140 Good Examples Why You Shouldn't Rely on Machine Translation
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 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)
Walk do not look at king
OK OK. I will try not to. Please let me know when the queen is passing by.
The original Chinese text actually meant: Don't get distracted by the beautiful scene when you are walking
Dangerous, be careful drowning!
The original Chinese text actually meant: Be careful, don't fall into the water.
Parking Fog Bicyle
The original Chinese text actually meant: Bicyle Parking Place
The Grass Beside You. Please Smiles Around
The original Chinese text actually meant: Please don't trample on the grass.
Please don't bomb into the ash here!
I won't do that for sure...
The original Chinese text actually meant: Please don't flip off your cigarette ash here.
The Drug King
Had this drug king eventually been busted?
The original Chinese text actually meant: King of Medicines
Enhance Touring Consciousness and Rush to Be A Cultured Tourist
The original Chinese text actually meant: Please be a civilized tourist with more self-consciousness.
The Forest is Our Home, Fire on Everyone
Please hold your fire. Sorry I didn't mean to intrude your home...
The original Chinese text actually meant: The Forest is Our Home. Prevention of Fire is the Responsibility for Everyone.
Garden with Gurled Poo
I hope that garden is well-ventilated...
The original Chinese text actually meant: The Garden of Spring Pools
Look Out, Knock Head
The original Chinese text actually meant: Watch Your Head
Water Depth Hazard, Do Not Water
Too much water already. Don't add more...
The original Chinese text actually meant: Dangerous! Deep Water.
Let us Do the Birds Friend
It somehow reminds me about the "We Do Chicken Right"
The original Chinese text actually meant: Let's be friends to the birds
Into the Think. Grass is Long.
I don't see the long grass.
The original Chinese text actually meant: The grass is growing. Think twice before tread.
Take the Child. Fall into the water carefully.
Can I borrow a swimming ring for my daughter?
The original Chinese text actually meant: Take care of your child. Stay away from the water.
Become person's kid all ticket price
If I don't want to pretend to be a child, what will be the price?
The original Chinese text actually meant: Same ticket price for both child & adult
Fall into water carefully
The original Chinese text actually meant: Deep Water, Stay Away
Care For Life, Do Not Fun
Fun is a bit dangerious for life, I guess...
The original Chinese text actually meant: Life is Precious. Don't Risk it by Playing with Water.
When wild like the activity, please must not near wildly and alikly!
The original Chinese text actually meant: Life is Precious. When you see a wild elephant around, never get too close!
All is not what a real value, you cannot through hard work and hard to get
Fun is a bit dangerious for life, I guess...
The original Chinese text actually meant: None of the things with real value in this world is attainable without true hard works.
Please do not feed the fishes with your private
Did anyone do that before...?
The original Chinese text actually meant: Life is Precious. Don't bring your own food to feed the fish
Englishenglishenglishenglish....
We write some English, don't we?
The original Chinese text actually meant: Tiger is a typical night animal that....
JUMP OF THE CLIFF
Was it supposed to be "Jump off the cliff"? I hope you've got some cusion of safe net down there...
The original Chinese text actually meant: A Cliff with Story
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 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. :-)