Whenever I need a good laugh - I go to Engrish.com

[LynneSin]

Not a flavor I think I want to try





http://www.engrish.com

I dare you to go to that link and not laugh your ass off - you can't do it! It's one of those good belly laughs!

[WindRavenX]

1. lol

:)

[bridgit]

2. oh.....................my god...

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. I should submit a copy of a menu from a Chinese restaurant in Mystic, CT

The menu says, "We have wide range of food for both lean and fatty people."

[Initech]

4. Eat some asse...

[Tyo]

5. Just out of curiosity

How many of you who get such a kick out of fractured English have ever had to master a foreign language? Or had to do your best to function using a language in which you were barely proficient. Sorry, I have a background that makes me a little sensitive about this one.

[jpgray]

6. All rudimentary language-speakers are amusing to me

Kids are similar--they have the idea clear, but don't have the tools to translate it perfectly and sometimes it comes out hilarious. But the best are the idiomatic expressions that people attempt to translate--when there's no other-language equivalent, and each part being translated independently of the whole meaning always makes for humor in any language.

[Lautremont]

8. To answer your question, me.

And yet it amuses me still.

[Bullwinkle925]

9. I agree with you Tyo -

seems a bit smug to me.

[Tyo]

22. Thanks for the support, Bullwinkle925

But looks like we're outnumbered :banghead:

[wickerwoman]

15. I've lived overseas for three years and I teach ESL

and the students who make mistakes laugh harder than anyone else when it's explained to them. It's a question of laughing at the mistake and not at the person which I think most of the people here are doing.

There's a restaurant around the corner from my house that has a dish called "Fuck the Hot Fish". I'm still trying to work out how that happened...

[bridgit]

16. pft, Tyo-Honey, americans are the laughing stock of the entire world...

http://www.armorofgodpjs.com :hi:

[Tyo]

26. Okay, I'm starting to get past this

Still don't like it, but... I'm a pushover for people who call me "honey" :)

[CBHagman]

19. Oh, I collect those stories.

Any one of us who has studied and then actually used a foreign language has a collection of stories of humiliation. There was the friend of mine who asked his French hosts if there were condoms (preservatifs) in the bread, and then there was one of my co-workers, a non-native speaker of German, who announced that a hundred people had been seduced (verfuehrt) followiing a campus demonstration. She meant to say arrested (verhaftet).

And then there was the American official -- his name escapes me -- who didn't realize that the Spanish word embarazada meant "pregnant," not "embarrassed." You can imagine how that came off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarazada

I love this stuff.

On edit: More interesting signs, announcements, etc., in English, from Richard Lederer's book Anguished English:

http://chrisrae.com/funny/hotelsigns.txt

[philosophie_en_rose]

21. I have learned three languages, my mom is Asian, and I laugh.

:shrug:

[electron_blue]

24. Well, add me to the list of those laughing from both sides

I've studied and spoken (butchered) Spanish, French, German and Navajo on native turf. But, hey, I tried! I love languages and wish I were better at them, but I find most of these signs hilarious. I can see how some people might be offended, though, especially if one is sensitive about how well they speak it.

[spinbaby]

32. I'm sure my Japanese is just hysterical

In fact, I'm sure it is.

[MsKandice01]

36. I would see your point BUT...

In many cases, they're not even TRYING to get it right. They just using the English language as a "design element" on their products.

From the site:

"Q. Why do the Japanese try to use so much English if they can’t do it right?

A. Most of the Engrish found on Engrish.com is not an attempt to communicate - English is used as a design element in Japanese products and advertising to give them a modern look and feel (or just to "look cool"). There is often no attempt to try to get it right, nor do the vast majority of the Japanese population (= consumers) ever attempt to read the English design element in question (the girl wearing the “Spread Beaver” shirt for example, had no idea what it said until a foreigner pointed it out to her). There is therefore less emphasis on spell checking and grammatical accuracy (note: the same can be said for the addition of Japanese or Chinese characters to hats, shirts and tattoos found in the US or Europe).

Quite often it is easier to come up with English names than Japanese for a particular product. New products are brought to the marketplace in Japan more than anywhere else in the world and Japanese words and slogans quickly get used up. Japanese graphic designers will often tell you that English is widespread because the Japanese writing script (or scripts) limits their creativity - there are only so many ways to display their language, and only so many different types of fonts to use.

That said, in most instances Japanese companies do get it right and quite often consult a native English speaker for corrections."

[cwydro]

42. oh lighten up

I have personally fractured French, German, Spanish (daily) AND been laughed at...and I never took it personally. I remember this rude Frenchman who pushed in front of my sister in Paris, and using her French she called him a big cabbage! My parents who speak French fell out laughing and we still laugh at this....If you want to see real scorn, go speak fractured French in Paris...

[JVS]

7. did you see this one?

&category=Toys&date=2002-10-16

[SoCalDem]

10. Here's a Chinglish goodie

[Tyrone Slothrop]

23. No mistake there

There's a Kennedy's by my apartment.

This one is funny because whoever posted it obviously was too stupid to realize that there is a food called Doner -- specifically doner kebab. It's Turkish roasted lamb.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_kebap

[_testify_]

28. There was a Kennedy's by my apt too

on Main Street in Flushing...same one?

