While the botched “Engrish” translations in video games like Zero Wing, the Ninja Warriors and Metal Gear have provided us with years of amusement and long-running memes, officials in China are trying to stamp out mangled English.
The New York Times reports on the Shanghai Commission for the Management of Language Use’s efforts to scrub out delightfully flubbed translations like listings of “fried enema” from Chinese restaurant menus and “urine district” bathroom signs. With some 600 volunteers, Engrish exterminators in Shanghai have updated some 10,000 public signs and helped hundreds of restaurants update their menus.
Officials in Beijing went far beyond that in preparation for the 2008 summer Olympics, addressing “Chinglish” gems like the Dongda Anus Hospital.
It’s rare to see such laugh out loud translations in video games anymore, save for the odd indie project. Part of that may be in thanks to the addition of native English speakers on staff at Japanese game developers, part due to quality localisation groups like Nintendo’s Treehouse group and the independent 8-4 in Tokyo.
Engrish in games may be all but extinct and efforts in the real world may wipe it out altogether. Are we worse off for it?
Shanghai Is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English of Chinglish [NY Times]
Ross Moir
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 4:48 PMI mourn the loss of humourus translations.
Hopefully, chinese or japanese experience the other end of things.
NotoriousR
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 5:39 PMDO NOT WANT! DO NOT WAAAAANNNTTTT!
Riavan
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 5:56 PMThere’s still tons of Engrish in Japanese songs and the non-big-name Japanese computer games.
Khuntza
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 6:20 PMThey will never stamp it out..
My fav is from a rubber door mat a store I worked in used to sell.. “Not much flamable for the safe”.. and on the same label; “Water resistant and water absorbent while raining”.
There will always be stupid people who think they know what they are doing..
Stinky
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 8:20 PMAh they need to lighten up about it, bad translations are charming and at least they have a go. Maybe its a good thing to clarify things like tourist amenities, but the beauty of chinese cuisine is the lucky dip nature of it.
Korwin
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 9:11 PMEngrish is on it’s way to destruction, make your time.
Joshy206
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 10:13 PMIt as if looks like one? The good idea makes this…, but truly, whether is necessary? ?? , Turns? UK? Increases??? Outside?? To ratio? , and? I? memes. Oh sum? Passes? Babelfish ran again? UK? ???? To???? Japan? With returns to UK?? Bright I? .
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That was me trying to say that it’s a good idea… but really, is it necessary? Bad English increases the hilarity in games and gives us means.
Also, I ran this through Babelfish from Chinese Simple to Chinese Traditional and back to English. I was going to do Japanese, but forgot. :P
kaiden
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 12:34 AMinstead of that, why dont they fix their people? food stalls serving food from garbage.
MikeZdoesit
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11:24 AMAm I only person that imagines a trip to the Dongda Anus Hospital as a painful experience?
WTHfor
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11:41 PMI recently bought a watch from Hong Kong that came with a Q/A certificate to reassure me that the product was “Fist Class”. I wasn’t entirely convinced, though.
Naytan
Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 3:50 PMBut…how else will my friends and I send spam to each other without Engrish?!
Nicolai Parsons
Monday, May 10, 2010 at 9:56 AMI thikn there still is a place for labels on Knives saying “Keep out of Children”