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Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad
In today's world no self-respecting English-language enthusiast could have failed to notice the frequent and flagrant abuse of our native tongue by pesky foreigners? (Forgetting, for a moment, the fact that many nations speak our language better than we do.) Lost in Translation features hundreds of genuine, original and utterly ridiculous examples of the misadventures in English discovered all over the world by the author and his intrepid team of researchers. Everything from hotel signs to baffling advertisements, such as the German beauty product offering a 'Cream shower for pretentious skin' or the Japanese bar that boasts 'Special cocktails for ladies with nuts', or the French warning at a swimming pool - 'Swimming is forbidden in the absence of the saviour.' Published in paperback for the first time this autumn, Lost in Translation demonstrates how widely the English language has travelled, though unfortunately some of it seems to have got a bit scrambled en route.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 11, 2020
(3.5) This has had us in tears of laughter. It’s about how English is misused abroad, e.g. on signs, instructions and marketing on packages. China and Japan are the worst repeat offenders, but there are hilarious examples from all around the world. Croker has divided the book into thematic chapters, so the weird translated phrases and downright gobbledygook are grouped around topics like food, hotels and medical advice. A lot of times you can see why the mistakes came about, through the choice of almost-but-not-quite-right synonyms or the literal interpretation of a saying, but sometimes the mind just boggles. Two of my favorites were (in an Austrian hotel) “Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension” and (on a menu in Macao) “Utmost of chicken fried in bother.”
July 12, 2022
Please note that because Charlie Croker's Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad is ABSOLUTELY THE SAME with regard to the presented and featured "bad translation" examples as his Screwed Up English: Twisted Translations of the English Language from Around the World, I am simply going to be using one review (but of course with the corresponding titles and with Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad being a bit shorter) for both books (for heck, if Charlie Croker can be lazy, so can I). And no, I will also not likely ever going to bother with either Croker's Still Lost In Translation or his Utterly Lost in Translation: Even More Misadventures in English Abroad either, as I am seriously thinking that there will not likely be anything even remotely original or interesting presented in Still Lost In Translation and in Utterly Lost in Translation: Even More Misadventures in English Abroad, but just re-hashings of Charlier Croker's prior tomes.
Charlie Croker's Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad most definitely starts out as being majorly fun and entertaining. And yes, I certainly was (and remain) laughing and often even rather loudly snorting at the oh so many strange and ridiculous translations of the English language from around the world I have encountered in Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad, but with me furthermore also very much appreciating that Croker has equally (even if not as all encompassingly) included examples from the United Kingdom and the USA, that Charlie Croker clearly shows in Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad that those of us who speak English as our first language (our so called mother tongue) still and also have the tendency to mangle English and to say and write ads, warnings, texts that can only be considered as being at best bloopers. And indeed, this fact in my humble opinion totally and thankfully renders Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad (and of course also Charlie Croker himself) as being much more inclusive than similar translation-themed tomes which basically often only seem to focus on "foreigners" horribly translating their languages into English and thus always for and to me feel even when I am finding the presented examples amusing and engaging denigrating and insulting).
But even though the examples provided by Charlie Croker are funny and often really massively so, the fact that Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad basically provides just lists, lists and more lists of weird and screwy translation examples and nothing more than that, this does (at least for me) get a bit tedious and dragging. And while I read the first fifty odd pages of Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad in about half an hour, for the rest of Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad I was finding the similarity of the examples (everything being same old same old) often totally boring and as such not all that much a reading pleasure.
Charlie Croker's Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad most definitely starts out as being majorly fun and entertaining. And yes, I certainly was (and remain) laughing and often even rather loudly snorting at the oh so many strange and ridiculous translations of the English language from around the world I have encountered in Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad, but with me furthermore also very much appreciating that Croker has equally (even if not as all encompassingly) included examples from the United Kingdom and the USA, that Charlie Croker clearly shows in Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad that those of us who speak English as our first language (our so called mother tongue) still and also have the tendency to mangle English and to say and write ads, warnings, texts that can only be considered as being at best bloopers. And indeed, this fact in my humble opinion totally and thankfully renders Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad (and of course also Charlie Croker himself) as being much more inclusive than similar translation-themed tomes which basically often only seem to focus on "foreigners" horribly translating their languages into English and thus always for and to me feel even when I am finding the presented examples amusing and engaging denigrating and insulting).
