I've decided that from now on each update will include a short commentary on a facet of life from our time here. For this update my comments are on English translation. Here goes...
Living in a place where we don't speak the local language very well has led to several interesting moments. Usually these moments occur when our poor efforts at speaking Korean and the person we are speaking with's lack of English skills cause us to engage in much pointing and gesturing. This then devolves into the speaking of English or Korean in progressively slower and louder tones as each person attempts to get their message across. These unplanned moments are usually handled with good grace and smiling by all involved and somehow we always get through it. 90% of the time we even understand each other in the end. The other 10%? Well, there is always another place to shop or someone we can get to translate eventually.
What is more mystifying than these unplanned communication issues are the written errors that abound in Seoul from Korean phrases translated to English (or Konglish as it's called here - Korean/English). You see these jumbled wordings on signs and packages everywhere, from shops to museums and from snack food boxes to appliance carton.
What is truly mystifying is that you don't see this just on Mom and Pop store handwritten signs. These jumbles of mish-mashed phrasings can be on major brand name product packages or on the biggest stores advertising signs. No one can ever explain to me why many big companies who are trying to attract a global and more-and-more English speaking clientele somehow never hire a professional translation service to assure that they get it right. It's as if the VP of packaging says one day, "Junho has had 3 months of English classes? Ok, let's have him do the English translation that will appear on all our products." What this leads to is a never ending stream of unintentionally humorous signs, pamphlets, web pages and package labels that are just amazing and wonderful to behold.
Interestingly, these bungles never upset me and if and when they correct them I find myself disappointed that these little bits of comedy are removed from my life. For instance,it would ruin a major highlight of my day if the dinner snacks we get at work no longer said on it "Happy for your healthy". After all, it sure beats "25% less fat" which is what would typically appear on such a product. As a side bar, while I have no idea what "Happy for your healthy" really is supposed to mean it has become part of my lingo and I use this to try and talk the kids into to eating new food. "Come on Josh, go ahead and eat the green stuff. It's sure to be happy for your healthy". Doesn't work much better than "Eat it" but makes me feel much better. Maybe I'm just succumbing to the genius of the advertising slogan.
Following is a sampling of a few of these Konglish'isms in the form of photos from around the area and some of our household goods. You can also visit this website for Mujo Ski area which is seeking to attract a more global set of visitors and which last year opened this English website for it's potential clients. I am DEFINITELY going here this year. I mean I MUST visit a ski area which boasts it's slopes are "designed when you go down to the low end of slopes, everyone will be arrived at the same place, so called Colorado style". I mean, how can I resist? They've clearly separated themselves from all those other areas where you go down to the low end of the slopes and are completely separated from everyone else. The so called "hopelessly lost" style.
Oh, and for all those out there who want to point out all the spelling errors on my website and state I'm being hypocritical in making fun of my Korean freinds this way I can only say....
PPPBBBbbbbbbbbtttttttt!
The difference of course is that this is an amature site (like you couldn't tell) and I don't get paid to get it right as opposed to the people who were paid to get these signs and slogans right. Also, English is an American's native tongue. If I want to bungle it, it's my constitutional right. Just ask George W. Bush or Dan Quayle.
For those still bothered by double standards who would like to see me get the grammer and spelling right each publication, my Pay-Pal account is the same as my e-mail address and I take donations to the website in denominations of $25 or more. Credit cards are accepted. Oh, and a donation will make you VERY happy for your healthy!
Life in Korea: Lost in Translation
This sign gets put up outside our apartment every time it rains. I've taught the kids when they see this sign to throw their arms up in the air and run away yelling "Look Out! Slippery Floo is on the loose again! AHhhhhh!" Nancy is very impressed by this, especially when she is tired, trying to herd wet kids into the apartment and has an arm load of groceries. Yes, this really happens. Only those who don't know me well think I am kidding.
Last year the apartment staff made R's out of black tape and corrected the signs. The residents have since "fixed" all the signs back to the original condition. They provide something to smile about on a rainy day.
E-Park is a chain of malls in Korea. Each of them put up multiple signs like this at their stores as well as on overpass advertisements and bill boards. Hey, if your going to be wrong, do it big I always say. Wonder what a professional English editor would charge for checking out 2 words in a major advertising campaign? Then again, I did remember the signs and the company and that's the point of advertising isn't it? Anyway, Go ahead and have yourself a MALLY CHRISTMAS!
OK, this one is spelled right but reaches the unintentional comedy level because 1) it conjures non-traditional holiday images in anyone familiar with "love festivals" such as Woodstock and 2) nobody over age 30 can read this sign aloud without saying the words like the guy who did the old Love Boat TV series commercials. "It's the Christmas LOOOOooooove Festival at Doota department store."
From our bread package. I am so glad they made the "effort in searching of best tasty". The last bakery place just took the first tasty that came along and, well you can guess how that turned out. Each time I make toast I now make certain that I "enjoy the sweet" and refresh myself.
Hite Beer got the spelling correct but do we really need to specify it's naturally fresh water? OK, I live in Seoul where the Han River is sort of nasty so I guess maybe this does prove the need for clarity. I'm just not sure they meant it that way.
One of my favorite Korean snack foods, almond waffle cookies, states on the front of the box..."A Tenderness Became A Myth". I try not to think hard on this as the implication is the tenderness was there but is now a myth and therefore gone because myths are things we know NOT to be real. Perhaps I might suggest a new slogan "A Tenderness Become Fact'? It's all ok thought because I'm sure it's happy for my healthy.
Sarah's favorite warm fleece shirt purchased at the local Lotte Mart. The text reads Happy-To-Lucky"Warm-Puppy". It was on all the Lotte clothing for their new kids Snoopy Logo Wear last year. If anyone out there has ANY idea what this means, I'm sure there are prizes available somewhere. Anyone?
I'm also trying to figure out why the quotes are needed around "Warm Puppy". Is this sarcastic? Is the puppy really cold? Is "Warm Puppy" a famous line used frequently in Korea? These are among the many mysteries of Konglish that can keep you awake at night.
