# Why so much engrish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250 "2010-01-24T17:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/41 "2010-01-26T06:54:03Z")
You may laugh about foreign gaffes in english, but I once saw on the side of a box of frozen corn dogs, “Made with beef and pork, turkey.” I have no idea what I did to upset State Fair, but I’m sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/42 "2010-01-26T08:33:48Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > I wonder if there is a service opportunity here? > > Set up a desk in an office somewhere in China and say, “Bring me your drafts and I’ll fix them in two seconds so you don’t look like a doofus.” Probably, if you want to work for like $2 a week. China is poor. That’s why we outsource so much labor to them and not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/43 "2010-01-26T15:23:24Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [Here is an explanation of why ‘fuck’ is so common in Chinglish.](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005195.html) In short, GAN4 probably should be translated as ‘do’ and GAN1, ‘dry’. That link is superb 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/44 "2010-01-26T16:42:32Z")
> [@carter6](#): > > “3-draw nightstand.” > > :smack: [Norm Abram] So? [/NA] For those not familiar with “The New Yankee Workshop” The host has a thick New England Accent, and always drops the final R when pronouncing drawer ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/45 "2010-01-26T16:54:56Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > I often see incorrect or nonsensical English when I visit Japan. My understanding is that the English text functions primarily as decoration, for the benefit of Japanese customers, and not to convey information. The fact that some native English speakers will happen to see it, and find it amusing or annoying, is of no relevance whatever. There is no reason to spend any money or resources at all to get it right. > > A better analogy would be Pepsi putting on their cans (for the US market) “新世代の洗濯”. Any Japanese who saw it would point and laugh or shake their heads and say “how hard would it be to check?” I once read about someone making parody metal t-shirts in Norwegian (although I can’t remember if the parody was advertised or not). All the evil-sounding words were office-related. Also, I came across a fun engrish question in India: some kids greeting me with “Hello, what’s your my-name-is?” (They were Hindi speakers, and Hindi syntax isn’t _that_ peculiar.) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/46 "2010-01-26T17:00:38Z")
My experience at real-life Engrish was when I was working on an exhibit at a conference in Beijing. An attractive young Chinese woman came up to me and said, “I like your balls.” It took me only a second to realise that she was referring to some tennis-ball-sized globes of the world that we were giving away, and not referring to my masculinity or bravery … so I gave her one of my balls. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/47 "2010-01-27T04:11:34Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Well it appears my search for the perfect gay bar name is over. I was sooooo going to say that! ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/48 "2010-01-27T04:30:38Z")
As an aside, there are websites in other languages than English showing bad, funny or nonsensical commercial literature in that language, usually due to unprofessional translation. [Here is an example](http://www.protegez-vous.ca/chronique-hein.html) from the French-language consumers’ magazine _Protégez-Vous_. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/49 "2010-01-27T05:23:32Z")
Part of the problem is face saving, and old-git higher-ups who think they know better than the native speakers. I and a colleague were given the job of checking, translating and correcting every single bilingual road sign in the prefecture. We sweated blood. Sent it to the big boss who mangled it to his heart’s desire and then sent them to be printed. Net result, Engrish all over the prefecture. GAH We also used to have to take turns doing an English broadcast for public employees and were often told what to teach (mental madly wrong stuff) or have our scripts sent back with red pen all over them from the big boss who thought he could speak English. We just had to suck it up and record it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250/50 "2010-01-27T08:25:06Z")
There’s a used car lot just down the street from me with a sign saying “Bank repose”. I think it even has the quotation marks, I’d have to check again. So either the bank is just resting (while it pines for the fjords?) or it’s laying in some kind of horizontal position. > [@Frylock](#): > > I saw a manhole cover brand labeled “Husky Manhole” So if this is the name of a gay bar, is the payment to get in a manhole cover? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-much-engrish/526250.md?page=2)