Plain Chinglish

Book excerpt: Humorous, bizarre, and sometimes just plain wrong translations of Chinese into English, from the author of Chinglish and More Chinglish. Plain Chinglish offers an insightful look at misuses of the English language in Chinese street signs, products, and advertising. Menu translations such as “Chicken scratched in front of a peice of noodles,” safety notices such as “Prohibition against door,” and public education signs such as “Labor glorious, Lazy shamefull” will make readers laugh out loud. A long-standing favorite of English speaking tourists and visitors, you can enjoy 120+ brand-new examples of this unique cultural heritage from the comfort of your own home. Oliver Lutz Radtke is the author of Chinglish: Found in Translation and More Chinglish: Speaking in Tongues. As a writer, journalist, and project manager at a private German foundation, Oliver strives for better understanding between China, Europe, and the US. You will often find him on a plane to Beijing and his discoveries at www.chinglishmuseum.com.