Lost in Translation

Trip Start Jul 21, 2008
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Trip End Aug 28, 2008


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Flag of China  ,
Saturday, August 16, 2008

In the seven years leading up to the Games, Beijing has done many things to get ready to host the world.  You have probably seen the news reports about the ettiquette campaign (no pushing in line...seems to have worked, no spitting...they need a little more practice on that one) and English classes.  It is very impressive how far the city and the country has gone to make a good impression.

We have seen the posters in Tian'anmen Square advising the local people on how to converse with foreign guests.  Beijingers were reminded not to ask about age, weight, or how much money a person makes...all topics not culturally sensitive here.  If they are at a loss as to what to say, they were encouraged to say "Welcome to Beijing!" or "You are great!!"  :o) 

They seem to have taken this to heart, because I have been told "You are really great!", "You are gentle!", "You are so kind!", and even "I love you!"...and those are from people ringing up my transactions on cash registers But what is it REALLY?
But what is it REALLY?
 !  Dang!  I wish people back home would build you up that much!  Feels kinda good!
 
The other night, Gregg was in a taxi ride with a very friendly driver, who, every so often would blurt out "Welcome to Beijing!!!" and laugh.  Gregg gave him a pin with the China and US flags together, and he was EXTREMELY proud of it. 

We had been told by some other Chinese people that Beijingers were pushy and rude, just like people in other large cities around the world.  So far, this is so not true!

The city has also made every effort to accommodate it's guests who do not speak Chinese.  As you might guess, there are some translations that aren't exactly grammatically correct.  When you get in a taxi cab, the driver pushes a button that triggers a recording that says "Welcome to take Beijing taxi!'  Not completely correct, but hey, I'm glad they did it because they didn't have to. 

In restaurants there are pictures of food to point to, and even English explanations of the dishes in some cases.  We have seen some pretty funny descriptions of the dishes.  These pictures that are circulating the web will give you some idea of what I am talking about.

Last night, on our hotel buffet, there was a dish called "Figs wrapped in Prostitutes".  (It was meant to be "Prosciutto"...the hotel manager was horrified when he found out why we were laughing.)  Awesome!  :o)  And prostitutes are so fresh this time of year...
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Comments

tex2
tex2 on Aug 17, 2008 at 03:57PM

Translations
Hmmm! I wonder how translations of Texas Spanglish would turn out? For example, what would the menu item Deep-fried Burrito be in Chinese?

texasdi
texasdi on Aug 18, 2008 at 03:58PM

That is AWESOME!!!!
I love the photos! Hilarious. Translations are tricky. On my last trip to Argentina, my friend Flor wanted to show me the seedy side of B.A. and took me to a park she referred to as the 'Lake of Travesties.' It was crazy. Bumper to bumper cars at 3a.m. all cruising the hundreds of male-to-female transvestite prostitutes that conduct business (for lack of a better term) there. I thought to myself that her name for the lake was so poetic until I realized that travestis is actually the slang pronunciation for travestidos, aka. transvestites. More literal than poetic but still funny.

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