But even though the examples provided by Charlie Croker are funny and often really massively so, the fact that Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad basically provides just lists, lists and more lists of weird and screwy translation examples and nothing more than that, this does (at least for me) get a bit tedious and dragging. And while I read the first fifty odd pages of Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad in about half an hour, for the rest of Lost In Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad I was finding the similarity of the examples (everything being same old same old) often totally boring and as such not all that much a reading pleasure.
December 3, 2010
I started reading this book just as my husband fell asleep beside me.
He was not amused when I woke him up with my giggles which quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter. I was given the book by one of my Japanese EFL students who had found it funny and was proud that his English was such that he could correct the errors. As a native English speaker who has attempted to learn Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Japanese with varying degrees of success, which included making gaffes not unlike those in this book, I found it light-hearted and thoroughly amusing. I hope there are foreign language versions of our attempts at foreign languages. Laughter is the best medicine.
So read it and laugh!
He was not amused when I woke him up with my giggles which quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter. I was given the book by one of my Japanese EFL students who had found it funny and was proud that his English was such that he could correct the errors. As a native English speaker who has attempted to learn Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Japanese with varying degrees of success, which included making gaffes not unlike those in this book, I found it light-hearted and thoroughly amusing. I hope there are foreign language versions of our attempts at foreign languages. Laughter is the best medicine.
So read it and laugh!
March 23, 2019
Lost in Translation is a collection of English mistakes culled from signages, travel brochures, and product labels as seen by Charlie Croker from his many travels across the globe.
I had a few laughs initially but it got boring after a few pages. It's a book not to be taken seriously. Read it then forget about it. If I want to read something similar I only have to walk out my house and read pirated DVD labels. I don't have to buy one either.
I had a few laughs initially but it got boring after a few pages. It's a book not to be taken seriously. Read it then forget about it. If I want to read something similar I only have to walk out my house and read pirated DVD labels. I don't have to buy one either.
January 4, 2012
This book was an amusing enough read but not nearly as funny or hilarious as the reviews said it was. What really bothered me is that the book contains quite a few inaccuracies (there's no such city as Algericas in Spain, it's Algeciras), translation mistakes of its own ("pâté de maison in France", I don't think so!) and that some of the supposedly "hilarious" translations are only funny if you're ignorant of the culture & uses of the concerned country (the fact that no children are allowed in maternity wards in Kenya -it's the same in France- isn't funny at all, it's to prevent the spreading of bacteria, viruses, etc to newborn babies). It's quite ironic that a book written to make fun of others' mistakes can boast quite a few mistakes of its own...
September 15, 2019
travel brochure:
If we are lucky we will see duck boys home, men massaging their cocks on the road, cow boys taking grass. Yes it is a wonderful experience. :)
and then there is this, which i love. it's so beautiful and lyrical and one hopes that they really meant it to sound that way,
Chinese sign:
Little grass is smiling slightly, please walk on the pavement.
If we are lucky we will see duck boys home, men massaging their cocks on the road, cow boys taking grass. Yes it is a wonderful experience. :)
and then there is this, which i love. it's so beautiful and lyrical and one hopes that they really meant it to sound that way,
Chinese sign:
Little grass is smiling slightly, please walk on the pavement.
January 4, 2021
It made me laugh tears at times and made for a great hour of reading, but it's not without its faults.
June 14, 2018
I mean it was fine. But this sort of book kinda seems obsolete now we have social media, the mistranslations are just the sort of thing that you really only want to read a couple of at a time.
That being said, here are some favourites:
"Do not bring spillables [...] like chicken soup and dust"
"plug the phone jack into the wall. If the phone rings, pick it up and greet the person on the other end by saying "Hello!" or another such greeting. Once completing your conversation, hang up the phone."
"Notice:
Ramganga River is inhabited by crocodiles.
Swimming is prohibited.
Survivors will be prosecuted."
and
"Reception Centre for the Unorganised Tourists"
That being said, here are some favourites:
"Do not bring spillables [...] like chicken soup and dust"
"plug the phone jack into the wall. If the phone rings, pick it up and greet the person on the other end by saying "Hello!" or another such greeting. Once completing your conversation, hang up the phone."
"Notice:
Ramganga River is inhabited by crocodiles.
Swimming is prohibited.
Survivors will be prosecuted."
and
"Reception Centre for the Unorganised Tourists"
October 28, 2016
Hilarious. This book is a light-read that shows readers the importance of language, terminology and the common mistake of doing literal translations from one language to the other. I don't think it means to offend the people of the country for this mistakes. If I saw signs like these in my own language, I would cry laughing too!
A fun, relaxing read for anyone that had a bad day!
A fun, relaxing read for anyone that had a bad day!
September 1, 2021
Amused as we re by other nations' fumblings with our language, we should never forget their English is indefinitely better than our Thai/Polish/Vietnamese. Indeed, sometimes it's better than our English. — Charlie Croker
Oh wow, this book is just kinda insulting. Or stupid I'm not entirely sure which. Cards on the table I borrowed this from the library unseen and it's not what I was looking for. But that does not forgive ignorance. It may be my Australian upbringing or the time I've spent in fandom around people who speak English as a 3rd or 4th language but most of these were at best nit-picking some were saying exactly what they wanted to, needed to. Because they aren't aimed at the everyday traveller they are aimed at professionals. My favourite in the whole book just feels so Australian it made me laugh.
Indian National ParkAnd I'm sorry that is just objectively funny and makes a point. Swim with the crocodiles you get what you deserve and if they don't get you, we will. My Australian self loves this shit and we purposefully write signs like this. A whole lot of the others were easily understandable, in context I doubt people would see some of them. Words like auto are standard in German culture for car. There are some disclaimers in the introductions but I only continued reading this to see how frustrated it could make me (it is a very short book), the answer very. Don't get me wrong I understand the concept and I don't have that but I don't like the willful ignorance and the willful misinterpretation of culture in the submissions. Just because you wouldn't write it like that doesn't mean it isn't still good English.
NOTICE:
Ramganga River is inhabited by crocodiles.
Swimming is prohibited.
Survivors will be prosecuted
I apologise to anyone who does like this book. I cannot say enough how much I wish I hadn't read this. But I know people who would really enjoy it, particularly those who travel a lot who have seen these in the wild. I would not recommend it to people who've spent time learning cultural tolerance and empathy, you will likely get as frustrated as I did.
A representative gif:
June 15, 2018
I read this whilst sat waiting for a flight so it felt like a very appropriate book!
It was a bit of a mixed bag really. Some were so funny I found myself laughing out loud and getting some very funny looks off people. Others weren't that funny.
I didn't think the cartoons added anything and I would have preferred it had the book been pictures of the signs, rather than just a written description. I'm also not sure whether this book is relevant anymore since we can find this kind of thing easily on the internet now.
A funny book but not one I'd look at again.
It was a bit of a mixed bag really. Some were so funny I found myself laughing out loud and getting some very funny looks off people. Others weren't that funny.
I didn't think the cartoons added anything and I would have preferred it had the book been pictures of the signs, rather than just a written description. I'm also not sure whether this book is relevant anymore since we can find this kind of thing easily on the internet now.
A funny book but not one I'd look at again.
January 12, 2020
"Traduttore traditore", ma qui non si tratta di tradimenti. Qui, oltre alla grammatica, si ignorano anche gli usi, i costumi, le situazioni, il contesto, la cultura. Il libro contiene una lunga lista di frasi ad effetto rintracciate dall'autore in tutto il mondo. Un libretto utile anche per gli insegnanti di inglese che credono di sapere questa lingua ma ne sanno ben poco ...
April 8, 2018
Funny!
Nairobi, Kenya:
Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager.
Chinese sign:
Little grass is smiling slightly,
please walk on the pavement.
June 2, 2018
"Kyltti vuokra-autossa Tokiossa, Japanissa: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor."
Niitä harvoja kertoja, kun toisten mokille on ihan ok nauraa vedet silmissä.
Niitä harvoja kertoja, kun toisten mokille on ihan ok nauraa vedet silmissä.
May 23, 2019
2.5-3 stars.
