Friday, April 10, 2009

Japlish



Plenty of websites and photos have popped up all over the net these days of funny English sayings and phrases printed on everything from tee shirts to menus around Asia...yet...its always funny to see something that is obviously WRONG.

I saw this Asian guy, probably Japanese, on Waikiki Beach wearing a shirt that obviously was not right. No Justice, No Peas. Did he mean peace? Or did he really mean peas. I know some people really like peas but I couldn't equate justice and peas, especially since there was no culinary reference on the shirt, front or back. This guy really liked this shirt as the phrase was on both front and back. I couldn't understand.

After looking at the image for a second, I noticed the family also has a bag that says I (symbol of a heart) Hysteric. I don't think that makes much sense either.

I have to say, many Asians should have enough sense to spell simple English words, especially since everyone has the internet these days. Yukako argued the shirt must have a dual meaning referencing something in Japan that the ignorant viewer won't get. She didn't get it, hence she's...well I shouldn't say...as I am as too. She also said that peas phonetically sounds like peace.

Think about all those idiots around town who have tattoos of Chinese characters or Hindi symbols all over their bodies.

Check out http://www.hanzismatter.com/

Its a site about bad Chinese tattoos. The first post from April 4th made me fall off my chair...some chic wanted a tattoo that said Bitch in Chinese but the real translation is cheap whore. Isn't that almost the same?

Either way, I should have told the guy his shirt was wrong...then again he might feel compelled to tell that dumb American with the cheap whore tattoo that she got it all wrong. At least he can throw the shirt away.

Peas out!

1 comment:

Ros said...

Gotta love it..