Imperfect English no toll on nation's image
- Source: Global Times
- [21:05 March 15 2010]
- Comments
By Wendy Wang
One thing I find a perfect antidote to dreary language lectures is to show students pictures of mis-translated English signs adopted by Chinese in public places.
The most recent joke I turned to is the "World Expo bilingual guidance" issued by the Service and Commercial Development Headquarters in Luwan District, Shanghai.
Thinking outside the box, they spell out English words phonetically using Chinese characters to teach service per-sonnel how to say several English terms and phrases. For example, the Chinese characters for "good morning" read "gu de mao ning", and "I'm sorry" is interpreted as "an men sao rui."
The eccentric juxtaposition of Chinese-style phonetic notations and the English original, together with hilariously awkward pronunciation, have young students cracking up. It's even spawned a wave of sneers, satires and spoof in cyberspace.
Some comments assert it shatters Shanghai's image as a cosmopolitan city. A smattering of high-brow linguistic "experts" feel somewhat insulted, arguing this is a downright affront to the authenticity and nobility of English.
In my eye, it is amusing, not appalling. Some commentors are overreacting, saying things like "Do not let the Expo be marred by wrong and ridiculous pronunciation of English" or "Such kind of oral English make Shanghainese an object of lively ridicule to foreigners in the city."
Perhaps language gurus are selectively heedless of the fact that many sales clerks, bus conductors, waiters, security guards and other service staff know nothing of the International Phonetic Alphabet.
This methods helps them grasp basic English pronunciation through a language they are already familiar with, rather than forcing them to learn another system.
It seems to me the real eyesore is a maze of English signs in public whose spellings or meanings are ironic and inscrutable. For example, everyday at the metro station I see injunctions to "If you are stolen, call the police at once," and "please bump your head carefully."
English directions in public places don't have to absolutely conform to those in the United States or Britain, as long as they are easy to recognize and comprehend. Yang Xiong, the executive vice mayor of Shanghai, once made an incisive comment in an Expo press conference.
He said that signs in public places should be standardized because they are important in pointing to directions. But in terms of daily communication, there is no point in speaking impeccable London or Oxford English as long as it is understandable.
