Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Prophet on September 15, 2006, 08:31:42 am

Title: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Prophet on September 15, 2006, 08:31:42 am
My aunt was visiting russia recently. She brought a couple of neat flaslights from there. They are those thingys that require no batteries, you just pump the trigger with your hand and behold there is light. You are science geeks so you know what I'm talking about.
(http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5717/pumpactiontorchfx5.th.jpg) (http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pumpactiontorchfx5.jpg)

It's from Russia, so it works and is quite handy. But then I took a look what it says in the box. As you might have quessed, the text didn't make a whole lot of sense. So I thought that I'd share it with you... :)
(http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5623/saywhatcy4.th.jpg) (http://img83.imageshack.us/my.php?image=saywhatcy4.jpg)

Sorry about the image size. While I'm bored enought to post them, I'm still lazy enought not to resize them. :p
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Night Hammer on September 15, 2006, 09:01:04 am
lol

Quote
It can only Illuminate only placing it in rhythm
:yes:


edit: :lol:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Mefustae on September 15, 2006, 09:07:21 am
Quote from: Produce Characteristics
Constantly using this health torch, it can benefit to your palm, arm and shoulder stretching and circulation, so as to let your hands relax and brain clever, hand and brain coordinate and promote your brain memory and health composition
That's one ****ing awesome torch. I must have one!
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Wobble73 on September 15, 2006, 09:15:08 am
What's wrong with this??? Makes perfect sense to me!!!!





J/K ;7 :lol:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Taristin on September 15, 2006, 11:19:47 am
New technology? Where you have to squeeze the handle to generate electricity? :wtf: That's not new at all. The Germans had them in WWII!
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Herra Tohtori on September 15, 2006, 12:00:18 pm
The new part must be this:

Quote
Constantly using this health torch, it can benefit to your palm, arm and shoulder stretching and circulation, so as to let your hands relax and brain clever, hand and brain coordinate and promote your brain memory and health composition

Plus, it has no bulb... but I wouldn't count LED technology as "new"... :rolleyes:

 :lol:

Which reminds me, I once bought a pointing led laser just for the fun typo I found in the description: It manifested that it had light power of 3 MW...

If you know anything of wickedlasers (http://www.wickedlasers.com/products_overview.php#green) you know that 300 mW (milliWatts) is already quite a monster as bright light is considered; So now (according to the description) I own a 3 MEGAWATT pointing laser...  :lol:

Of course I know it meant three mW, but it was so hilarious to read in the shop that I decided to simply buy it to have the description. :D


EDIT: My God (though I have none)! Those guys at wickedlasers have created the SGreen or something like that!

(http://www.wickedlasers.com/photos/f1.jpg)

 :eek2:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Mongoose on September 15, 2006, 12:28:26 pm
That deserves to get on Engrish.com (http://www.engrish.com) :lol:

And Herra?  Daaaaaamn...  :eek2:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Gortef on September 15, 2006, 12:37:42 pm
:lol:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Col. Fishguts on September 15, 2006, 02:01:41 pm

EDIT: My God (though I have none)! Those guys at wickedlasers have created the SGreen or something like that!

 :eek2:

The professor in our "Laser Physics" lecture had one of those babies. You can use the thing to point at stars ... ****ing epic.
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Ulala on September 15, 2006, 03:51:17 pm
I should get one for my airsoft gun.  :nervous:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Tyrian on September 15, 2006, 03:58:31 pm
I've gotta get the description off the chopsticks packaging at this Chinese restaurant I go to...It's hilarious.

Oh yeah...I don't think we should let Goober see the box in this thread...Ever.   :nervous:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: ZylonBane on September 15, 2006, 04:02:18 pm
Heh, those poor ignorant sods, using the word "torch" to describe a flashlight.
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Roanoke on September 15, 2006, 04:11:16 pm
Heh, those poor ignorant sods, using the word "torch" to describe a flashlight.

what's up woth that ?  :wtf:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Ulala on September 15, 2006, 04:47:02 pm
Right, but it's a colored flashlight.  :P
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Ransom on September 15, 2006, 09:54:33 pm
Quote
This product is a new science and technology product and made with high and new science and technology.
It's powered by pure science!
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Sandwich on September 16, 2006, 11:41:40 am
It's powered by pure science!

"She killed 'em with mathematics, what else could it have been?"
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Taristin on September 16, 2006, 12:04:41 pm
"I blinded myself... with science!"
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: WMCoolmon on September 16, 2006, 03:07:55 pm
Quote
made with high and new science technology

That explains a lot.
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: TopAce on September 18, 2006, 03:07:23 pm
Heh, those poor ignorant sods, using the word "torch" to describe a flashlight.

Actually, the British (and the Australians, too, I think) use torch to mean flashlight.

