The Volokh Conspiracy

I really, really hope this is not a marketing ploy.

The Chinese should set up a website where they can ridicule foreigners' nonsensical tattoos. I'd rather have a translation error innocuously placed on a sign than placed permanently on my body.

According to link page, the chinese means "dining hall" literally. No way that would crash a translation program. It's probably intentional and very clever to boot.

Servers can crash, or time out, under load, regardless of a specific input.

One of my favorites is in the translation of a Japanese patent.

I tried to learn Mandarin Chinese. Damn it's hard. To say my writing looked like a four-year-old's scrawl is an insult to four-year-olds. My pronunciation consistently made my teacher wince (use the wrong tone and "mother" becomes "horse"). English and Chinese are different in so many ways that I am amazed at the skill of any native Chinese speaker who can express a thought to me in English.

Given how few Americans learn to speak Chinese, and how many Chinese can speak and write English competently, it's a little odd that so many Americans seem to take so much pleasure at poking fun at mistakes Chinese people make with English.

Waiting for China:

Given how few Americans learn to speak Chinese, and how many Chinese can speak and write English competently, it's a little odd that so many Americans seem to take so much pleasure at poking fun at mistakes Chinese people make with English.

I'm sorry, but you need to grow a sense of humor if you think the reaction to this sign reflects some kind of untoward cultural attitude. The pleasure people get from this is because it's funny. That's all. I realize that begs the question, but my point is that laughing at stuff like this isn't masking a covert agenda. There's no hostility or ridicule to it. It's good natured fun.

I do something stupid about 50 times a day. If anyone in China thought my blundering was the least be funny, I hope they'd have a laugh at my expense and do it with my blessings.

Please, not the Chevy Nova urban legend again.

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

LM, you are right. We need a sense of humor when dealing with language barriers, and I didn't show one in my comment. I guess I'm just asking that you notice the flip side--when someone born and raised in China communicates an idea to you in English, respect the discipline, time, energy and dedication it took that person to speak English that well.

Vernunft, the person was trying. They just messed up. At least I think they messed up. As Andy pointed out, this could be a brilliant marketing ploy, in which case, the joke's on us.

I hope Nissan has the sense not to market the Armada in the UK.