article.
      I love your blog!
      How did you get the name Mee? That’s my daughter’s middle name.

      Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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