140 Examples of Laughable Translation Mistakes (EN>CN)
As professional Chinese translators, we managed to collected a great many examples (140 photos) about what could happen when the translations were handled in wrong hands (or even by machines, in many cases). These funny translations were categorized into 10 different groups, corresponding to the various scenarios you may find yourself in when travelling in China. Check them out below and enjoy some good laugh:
- Let's Try Some Exotic Chinese Food (19 pics)
- Excellent Services at the Banks (7 pics)
- Sick in Hospitals (10 pics)
- Nice Hotels to Spend my Nights (10 pics)
- Shopping in Markets (14 pics)
- Another Day in the Park (22 pics)
- Lost between the Road Signs (22 pics)
- Places to Pee & Poo (13 pics)
- Travelling Around (8 pics)
- Other Funny Stuff (15 pics)
Midwest Dispensary
The next door is the Mideast Dispensary?
The original Chinese text actually meant: Dispensary for Medicines (including TCM)
Kunming City is the First People Hospital
What a big hospital! Should I take a taxi from Out-patient to In-patient department?
The original Chinese text actually meant: First People's Hospital of Kunming City
Distance will be Office
The original Chinese text actually meant: Distant Diagnosis Room
Changing His Shoes Between
The original Chinese text actually meant: Shoe Change Room
The B is Super
What about A? Must be extraordinary....
The original Chinese text actually meant: Type-B Ultrasonic
Emergency God Medical
You can be sure that you are in a mighty hand when you see this sign...
The original Chinese text actually meant: Emergency - Neurology.
Leads Medical Taiwan
OH are they referring me to Taiwan...
The original Chinese text actually meant: General Help Desk
Diarrhea Clinic
The original Chinese text actually meant: Intestinal Canal Clinic
Cunt Examination
The original Chinese text actually meant: Vaginoscope
TEN COMPILED LISTS OF FUNNY TRANSLATIONS TO MAKE YOUR DAY:
We all love a good laugh, and when it comes to laughter doses brought out by funny translation fails, China never failed to deliver. Yes, China is a great country with marvelous scenic spots, fascinating long history and modern achievements, and it will leave the visitors with many beautiful memories and impressions, just like many other great nations. However, many English-speaking western tourists might at times get surprised / amused when they see some funny translations here and there.
On these pages are some of the most hilarious and ridiculous translation fails we could collect and present to you. Photos show the hilarious results of translations gone wrong, with signs, menus, and even brand names. Some of them are so strange that they could have your brain burning as you try to figure out what the original Chinese text was all about. For your convenience, we provided the meaning (or the intended purpose) of the Chinese source characters below each picture, and you will see how wrong the so-called "English translation" had gone.
In China, we usually call these bad Chinese>English translations as "Chinglish". Now the Chinese government has vowed to "cracked down" on the 'Chinglish' (especially in public places), and is rolling out a campaign to wipe out these extremely funny bad English translations that could somehow cause damage to our country's image / reputation. Hopefully, you won't see these types of hilarious language issues again in the near future. Before that, you can still bookmark this web page and share your laughter with some friends. :-)