Lost in Translation: 6 Hilarious Road Signs
Around the World — By Nicole Lerner on March 31, 2009 at 9:10 amSometimes getting off the beaten path means stretching your comfort zone, surrounding yourself in the unknown and moving steadfastly forward. Sometimes it means just finding something unique and untapped in your own backyard. Either way, my favorite thing about hitting the road is the collection of signs you may see along the way.
Without further ado, I’d like to introduce some of my favorite “lost in translation” images:
Fug Captive Fish Or Firds And Set Them Free Pool?
Don’t make the animals sick with your silly human carcass!
Pay Attention to Your Bodily Fear!
Yes! STD gems, great gift idea!
Alright, I can kill two birds with one stone here…
And last but not least, my personal favorite of the group due to its sheer absurdity,
Stretch your soul and toast. Clearly.
What’s your favorite “lost in translation” image?
10 Comments
Oh wow… great topic. Here are some of my favorites…
http://www.engrish.com//wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cheerful-hamster.jpg
http://www.engrish.com/2008/07/i-prefer-non-fragrant/
http://www.engrish.com//wp-content/uploads/2008/08/toothbrush-phone.jpg
All from http://www.engrish.com
I don’t have these online anywhere, but I took a picture in Zimbabwe of a sign warning:
CROCODILES ARE DANGEROUS.
DO NOT DISTURB THEM.
PEOPLE THROWING OBJECTS IN THIS AREA
WILL BE ASKED TO RETRIEVE THEM.
I saw another sign in Sarnath, India, that I found delightful for its creative spelling and array of prohibitions. It read:
NOTICE
1.THE SITE WILL REMAIN OPEN
BETWEEN SUNRISE TO SUNSET.
2. THE FOLLOWINGS ARE PROHIBITED. IN THE SITE.
i. SHOPPING OR VENDLISM
ii. WRITTING OR CARVNING ON STRUCTURES.
iii. SINGING, DANCING, COOKING.
iv. BEHAVE IN A NOISY OR DISORDERLY MANNER.
v. BRINGING ANY VEHICLE AND ANIMALS.
3. PERSONS WILL BE PUNISHABLE
WITH FINE UNDER RULE 1958 (ACT)
COMMITTING ANY BREACH ABOVE RULES.
The “sick eating human being” one. That’s funny.
The first Chinese sign … sigh…Free-captive-life pond
Annika- Thanks for sharing! Those are great; wish we could see the original photos!
Oi
I do not mind you using my photograph but it would have been common courtesy to ask first. Very bad manners.
Jo- all photos from this post were sourced from Flickr/Creative Commons. Thanks for allowing your photo to be shared, it’s a great shot!
Nicole-I know that I allow use on Flickr and sorry for the grumpiness but still I would have liked to know. I would have said yes of course.
My favorite mistranslation sign was in the back of a Taxi in Shanghai. It was a rules sign, that among other things, prohibited “lunatics” from riding in the taxi.
I always pay attention to my bodily fear, and I never go anywhere without my diarrhea bear.
My original photos are 35 mm prints, and the quality isn’t great, so I don’t think they’d scan very well. Sorry!