Chinglish Paperback – Bargain Price, August 8, 2007
by Oliver Lutz Radtke (Author)
Chinglish offers a humorous and insightful look at misuses of the English language in Chinese street signs, products, and advertising. A long-standing favorite of English speaking tourists and visitors, Chinglish is now quickly becoming a culture relic: in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese government is determined to wipe out incorrect English usage.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“As China opens up to tourism, more and more signs have to be translated into English. But as these hilarious examples prove, something is usually lost in the translation.” (Daily Mail (London) )
From the Publisher
–Join author Oliver Lutz Radtke in saving these delightful works from extinction. The result is an appreciation of the joys sparked by language and creativity.
–Chinese and English are the most common languages on earth.
–The Beijing Tourism Bureau set up a hotline for visitors and residents to tip off examples of bad English in order to correct the signs.
–With the 2008 Olympics approaching in Beijing the country is trying to correct all of its signage. The issue has been featured on the Today Show as well as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
–Some foreign teachers also refer to a school’s inadequate language department as the “Chinglish Department.”
Save the signs
By Sinocephalus on December 6, 2007
Format: Paperback
If you have ever visited China, you may have come across a sign that says “Little grass has life” or similiar bewildering phrases on signboards.
Here’s now a fine collection of many other such instances that have been documented by author Oliver Lutz Radtke.
“Chinglish” provides us with a solid insight into the everyday use of the Chinese language on bilingual signs and boards.
The book demonstrates a unique way of expressing ideas, intentions and interests.
Pictures of the Chinese originals in it’s entirety are displayed and backed up by English elaborations of the intended meaning.
At first glance, the book probably strikes the reader as one that heightens the perceived idea that China’s
“lingiustic misadventures” are a result of incompetence and a lack of knowledge.
This impression is quickly banished as it transforms into a new point of view:
A very creative method of expressing circumstances, requests and prohibitions emerge – completely different from the European way of phrasing caution or providing warning for instructions like “stay off the grass.”
These bilingual signs and boards (even with all the “mistakes” in them) documents a Chinese attempt to reach an international audience.
So for me “Chinglish” isn’t primarily a local linguistic phenomenon but a sociological one: It’s a way of thinking about possible communication settings.
Respectfully, the author analyzes several models of sociological and physiological explanations and his deep insight into Chinese mentality and language is inherent.
Product Details
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher (August 8, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423603354
ISBN-13: 978-1423603351
ASIN: B001O0EH40
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