[ruiner4u]

30. Mmmm good eats...

I would kill for a Turkish restaurant right now

[Tyo]

11. Engrish, Chingrish, and Chinese Restaurants

Asians are kind of the mother lode of funny English, huh?

[amitten]

12. Well, them and the Southerners.

:P

Please understand this is not meant to be insulting...

It's funny (cute-funny) when ANYONE has problems with ANY new language...

[Tyo]

13. Night, guys

Gotta get up at 5 o'crock tomorrow. Knock yourselves out.

[amitten]

14. Oh, don't take such offense! I have a relative that spent many

years overseas in different countries. She's told me all kinds of stories of how her European friends would laugh at her as she butchered different languages.

This stuff is funny to people worldwide. People always laugh at that kind of thing. It's not always with malice.

[Tyo]

18. Glad it's not ALWAYS with malice

That makes me feel better. But still, you might want to keep in mind that what offends me and what doesn't isn't really your call.

Anyway, this kind of thing seems to give you a lot of pleasure and I suppose people should be grateful if the way they speak can provide a good laugh for others so I'll just get out of your way.

[amitten]

27. Well, the world can't revolve around what may offend a given

person. Everyone has their own hot button, and none of the rest of us necessarily know what it is until someone gets mad.

Sorry if you've felt offended. As it hasn't been directed at you knowingly, maybe you shouldn't read the thread since it upsets you. Why seek out offense...?

[Tyo]

31. Good advice

I'll keep it in mind when the gay jokes start up.

But really, amitten, clearly people are enjoying this thread and there are worse things to get your kicks from so I'm moving on. Peace, love, good karma to everyone.

[amitten]

33. I have no problem with gay jokes either, since many gays I know

think they're funny, too.

And I don't freak out over jokes that pertain to me...I guess I'm just not very sensitive.

[Tyo]

34. You have the hide of an elephant

Figuratively speaking of course :)

[amitten]

35. Of course. n/t

[crim son]

38. If you can't laugh at "dog sauce"

then you and I need never have a conversation...

[cwydro]

43. I'm with you

some peeps really look for offense I think...

[crim son]

47. Or they believe that overesensitivity is a virtue.

Not that I'm saying that's the case here, of course :)

[cwydro]

49. of course not

:P

[NewWaveChick1981]

17. Engrish.com is my husband's favorite website...

:rofl: The literal translations are hysterical! What really gets me are the t-shirts and other clothing that have questionable Engrish on them, and the people wearing them obviously have no idea what the words mean. :rofl: :yoiks: I love that website too!

And of course, it's not making fun of anyone---just the literal translations and misinterpretations that happen in translation. :rofl:

[Tyrone Slothrop]

25. I was in Central Park about a year ago

And ran across a group of semi-elderly Japanese tourists.

All of the men were sporting baseball caps with giant marijuana leaves on the front.
:rofl:

Dunno if they thought that was some cool logo or if they were just potheads, but regardless, I thought it was pretty amusing.

:shrug:

[NewWaveChick1981]

29. LOL....

:rofl: My grandmother (not Japanese) bought my mother a gold lapel pin one time when I was about 16 and she thought it was very pretty. My mother liked it too, and she put it on a very nice suit jacket to wear it to church. I had not yet seen it, but when we were leaving, I noticed that the pin was a pot plant. :rofl: I told my mom, "MOM! You're not a pothead, are you?" She looked confused and offended and said, "Of course not! Why are you asking me?" I said, "'Cause you have a pin of a pot plant on your lapel!" And I started laughing my ASS off... My sister and brother started laughing, and my mom said, "I had no idea..." I asked her, "Where in the world did you get that?" And she said, "Granny gave it to me." And that got me howling, because I knew my grandmother was just as clueless. :spray: Mom took it off, and after we got back from church, Mom and Granny had a loooong conversation..... :yoiks:

[MsKandice01]

37. OMG!!

I'm laughing so hard over here. That's hilarious!!

[NewWaveChick1981]

39. It made me laugh until I saw stars...

:rofl: I still don't let my mom forget that one... :rofl: :spray:

Glad I could entertain you. :hi:

[NewWaveChick1981]

40. Forgot to add that I have the pot plant lapel pin in my possession.

:rofl: I'll post a pic as soon as I can. :P :rofl:

[MsKandice01]

48. Oh please do!!

And is it up for sale?? :) :smoke:

[trof]

20. I lived it for 10 years. We called it Japlish.

I flew for Nippon Cargo Airlines.

One example:
One of our pilots was named Cohee.
The Japanese couldn't do the 'f' sound.
So they called coffee 'cohee'.

One day they asked the guy how he'd come to be named after a beverage.
:rofl:

[LSK]

41. Steven Colbert loves tea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSLDscnhNCM

[Dangerously Amused]

44. When my Dad was travelling by car in Germany

...everywhere he went on the highway he saw road signs with arrows and the word "AUSGANG"


Finally he get frustrated and exclaims, "Ausgang! Ausgang! Where the hell is Ausgang? Does every road lead to Ausgang?? I can't even find Ausgang on the map!"




Ausgang = "exit."


:rofl:

[Initech]

45. I dont think I would want to be in this play pen...

[NewWaveChick1981]

46. OMG!

:rofl: Nope, not me either... :yoiks: