Photograph: New York, New York…

Read Full Post »

Communications Gone Awry

One reason the Military Services have trouble operating jointly is that they don’t speak the same language. For example, if you told Navy personnel to “secure a building,” they would turn off the lights and lock the doors. The Army would occupy the building so no one could enter. Marines would assault the building, capture it, and defend it with suppressive fire and close combat. The Air Force, on the other hand, would take out a three-year lease with an option to buy.

No wonder it’s very difficult to win a war.  Good Day!

Read Full Post »

English Translation Problems

The English language is difficult enough for those who learned it as a native language.  In the hands of an inexperienced practitioner, it can produce truly risible results.

Products manufactured in Asia often include instructions in somewhat fractured English.  The following are the instructions enclosed with the movelty toy, “Tongue of Frog” manufactured in Taiwan.  This is an authentic story.

“Frog.  If it is thrown with full of your strength, it will spit out the tounge, which is like the genuine one from the frog.”

INSTRUCTIONS FOR TOUNGE OF FROG

• A product has the stickness and is jut like a soft rubberband with high contractility.  It can be played to stick the remote objects.
• Inspite of it is sticky, it is never like the chewing guns which is glued tightly and cannot be separated.
• The packing paper has printed the bug picture, which can be cut as per the black frame and placed on the table; then you can stick the picture with your tounge of frog.
• The key point for throwing far away is the same as the throwing of fish rod, i.e. to throw out slowly with full of your strength.  Separate it with two hands, then release one hand, throw it with full of your strength.
• No matter what you make a round ball, it will recover the original shape.

CAUTIONS:

• Never throw out the other person’s head.
• Keep away from fire.
• Inspite of it is non-toxic, it cannot be eaten.
• Never pull out tounge of frog hard, as it might be separated.
• Its content has the oil, so if it touches on cloth, precious object or wall, the stains will remain if you don’t care about it.
• Never put on surface of any object, shall keep in polybag.

As you can see, it’s not easy to understand the English language that has been translated in other countries. They might think it’s English, but not your kind of English.  Can you imagine the English that is spoken in countries like China or Russia which is not properly monitored by a professional English teacher?

I think the same happened with American English and British English.  They are not exactly the same and it could lead to some confusing situations.  Good day.

Source:  Tounge of Frog – Snopes.com

Read Full Post »