Anyway, I have never understood why you are making fun of bad grammar by non-native speakers of English. Believe me, people all around the world can find mistakes in (and make fun of) your speech of any foreign language (foreign, in the sense it's not your mother tongue). You may find forming sentences in English overly simple, meanings of words are probably blatant and trivial, but it's because you are native speaker of it. When I was a six-year-old, I also thought my mother tongue was easy, logical, and did not understand why others cannot speak/write it. I was like 10 when I suddenly understood the reasons. You guys are certainly more mature than that.
This is not something to make fun of. It's as much as throwing tomato at the disabled for not moving out of your way as you approach. If you don't believe me, start learning a foreign language, preferably not a Germanic language, just to make sure you're learning a language not within the same family as English. You'll understand how wrong you were.
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: ZylonBane on September 18, 2006, 04:58:15 pm
Heh, those poor ignorant sods, using the word "torch" to describe a flashlight.
Actually, the British (and the Australians, too, I think) use torch to mean flashlight.

Gosh, really?  :doubt:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Ford Prefect on September 18, 2006, 05:32:37 pm
Anyway, I have never understood why you are making fun of bad grammar by non-native speakers of English. Believe me, people all around the world can find mistakes in (and make fun of) your speech of any foreign language (foreign, in the sense it's not your mother tongue). You may find forming sentences in English overly simple, meanings of words are probably blatant and trivial, but it's because you are native speaker of it. When I was a six-year-old, I also thought my mother tongue was easy, logical, and did not understand why others cannot speak/write it. I was like 10 when I suddenly understood the reasons. You guys are certainly more mature than that.
This is not something to make fun of. It's as much as throwing tomato at the disabled for not moving out of your way as you approach. If you don't believe me, start learning a foreign language, preferably not a Germanic language, just to make sure you're learning a language not within the same family as English. You'll understand how wrong you were.
It's not mean-spirited or critical. People just find it funny to hear and read their language broken. I laugh at fractured English, and I fully respect someone else's right to laugh at me when I mess up their language. Besides, it's always easier for people to get along when they don't take everything so seriously.

I mean come on, how is this (http://winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html) not funny?
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Herra Tohtori on September 18, 2006, 07:38:23 pm
Engrish is funny when it's in official manuals and product descriptions - not to mention movie translations.

You would think they'd find someone who actually knows english to do official and semi-official translation work.

I certainly don't find it "amusing" if someone who is not familiar with Finnish tries to use it in conversation, and makes mistakes... Course not. I appreciate that he or she is trying to learn the language, and mistakes belong tho that phase. But public texts should be translated by someone who can do it, not by BabelFish... although they sometimes are both ccomprehensive and funny as hell.

Engrish during learning process = natural thing, not funny or worth snickering at;

Engrish in public translations, official and semi-official contexts = funny and pitiful and tells that the people who did the translation either largely overestimated their own abilities with English, or just plainly didin't care enough to get someone else to do it, preferably an actual translator.

 ::)
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Mathwiz6 on September 18, 2006, 07:59:03 pm
We laugh at the difficulty of speaking english, not the fact that they speak it badly.

And we laugh at the funny things that occur with mangled english.

I.e. on a knife "Caution, sharp"
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Mars on September 18, 2006, 09:32:15 pm
There is no reason for anyone to be offended. I know for a fact that people laugh when English speakers maul their language, so why can't we laugh when non-English speakers mess up English?
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Tyrian on September 19, 2006, 05:43:17 pm
An' we laugh at th' funny thin's wot occur with mangled english.

I.e, on a knife "Caution, sharp"

This was engraved as a warnin' on a knife in North Korea: 

"Keep out o' minnows."

EDIT:  Arrr!  Children!  Keep out o' C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N!  Not minnows!

EDIT2:  Gotten rid of the excess pirate speak!
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Sandwich on September 21, 2006, 06:08:41 pm
"Keep out o' minnows."

EDIT:  Arrr!  Children!  Keep out o' C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N!  Not minnows!

EDIT2:  Gotten rid of the excess pirate speak!

:wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka: :wakka:
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Mongoose on September 21, 2006, 11:09:19 pm
The thing is, when you see terribly-phrased English on something like a T-shirt, store sign, or instruction booklet, you can't help but laugh.  Case in point: the infamous case of a Japanese T-shirt with the phrase "Spread Beaver" on it, which was worn by thousands of innocent young Japanese women without any clue as to what it was saying. :lol: All of these represent situations where someone who actually knows and speaks fluent English should be doing the translation, not a non-English speaker using Babelfish or trying to remember a year of English in grade school.  We're not saying that we should laugh at people trying to learn English; of course we realize how difficult of a language it is to master.  What we are laughing at is utter incompetence in the use of English in settings where it should be properly translated. :p
Title: Re: Some engrish I encountered...
Post by: Wobble73 on September 22, 2006, 03:48:02 am
English speakers can get things badly wrong to you know, as in this site (http://www.peterwilkinson.karoo.net/lostintranslation.htm) explains

Quote
Lost In The Translation


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In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead."


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Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off."


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Chicken-man Frank Perdue's slogan, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," got terribly mangled in another Spanish translation. A photo of Perdue with one of his birds appeared on billboards all over Mexico with a caption that explained "It takes a hard man to make a chicken affectionate."


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Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish, where it was read as : "Suffer from diarrhea."


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When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most people can't read English.