12 responses so far ↓

• 1 Anonymous // Mar 19, 2006 at 6:43 pm

  Poupe agua is portugues, means save water.
  I think it was fair enough becoz they made the words in italic.

• 2 Alan // Apr 1, 2006 at 4:01 am

  First off. I love the site. It does well for us all to realise that we are frail humans and shouldn’t get too pretentious.

  Just wanted to note that one of the signs in the section called Random Manglish is in fact good English despite being very funny seen on a modern city sign.

  It is the one that says “No Hawking” . At first you think “why the hell would they need a sign to stop people entering into Falconry in a city centre” But in fact it was, until about thirty years ago, in England a common phrase for a peddlar or door to door salesman. Gate signs that said “No peddlars, hawkers or circulars” were common and anyone who engaged in it had to be licensed by the police with a Hawkers license.

  So although very out of date, the translation is good English albeit still v. funny in this day and age.

  Keep up the great work with your very funny site and for all the sad sacks who consider you racist for publishing, lets hope they shrivel up when they “fuck the salt ! ” Regards, Alan

• 3 K. A. Zei // Apr 17, 2006 at 7:13 pm

  In two years I have the possibility of working at a bank in FuZhou. I sooo want this job after I graduate. There is so much to teach Chinese people! Plus I can learn Mandarin too! And invent my own Manglish! Or the reverse, Crynese! Chinese so bad it makes you cry! Englarin! Mandarouch! Maimderin! enough with the exclamation marks and the unfunniness

• 4 Toko // Apr 19, 2006 at 7:01 am

  I think that the “weak pizza” one is clever as hell. I also like to think that “No Hawking” is taking about Dr. Stephen Hawking.

• 5 eastpaw // Jun 23, 2006 at 8:14 pm

  Alan is correct. To hawk is to peddle wares with an emphasis on vocal (and often almost vociferous advertisement.

• 6 1-VWgal // Sep 27, 2006 at 2:15 am

  Hey I think that pizza one is wonderful. Hats off.
  You have to wonder if they stumbled on that one by accident. If so then maybe that ‘million monkey million typewriters’ thing might actually work.
  If not-Genius my son. Genius.

• 7 Anonymous // Oct 17, 2006 at 1:32 am

  Is the word ‘hawker’ really dead? I didn’t blink an eyelid at that sign. Perhaps the real problem is that hawking is dead in the U.S., not that Hong Kong has got it wrong.

• 8 Anonymous // Jan 21, 2007 at 8:29 pm

  I have laughed harder than I have in a long time while perusing your site.

  I just wanted to point out that the sign about folding up perambulators is perfectly good English. “Perambulator” is simply a babby carriage, buggy, whatever you want to call it. It’s where the word “pram” comes from. It’s a bit archaic, but none the less legitimate for it.

  Thanks!

• 9 Anonymous // Feb 10, 2007 at 7:12 am

  Ah… I assumed that the no hawking one was asking people not to spit. You know, hacking and then spitting?

  Now I think about it, 6 months in prison for hacking up a bit of spit seems a bit harsh…

• 10 Sam // Mar 6, 2007 at 8:52 pm

  I think my two favorite English signs in China read along the lines of: “Please be kind to me and protect me and do not hurt me,” and “Be dressed in rags do not come in.” The first was at a park of some sort and the second was outside a hotel. Go figure.

• 11 serega // Feb 2, 2008 at 12:15 am

  pos yourgirls

• 12 me // Mar 23, 2008 at 2:26 pm

  Great site. But am I the only one who thinks that you shouldn’t really be surprised to see Portuguese translations (Poupe Água) in what I assume is Macau? It is, after all, one of their official languages.

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