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As anybody who's been to Japan (or anybody who frequently visits Bored Panda) will know, there's no shortage of things to do in the Land of the Rising Sun. We're not just talking about eating, cosplaying, and visiting awesome temples, either. We're talking about perusing the clothes stores in search of funny t-shirts with the best (or more like worst) examples of English turned Engrish via comically bad translations. Hunting for translation fails is precisely what somebody who goes by the name of critcrawl did recently. As you can see from these hilariously funny translations, they weren't disappointed with the results! Dainty Protagonist has to be our favorite - a t-shirt slogan that truly hits home. Which of these t-shirt fails do you sympathize the most with? Let us know in the comments!
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#1
Captain Planet 8 years ago
Hahaha I want this shirt and wear it to all the birthday's I go. XD
Agustina Gobbi 8 years ago
I dont get It, would anyone explain It please? I mean what would be the original phrase or meaning?
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#2
FullSpectrum Survivalist 8 years ago
NEW YORK isn't a town, and you people can't find anything wrong with it.
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#3
Jana Spreemann 8 years ago
Okay, I have to ask now, because I see your comments EVERYWHERERE: Do you get paid for this?
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Kelly Johnson 8 years ago
That's it. Now I'm never going to get a tattoo written in a different language especially with different characters!
#4
rick hctep (Rick45) 8 years ago
This would suite most americans as they are all getting round and flabby.
#6
Bobby Tucker 8 years ago
I was looking forward to a little something else.
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#7
Lynne Darroch 8 years ago
Fun fact: a ppotagonist is a rare sub-species of sub-Saharan hippo. (Please don't fact check this...)
#9
Yuki Rhinehart 8 years ago
"May the bridges I burn light the way. " From Dylan to Brandon on Beverly Hills 90210. Would have been cool had they got it right.
Judy Semmens 8 years ago
Thank you. I was about to get a headache trying to guess it.
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Janet Martin 8 years ago
Light the way. Very cool saying!!! Makes one feel so much better about being a jerk.
#10
Joseph Eriksson 8 years ago
Like "Molly Block" makes any more sense... ;)
Load More Replies... Mako San 8 years ago
My favorite shirt from Japan (that I bought as soon as I laid eyes on it) says: People in the NEWS! My best friend He's their pet He's not a pain in the trunk!
Bonnie Nicholson 8 years ago
GUESS I MISSED THE BOAT - DIDN'T UNDERSTAND A SINGLE ONE OF THEM???
Monika Przymuszala 8 years ago
'Should we come up with a decent design? Nah, just print out the example, it'll be fine' lol
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
Surely they meant "Major Transport with the Aid of Other Delivery"? Hell; everyone knows that!
If you've ever been amused by the charming quirks of translation, you'll definitely appreciate exploring the topic further. One aspect that stands out is the often unintentional humor found in public signage.
For an even bigger laugh, check out some hilarious public sign translations that showcase the whimsical outcomes of language barriers.
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What do you think ?
Mark Smallman 8 years ago
It does make you wonder if anything you own with Japanese written on it is spelt correctly and whether or not it says something like "This person is an idiot for wearing this!"
Emily Baysinger 8 years ago
Well we kind of deserve it... However many youngsters do you see with tattoos of Chinese or Japanese or whatever Asian symbols who think they know what it says but it's actually not at all what it says and is usually something very obscure, making anyone who speaks the language be like, "uuh, what?" lol
John Ashley 8 years ago
I have the impression that many of these are are probably poor (computer) translations of what might be witty Japanese expressions.
Jari Majander 8 years ago
Not necessarily poor translations, but these sentences simply sound good for the Japanese. They do not care so much about the actual meaning.
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Master Markus 8 years ago
I think my favourite Engrish shirt is "Grandpa F****n Spaceshuttle" (http://adult.engrish.com/2006/11/18/grandpa-rules/)
로희 8 years ago
Everytime I see articles like this one, I wonder if Japanese or Chinese or other non-alphabetic languages nationals do the same thing; take pictures of badly translated tattoos written in their languages and post them onto social media.
Marysia Jawłowska 8 years ago
Well, one has to be consistent not to be a hypocrite. If you agree that taking some random tidbits of foreign culture without understanding what they are just to make something seem cool is fine, you have to deal with a fact that the same will happen to your culture. If it's not a big deal for you, it's not a big deal for others too.
Mark Smallman 8 years ago
It does make you wonder if anything you own with Japanese written on it is spelt correctly and whether or not it says something like "This person is an idiot for wearing this!"
Emily Baysinger 8 years ago
Well we kind of deserve it... However many youngsters do you see with tattoos of Chinese or Japanese or whatever Asian symbols who think they know what it says but it's actually not at all what it says and is usually something very obscure, making anyone who speaks the language be like, "uuh, what?" lol
John Ashley 8 years ago
I have the impression that many of these are are probably poor (computer) translations of what might be witty Japanese expressions.
Jari Majander 8 years ago
Not necessarily poor translations, but these sentences simply sound good for the Japanese. They do not care so much about the actual meaning.
Load More Replies... Master Markus 8 years ago
I think my favourite Engrish shirt is "Grandpa F****n Spaceshuttle" (http://adult.engrish.com/2006/11/18/grandpa-rules/)
로희 8 years ago
Everytime I see articles like this one, I wonder if Japanese or Chinese or other non-alphabetic languages nationals do the same thing; take pictures of badly translated tattoos written in their languages and post them onto social media.
Marysia Jawłowska 8 years ago
Well, one has to be consistent not to be a hypocrite. If you agree that taking some random tidbits of foreign culture without understanding what they are just to make something seem cool is fine, you have to deal with a fact that the same will happen to your culture. If it's not a big deal for you, it's not a big deal for others too.
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