"" Writer's Wanderings: Lost In Translation--Made Up For In Smiles

Monday, August 25, 2014

Lost In Translation--Made Up For In Smiles

One of my favorite signs in English I've seen as we travel is one that was actually truth-in-advertising. In Turkey just outside of Ephesus where local merchants were displaying their wares there was a large sign hung over a display of watches. It read, "Genuine Fake Watches." Here are some signs seen by others that locals translated into English for the tourists.


  • At a Budapest zoo: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.
  • Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner in Japan: COOLES AND HEATES: IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF.
  • On the grounds of a Nairobi private school: NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
  • In a Mumbai restaurant: OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.
  • In a Tokyo bar: SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
  • Advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.
  • Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand: WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
  • The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE.
Travel is never boring. I can only imagine the chuckles we English-speaking tourists bring to others when we try to speak in their language.

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