Lost in Translation – Chinese style

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.   Shopping can be dangerous, too.   I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to try this soup:    How do cocktails get appointed? I did try to get by one so that I could get one free.

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

This fruit ice would be perfect for a special evening:

 

Use caution when you go into the bathroom:

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

 

I’m still not quite sure about these two:  

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.

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.”   

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?