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40 Times T-Shirt Designs Had Such Hilarious English Phrases, The Designer Definitely Got “Lost In Translation” (New Pics)
Sure, English can be a tough language to learn, and everyone makes dumb mistakes from time to time. That being said, some errors are so hilariously bad that they deserve some time in the spotlight. And if you’re a counterfeit goods seller, you might get roasted a bit.
The ‘Poorly Translated Shirts’ social media project features the most ridiculous and funny translation fails, as found on knockoff clothing. We’ve collected some of the most facepalm-worthy errors to bring a bit of humor to your day. Keep scrolling for a good laugh and to feel better about any style or grammar mistakes you’ve made in the past.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Multa Nocte 1 week ago
I don't know why this made me laugh so much. Thanks!
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RELATED:
#2
#3
Tucker Cahooter 1 week ago
Why go to effort of producing something long winded like that and make a complete hash of it?
Mike L 1 week ago (edited)
5 years in China mate. What happens is a company asks an employee, "did you take English in Uni?" "Yes, of course". OK, they get the job. Chinese will lie to prevent Loss of Face.
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Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago (edited)
Few people who are egoing and consistently awry disappoint me when they're a-going... 😅
Michael Largey 1 week ago
Although "walk awary" has a certain unintentional poetic power.
Load More Replies...According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global value of trade in fake goods is “staggering.”
It is a massive, persistent issue.
Back in 2021 alone, counterfeit and pirated goods accounted for a jaw-dropping $467 billion worldwide. This was equal to 2.3% of all global imports.
#4
Multa Nocte 1 week ago
Yeah, just watch QI to learn how many moons there are.
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More Information 1 week ago
Hear me out. Wannabe-profound middle schooler me would've tried coming up with this quote to write on my binder. 15 years changes many things; I now open the window instead of the door, windows open up to the outside world instead of a smaller room.
Major Harris 1 week ago
"I'm a man that will go far Fly the moon and reach for the stars With my sword and head held high Got to pass the test first time, yeah I know that people talk about me, I hear it every day But I can prove them wrong 'cause I'm right first time..... queen, "princes of the universe"
#5
highwaycrossingfrog 1 week ago
The word "stegosaurus" translates from Greek origin as "roof lizard"
Roxy222uk 1 week ago
Yup. ‘Stegos’ means roof. I’m guessing because the spine plates resemble roof tiles.
Cougar Allen 1 week ago
It doesn't mean the roof of a building — they didn't have buildings then. It means the roof of your mouth, as in the old riddle: What do you get when you cross a stegosaurus with a jar of peanut butter? Answer: A stegosaurus that sticks to the roof of your mouth.
#6
UnclePanda 1 week ago
A stitched version of "Coulda, woulda, should have."
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The OECD reports that fake items go beyond just luxury goods and affect all manner of goods. Some of the most common categories of counterfeit goods include things like clothing, shoes, perfumes, spare parts, pesticides, food items, and semiconductors.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly vulnerable to counterfeiting because they lack the resources of larger companies to enforce their intellectual property rights.
#7
Barbara Ryan 5 days ago
Worms are awesome and amazing fish finders. if you put one on a hook shaped item and twist a worm around it, toss it into the water that you've seen fish in and wait until a fish tries to eat the worn. Voila Dinner for you.
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#8
Michael Largey 1 week ago (edited)
"farget" - what you do with something so far back in your memory that it's hard to get a hold of it. (In honor of Rich Hall's sniglets.)
Bill Swallow 1 week ago
Now, there's a name I've not heard in a long time. A *very* long time...
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#9
Remi (He/Him) 1 week ago
wind blowa under theary. Words to live by. Btw the fuwafuwa might suppose to be fluffy, but with this amount of nonsense, who knows
Teutonic Disaster 1 week ago
So I googled Rilakkuma, thinking this sounds like it could be the name of a small Finnish town (random, I know, but just... look at the shirt), but it's actually the bear (?) in the bottom right cartoon. It also sports a somewhat concerning resemblance to pedobear.
Emilu 6 days ago
Yeah, he's the bear in the corner. I... never thought of that comparison, but I don't think I'll be able to unsee it now, so thanks for that 😂
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According to the OECD, 62% of all seized counterfeit goods in the 2020-2021 period included clothing, footwear, and leather goods. These categories are the most popular choices for faking.
However, counterfeiters are also expanding into new, potentially hazardous sectors, such as making medicines, toys, food, cosmetics, and automotive parts. They pose serious risks to people’s health and safety.
#11
Tucker Cahooter 1 week ago
That's okay, the person buying it is free to complete it to reflect their ambition (or lack thereof)
Learner Panda 5 days ago
This is actually cool in the sense that one day this bag will be recycled and will become something else, it just hasn't decided yet.
#12
“Trade routes for counterfeit goods are shifting, as criminal networks adopt new tactics to stay ahead of enforcement. Counterfeiters increasingly rely on international waterways and ‘localisation’ strategies—shipping unassembled components or packaging to produce fake goods closer to end markets, making detection more difficult,” the OECD explains.
“They also respond swiftly to consumer demand, producing fake versions of trending products, advertising online, and exploiting less scrutinised distribution channels. In 2020-21, around 65% of seizures involved small parcels and mail, highlighting a clear shift toward fast, low-risk shipping methods that challenge traditional enforcement tools.”
#13
More Information 1 week ago
"Not letting past hurts or setback define your path" - background lettering
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#15
Teutonic Disaster 1 week ago
I mean, they're not wrong. Also, they're grammatically correct for a change.
Knockoff goods are, unfortunately, far more widespread than you might think. As reported by Statista, a whopping two-fifths of American consumers may have purchased counterfeit luxury items before, whether intentionally or otherwise.
A similar number may have bought knockoff goods in the United Kingdom, while in Germany, the number may be as big as 50%.
#16
Teutonic Disaster 1 week ago
Preferably straight outta the oven, served with potatoes and gravy.
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Emilu 1 week ago
Exactly! There's a yearly flu vaccination for a reason! 😆
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#18
Doug Moyer 4 days ago
There are several "chocolate" dog treats that are made with carob.
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Many consumers aren’t very open about buying luxury counterfeit items, and are likely to want to avoid the topic altogether. That being said, attitudes toward these items might be changing.
“Fakes, counterfeit products, or knock-offs are shedding their previously undesirable image and are making a comeback as highly sought-after dupes,” Statista states.
As per Statista, around two-thirds of Americans who know what dupes (duplicates) are have bought them before. In a nutshell, dupes and knockoffs are essentially the same. They’re copies of popular branded or luxury products that you can buy much cheaper. The main difference is that often, dupes are legal products. They don’t copy brand names or logos. However, not everything is above being shady here.
#19
Michael Largey 1 week ago
If you want pineapple on your pizza and you get it, you're pineappie.
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#20
Rosecrucian Roeth 1 week ago
I tried that once.....................passed gas for a week after:)
#21
WindySwede 1 week ago
"even when the toilet paper it out, you can use this shirt and no one will know"
The issue is that many dupes can infringe upon intellectual property. They might be “breaking the rules if they copy a unique design too closely. The same is true about marketing something specifically as a dupe,” Statista explains.
Based on the findings by Statista Consumer Insights, of the American consumers who had said they’d purchased dupes, 28% admitted that they bought apparel.
#22
Jeff Anderson 6 days ago
Why would you want to get used to being disrespected? That's clearly what it meant to say.
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Andrew Keir 6 days ago (edited)
Well, most people tend to stop about then , although their skeletons keep right on grinning
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Furthermore, 27% of US respondents who admitted to buying dupes said they bought handbags, 26% bought footwear, 23% bought fragrances, 21% bought skincare products and accessories, and 19% bought color cosmetics. However, a whopping 34% of dupe-buyers said they purchased items that were none of these categories.
#25
#26
Andrew Keir 6 days ago
I thought "can'teloupe" was when she wouldn't run away with you?
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Rosecrucian Roeth 1 week ago
I am I said....I am said I; and no one heard at all, not even a sigh!
highwaycrossingfrog 1 week ago (edited)
It's just the lyrics from The Greatest Showman song This Is Me (with an extra D at the end of brave)
The ‘Poorly Translated Shirts’ Instagram account has been up and running since 2020 and, at the time of writing, has 19.6K followers.
