OK, so here’s a massive gamble. I thought I’d try to make
this more interactive by using a competititon
(yes, that’s a right – a GAME in which YOU can WIN a REAL, actual THING) to
talk about something that tickles me.
So quick note at the top…bearing in mind the regular viewing
numbers these days, if you enter you may the only person. And then you will win.
But I would be a tiny bit sad to award the prize to a lone entrant…:(
So anyway! It’s a Chinglish competition! I think I wrote
about this very early on, but let me first of all get in a very important disclaimer.
This is not
intended as a ‘Let’s laugh at the silly foreigners’ post. The linguistic gap
between any form of Chinese and English is huge, and I have been a big victim
of it myself since trying to learn it, causing much belly laughing on the part
of Hong Kongers. People have laughed out loud, with pointing, on hearing either
of my Cantonese names (which translate roughly as Mr Clever and Mr
Strong-Like-the-Cypress Tree).
In the office, I have variously accidentally
- Referred to yellow paper as ‘yellow poo’
- Invited a colleague to punch me, when I meant to
ask for a biscuit
- Shouted ‘traffic, traffic!’ in the presence of
my colleagues to a taxi driver, when I meant to say ‘Can I get out?’
So – it cuts both ways. See the picture above that I have
pinched from the web. Chinglish T-shirts and astonishing Chinglish names abound
here, and I have been collecting them in my phone.
Which of the two sets
of options have I not seen since getting here? I will accept answers
as comments on the blog, via facebook message and email for those who know it:
1. Slogans on T-shirts
a.
I’ll be here in the morning heavenly houseboat,
don’t wait too long
b.
Do you horrid wretch drop the boy?
c.
Everyone can come and have a picnic
d. Why can't we all be more like a mermaid?
2. Name badges of staff who have served me in
various places:
a.
Rocky
b.
Rambo
c.
Terminator
d.
Chlorophyll
The winner
will receive an “I [heart] Hong Kong T-shirt in a size of their choice…
Entries close at 1.30am
BST (just before I go to work) on Friday.
I'm going to go with A and C, in that order.
ReplyDeleteEven as somebody who grew up in HK, A just seems too absurd. The others are very believable. Especially the last two.
And for the name, I've met more than a few people using the first two, and I've heard of somebody using the last one. So, Terminator it is!
I'm saying D and C
ReplyDelete