Friday, August 28, 2015

Signs Spotted in Taiwan

My family and I came across some signs with bad translations while staying in Taiwan for three weeks recently.  These are only a small portion of what we saw, mainly because there wasn't always time to take a picture whenever such an example presented itself.  

  • (My hiking companion feigned a double take and asked what was so attractive about this trail.) A better translation for the sign below would be:
    行人小心 = Caution

    路滑崎嶇 = The trail is slippery and rough
Apologies for the blurry image. The English on the sign reads: Be careful. The road is rugged.


  • I'm not sure why, but quite a few steak places in Kenting (墾丁), Taiwan, omit the "k" on their signs. 
Where's the "k" in "steak"???


  • "本停車場僅供房客停車使用,不負保管責任。" can be easily translated as:
    "Parking lot for use of guests at Château Beach Resort only. Not responsible for theft or damage to vehicles or contents."


    As for the "Kindly to Notice" part, it's possible they meant to say "A Friendly Reminder" or something to that effect.
Found in the parking lot of a beach resort hotel in Kenting, Taiwan.


  • An interesting phenomenon in Taiwan is the promotion of healthy living.  I also saw signs about exercise, personal fitness, weight control, and healthy diet in a government office building -- in a stairwell.  The mistranslations on the sign below merit a separate post.  Right now I'm just pointing out a few obvious ones on the left of the sign:
    • "Interesting Sport Physiology" (有趣的運動生理) should be "Interesting Sports Physiology".
    • "Slender Stature"(苗條身材) should be "Slender Figure".
    • "Watch in sequence"(看本圖的順序) refers to how one should use the diagram to calculate calories used, starting with their pace in the lower left quadrant and going counterclockwise.  Therefore, a better translation would be "To use this diagram".
This sign (titled: 有趣的運動生理) was inside a national park.


There will be a separate post to further dissect this big sign.  Stay tuned. 



Please translate responsibly.

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