Meanwhile, the creator of the project has been amusing internet users on X (formerly Twitter) since 2022, proudly wearing the tagline “lost in translation, found across the world.” Currently, 156.4k people follow the account on the social network.
#28
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago (edited)
I know what I want. 🎼 I want it all, and I want it now! 🎶
#29
#30
We’d like to hear your thoughts about these counterfeit disasters, Pandas. Which of these translation fails made you laugh the most? Which ones were so bad that they even made you cringe?
Which ones do you think would make your former English teachers facepalm the hardest, and why? Share your opinions with us in the comments at the bottom of this list.
#31
#32
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago (edited)
Like the prediction that this will end up on a t-shirt instead of a button shirt?
#33
Andrew Keir 6 days ago
= Malicious compliance, if you imagine quotation marks before "all" and after "rules" ?
#34
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#37
Emilu 6 days ago
And then enter Resident Evil-style "You are dead." end-game screen 😂
Load More Replies... Mike L 1 week ago
Your post reminded me. In Honolulu I assisted at an outreach event. Food bags, clothing, and Famous Amous was there! He gave out bags of his cookies. Super nice guy.
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Emilu 1 week ago
"Truffles. Ingredients: Truffles - 99%, bullshit - 1%. Warning - may contain truffles."
Mau 1 week ago
You've been to generous, usually it's like 1% truffles and 99% cardboard...
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#39
#40
#41
#42
#43
#44
#45
#46
#47
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago
Tell me you scraped this off someone's website without telling me you scraped it off someone's website
#48
Mike L 1 week ago (edited)
I've taught ESL, IELTS, TOEFL for over 15 years in China, The Philippines and later Vietnam. The Korean language schools buy six or so copies of original books. then they send them to a book printer that disassembles them, scans them for a digital version, then mass produce pirated copies. Many times the pages are out of order. Also, even the work from the original books are 15% to 25% incorrect
#50
Rick Murray 1 week ago
*This* bear did a special morning shift, got up at half three to be at work for five (my normal start time is four hours later...). *This* bear is only "bearly" staying awake until the car has finished charging, then to hell with it, I'm going into standby mode for a while.
#51
Roxy222uk 1 week ago
The news that all AI can do is produce derivative ideas. It cannot, by its nature, be creative. Only humans can come up with something truly creative.
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#52
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#57
Lotekguy 1 week ago
If so, it's not only true, but a goal. Old age is mandatory; maturity is optional.
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Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago
How can you have unexpected surprises when everything can be expected? Enquiring minds want to know!
#59
Rali Meyer 1 week ago
it almost translates into: Money cuts everything even a good relationship
#60
Lotekguy 1 week ago
Just different enough to avoid being sued for copyright infringement.
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#62
#63
#64
#66
#67
Lotekguy 1 week ago
Maybe it was Giggle Translate - a search engine that finds the humorous side of any issue. BP jealously doesn't want us to have more fun elsewhere.
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#68
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago
Absolutely! I'm not certain about the skating dinosaur, but whatever...
#69
#70
Rick Murray 1 week ago
So very close to being an introvert shirt: Somebody smiled at me, thank you but aaaargh! 😂
#73
Rick Murray 1 week ago
The here of my garden 🌼 is where I like to read, unless it is too hot/bright/sunny there the over there of my garden 🌳 is better.
#74
#80
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What do you think ?
Peripheral Visionary 1 week ago
I wonder if they are laughing at all the bad chinese and japanese tattoos people have in the west
UnclePanda 1 week ago
"I don't have original thoughts, so I wear slogan t-shirts." ~ spotted in the wild
David Paterson 1 week ago
I would much prefer to wear clothing with these on than the usual. For I am imp erfet.
nottheactualphoto 5 days ago
The T-shirt writers' English is still far better than my [Japanese | Korean | Chinese].
Peripheral Visionary 1 week ago
I wonder if they are laughing at all the bad chinese and japanese tattoos people have in the west
UnclePanda 1 week ago
"I don't have original thoughts, so I wear slogan t-shirts." ~ spotted in the wild
David Paterson 1 week ago
I would much prefer to wear clothing with these on than the usual. For I am imp erfet.
nottheactualphoto 5 days ago
The T-shirt writers' English is still far better than my [Japanese | Korean | Chinese].
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