ok...wait a minute

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Posted by defender of an ancient language on January 05, 2005 at 20:10:17:

In Reply to: Warm the request posted by Pastol Steve on January 05, 2005 at 14:17:46:

I personally find engrish really funny, and I like the website, but lest anyone think this is REALLY the way Japanese functions, I feel a sacred duty to explain in the interest of internationalisation (and God knows the U.S. needs it...just about everyone else in the world hates us or at least finds us irritating as a nation and culture.)

These translations sound so funny because they are not proper translations. They are attempts to make direct word for word transpositions between two languages that are structured entirely differently. I could point out the hows of grammar line by line, but I'm just not that dedicated, and no one would really care.

Suffice to say that languages are not merely codes for one another, they embody a way of thinking and communicating, and when translating mechanically, especially through software, or other non-thinking methods, the results are quite funny.

So in conclusion, Engrish is a real trip! I even teach it in my classes just as fun things, but please don't judge the language or culture by such inaccurate means. I know the Poster didn't mean it that way, and most readers are intelligent enough to understand, but just as in PS's famous image of the scene with the woman caught in adultery, there has to be at least one person out there who will read it and go, "huh-huh, what a stupid language."

: Courtesy of Babelfish, some birthday Engrish!

: * * * * *

: "Hoping your birthday is full of joy"

: translated into Japanese and then back again =

: "The joy it is complete to desire your birthday"

: * * * * *

: "Warm wishes for a blessed birthday celebration"

: translated into Japanese and then back again =

: "Warm the request for festival model of the birthday which is praised"

: * * * * *

: "On your birthday, we just want to say we are glad you were born!"

: translated into Japanese and then back again =

: "We would like to mean that with your birthday, we us are delightful exactly and are born!"

: * * * * *

: Happy festival model! We would like to mean that. We are so delightful exactly. Let's birthday! Warm the request. We are born!

: ;-)

:
: www.engrish.com

Follow Ups:

Re: ok...wait a minute PS, the Eastern Asians' friend 22:02:08 01/05/05 (3)
- Turning Japanesa, yes I'm turning Japanesa, Really Think SO PJ 00:22:41 01/06/05 (2)
  - Turning Japanese singalong!!! PS 02:06:51 01/06/05 (1)
    - Re: Turning Japanese singalong!!! cav 03:32:08 01/06/05 (0)

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: I personally find engrish really funny, and I like the website, but lest anyone think this is REALLY the way Japanese functions, I feel a sacred duty to explain in the interest of internationalisation (and God knows the U.S. needs it...just about everyone else in the world hates us or at least finds us irritating as a nation and culture.) : These translations sound so funny because they are not proper translations. They are attempts to make direct word for word transpositions between two languages that are structured entirely differently. I could point out the hows of grammar line by line, but I'm just not that dedicated, and no one would really care. : Suffice to say that languages are not merely codes for one another, they embody a way of thinking and communicating, and when translating mechanically, especially through software, or other non-thinking methods, the results are quite funny. : So in conclusion, Engrish is a real trip! I even teach it in my classes just as fun things, but please don't judge the language or culture by such inaccurate means. I know the Poster didn't mean it that way, and most readers are intelligent enough to understand, but just as in PS's famous image of the scene with the woman caught in adultery, there has to be at least one person out there who will read it and go, "huh-huh, what a stupid language." : : : Courtesy of Babelfish, some birthday Engrish! : : * * * * * : : "Hoping your birthday is full of joy" : : translated into Japanese and then back again = : : "The joy it is complete to desire your birthday" : : * * * * * : : "Warm wishes for a blessed birthday celebration" : : translated into Japanese and then back again = : : "Warm the request for festival model of the birthday which is praised" : : * * * * * : : "On your birthday, we just want to say we are glad you were born!" : : translated into Japanese and then back again = : : "We would like to mean that with your birthday, we us are delightful exactly and are born!" : : * * * * * : : Happy festival model! We would like to mean that. We are so delightful exactly. Let's birthday! Warm the request. We are born! : : ;-) : : : : www.engrish.com

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