Everybody Loves Chinglish

It’s true. Everyone does. Well, maybe some people don’t. In advance of Expo, opening here in less than a month and a half, officials here in Shanghai recruited students to go around town looking for egregious examples of Chinglish, to be corrected before the hordes of foreign visitors that will be flocking to Expo descend on this town. (We could talk about why on earth the poor dears are labouring under the delusion that hordes of foreigners will be flocking to Expo, but that’s a subject for another time. Maybe.) Anyway, the announcement that squads of Chinglish police would be scouring the town was met with laughter, disbelief and dismay, depending on whom you ask. Put me in the ‘dismay’ camp – nothing brightens a “Bad China Day” (which we all have here from time to time) like a casually butchered turn of phrase, or an artlessly endearing mistranslation. Fortunately, the examples are so numerous and so varied in their ever-presence, there is no way to rid this city of them without rendering it entirely mute. So, here is a small smattering, most of which I have collected myself, but some which have been passed on by friends.

I like this one because, you know, I always thought the whole POINT of the bumper cars was to drive like a sick, drunken psychopath.

No milk for me thanks, I'll take mine black...

New and improved electric - now with added ling!

There's one born every minute, you know. And hey, some of them are probably thirsty.

Because if you don't care for your lipsticks, who will?

It's THAT good. (Probably. I haven't actually eaten there. Yet.)

I don't even know where to start with this one.

Personally I don't think he looks all that charming, but whatever.

Sometimes you need a nice, refreshing prink.

Ok sure, why not?

Cameraing all night with rabbitgrils makes me so highing!

And finally, this one is not a “Chinglish” technically, but I just think it’s funny. No idea what it says, but I think we all get the general idea: