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Though many people are offended when someone teases us asians about our horrid “Engrish,” it’s quite hard to defend our stance when we have grammatical atrocities like these plastered across the malls in Korea:
^ Apparently, when I “put first step” in their shop (Artbox), I “can have a big smile“. “Can.” But not necessarily. It’s optional. I could have a big frown if I wanted to. Or a big dump.
^ I’m not even going to TRY to decipher this one. But one thing I know for sure is that this sign does NOT make me “everyday smile and happy.” More like “everyday make odd finger gestures at grammatically mangled signs”
The people who were in charge of creating these signs for Artbox have not just butchered the English language, they have strangled it, hacked it up with a ten-foot long machete, and then proceeded to eat its raw flesh. In the rain.
Ironic considering that most Korean mothers will gnaw off their own hamstrings in order for their child to become fluent in English. I mean, even the CIA factbook has gone through the trouble of mentioning that “English [is] widely taught in junior high and high school.” (If you want proof CLICK HERE and look under the “Languages” part of the factbook.)
You’d think they’d be able to round up AT LEAST three or four people who could actually write a coherent sentence in a foreign language that is widely taught across the country. There are rumors that the students in top English programs could pwnz0rz a native speaker in a grammar test. So why couldn’t the chief designers of Artbox just hire one of those kids?! Or were they too busy making people “everyday smile and happy” whilst putting “first step in their shop” so they “can have a big smile” to care?
By the way, those are actual pictures taken with my cell phone. And yes, I went through the trouble of standing like a n00b in the middle of the mall with cell phone camera in hand to preserve this amazing linguistic abomination to god.
I want cookies.
–JANE–
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u cant have a huge dump. you can TAKE ONE, but please, limit yourself to only one, or everyone else i gonna be asking for more bug dumps
Comment byHey jane, this is andrew. I came up to your blog via pheonix phire.
I’ve seen COUNTLESS errors like those in my life… especially on Korean hagyongpooms… But according to some of my friends, some people think those grammar errors are deliberately put to look cute (which is disgusting)
And people who mastered English would want to get a better job than a mere “writer’ for artbox…
Comment byI think people should make a Koreanglish group blog where they collect more and more photos like this with their cellphones, etc, because they’re blasted funny!
I did something similar when I lived in China.
I love this post! (The “You have AIDS” tagline seems in bad taste, but hey, you’re the writer.)
Comment by(Oh, and thanks to Soojin for linking to this on Twitter. That’s how I found it
)
Comment byThis was a great post and I enjoyed reading it. I was out hiking today with friends who are from the UK and India and we were talking about the slang words used here in the US, UK, and India. Someone also mentioned how each country has words that mean different things in different countries but are all English words. That is really hard to explain to someone learning English. Maybe you will find more signs to share because they really put a smile on my face!
Comment byOk, so your blog design is TERRIFIC! I love the brown plaid so much! As for the tagline, I can see the humor in it (nevermind what Clay says; he just doesn’t see how incredibly funny it is)! I love your voice!
I think you’d love Ann Taintor. You can find her stuff here: http://www.annetaintor.com/ A very good friend of mine always buys me nice gifts from there!
Comment byYou are hilarious, Jane, and a much better writer than your World History teacher, so I will not even attempt to match your wit. I’m just glad that I get to see it on display daily in class and can now forgive you for making me wait 30 minutes for you to get your nails done outside the market in Beijing so that your fingers can type brilliant posts like this in style. Knock’em alive tomorrow at BEIMUN!
Mr. B.
Comment byOh yeah, I used to collect these types of Japanglish faux pas in Japan when I taught there. If you start a kiswrites blog about these, I will definitely contribute…
Comment byJane,
Good work! Very original and very humorous; however, we still need to work on some of your content. It is great attract and audience and make them laugh, but we also need to show some empathy at the same time. A joke about AIDS or simple random swearing will probably repel more readers than it will attract. But, I love your work and think you have a clever cutting wit.
Mr. Bray
Comment byhaha janee
u r in one word WITTY
Comment bydont listen to mr bray
luv it
xoxo soyeon
jane
Comment byi rock
we ate quesdillas (2), burritos (2), chicken teritaki (2), cookie(3), drinks (3) for 3 people today. bahahah we ROCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
wwell i do.
[...] Right, Jane? [...]
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Pingback byHey Jane!!
I was inspired by this post and wrote a post on my blog.
The fact that you wrote this post around 2008 surely did not decrease its impact.
GREATT JOB~
http://kjayp11.edublogs.org/2009/03/11/gorgeous-grammars/
Comment byLeave a comment
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