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Some time ago, didn't someone mention the way English can get fuzzled in translation? Here's a site with lots of pictures, no adverts in the commercial sense that I could see ... and lots of laughs. http://www.engrish.com/>
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Cute, WOW...especially the toilet paper called "Fannie." Can't ya' just imagine the marketing strategies we'd use here?
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Dear wow: I had to click on New Discoveries to see more than the first picture. Some were funny, some were pathetic. Imagine the howlers we would make if we tried to write ads in Japanese.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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My daughter has been part of the High School Diplomats program. The Japanese she has met on tour have been highly tolerant of young Americans beginning to speak Japanese, but, I agree with wwh, I can imagine some of the chuckles our hosts have shared. Pretty harmless stuff, really, if not taken seriously.
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Carpal Tunnel
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If you search through old threads - I'm not sure of the category - you will find a thread where the funny things that happen during translation into English were discussed. The www.engrish.com link was put up there, too. May be worth a look for those interested.
BTW, the Japanese do not like foreigners to be able to speak Japanese fluently. But, yes, they are tolerant of those who can't speak it but who try. And laugh at them behind their backs.
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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And on Veteran's Day, it seems worth mentioning that the Japanese in WWII liked it not at all that loyal Americans of Japanese descent helped us read Japanese wartime communications, in spite of their parents' being robbed by phony "patriots" and wrongfully sequestered. A Nisei US Army unit in Italy was said to have had the highest percapita decorations for bravery in the whole Army.
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He was there at the end of the Recent Additions. Two entries.(One for him and one for his pal teDRemmington?) One Cusion with him on it said "I was born in Cicago. My mother's name is Barbara." and the other said "Please make me clean because I always want to be clean sometimes."So, which one was which? 
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Someone who taught English to immigrants once pointed out to me that the most difficult word for the Asian tongue, especially speakers of Chinese or Japanese, is far and above all the others (drummmm rollllllllll....) RURAL!  Impossible even, I mean, why bother, you know? I'd have to stick to bucolic...or, maybe, lustic?
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my sister lives in japan, and has learned to speak japanese, but she makes 'howler's' all the time. one of her favorite shows (TV) is game show. non-japanese speakers are given phonetic statements to read-- usually a well known quote-- from the classical type "Give me Liberty, or give me death" to the more mundane "Two all beef patties on a sesame seed bun" -- but the phrases are choses for specifically to include hard to pronounce words.
the contestant goal it to listen, and disern what is being said. think how a japanese speaker might mangle a phrase like "rural free delivery is likely in truly rural areas"
(all those R's and L's!) at least we don't make a TV show that, at its core make fun of foriegn speakers!
Just as the japanese have a problem with r and l, most non native speakers have problem with S and TS- and since her name is tsuyuki-- she can't even say her own name.. but tit for tat, my brother in law can't say her maiden name. Reilly-- all to often it come out closer Leary!
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HELEN! You're safe today! Thank god; we were worried about you.
Back to the subject: one recalls the joke circulating a year ago, during the USA's Florida presidential recount, that Japan was sending Florida an emergency shipment of Viagra, having been informed that Florida residents were suffering severe election difficulites.
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