How are you supposed to rate such a book ? It's exactly what it's supposed to be; a book about weird, funny translations found all around the world.
Although, I didn't laugh, some were worth a smile I guess.
How are you supposed to rate such a book ? It's exactly what it's supposed to be; a book about weird, funny translations found all around the world.
Although, I didn't laugh, some were worth a smile I guess.
July 8, 2020
More like: "Always hire native speakers - a cautionary tale", lol.
This is a fun book for wordnerds, because not only are the entries entertaining in themselves, there's also the fun of trying to work out exactly what WAS meant...and where and how things went wrong. Will def dip into this again.
This is a fun book for wordnerds, because not only are the entries entertaining in themselves, there's also the fun of trying to work out exactly what WAS meant...and where and how things went wrong. Will def dip into this again.
August 4, 2020
A book of English language errors made by people whose first language isn't English. It made me appreciate the fact that the writers had some English, and that many people who speak English as a first language have no other language at all.
February 6, 2021
A collection of funny translation errors from around the world - hard to give a rating really as it’s not the author’s skill in writing, it’s a collection of other people’s mistakes... but I did enjoy it.
May 1, 2019
Funny, but not ha-ha funny
February 14, 2021
Inappropriate. Hee hee.
March 30, 2021
Flawed, but amusing.
May 5, 2021
The title says it all! This book is laugh-out-loud hilarious! Here's a quote from the book as an example: Thailand (offering donkey rides) Would you like to ride on your own ass?
June 17, 2022
LOL, the funniest 176 pages for an Audiobook on CD!!!!!!!!!!! From 2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So!!!!!!!!!! Fucking!!!!!! Magical!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2022
A great book for the loo, full of bizarre usages of English from around the world.
September 7, 2022
very funny but it gets boring after a while
February 21, 2024
Funny and interesting.
February 23, 2024
Väga naljakas lugemine.
April 24, 2024
It made me chuckle, but that's it.
October 23, 2015
One of my friends gave me this book. A few years ago, another friend gave me a similar book that collected strange Japanese in foreign countries. These books are good for me to know some mistakes and errors that non-native speakers tend to make. But honestly, I didn't like both this one and the Japanese one.
When I find strange Japanese sentence abroad, yea, I laugh and sometimes take a picture of it. But I understand that someone who made the sentence tried to tell something to us in our language. So I respect their effort.
So I feel the writers of these books make fool of ones who made wrong sentences in a foreign language.
Besides, some sentences might make sense if you know the culture of the country. I mean they are actually not wrong English.
For example, "Please do not bathe outside the bathtub." (Sri Lanka)
I'm not familiar with Sri Lanka, but this sentence makes sense in Japan. We have a space to wash your body outside of a bathtub in a bathroom. Perhaps, Sri Lankan bathrooms are like ours. I'm not sure about it, but I wonder if the writer searched such things.
In addition, I think this book is worse than the Japanese one I've read. The Japanese one show us the picture of the signs, ads etc. with a strange Japanese sentence, and the writer added captions under the pictures. But Charlie Croker just typed the sentences. It looks lazy. The Japanese one put captions to make the sentences funnier, and the pictures let us know they really exist(ed) so I could feel the writer's effort.
When I find strange Japanese sentence abroad, yea, I laugh and sometimes take a picture of it. But I understand that someone who made the sentence tried to tell something to us in our language. So I respect their effort.
So I feel the writers of these books make fool of ones who made wrong sentences in a foreign language.
Besides, some sentences might make sense if you know the culture of the country. I mean they are actually not wrong English.
For example, "Please do not bathe outside the bathtub." (Sri Lanka)
I'm not familiar with Sri Lanka, but this sentence makes sense in Japan. We have a space to wash your body outside of a bathtub in a bathroom. Perhaps, Sri Lankan bathrooms are like ours. I'm not sure about it, but I wonder if the writer searched such things.
In addition, I think this book is worse than the Japanese one I've read. The Japanese one show us the picture of the signs, ads etc. with a strange Japanese sentence, and the writer added captions under the pictures. But Charlie Croker just typed the sentences. It looks lazy. The Japanese one put captions to make the sentences funnier, and the pictures let us know they really exist(ed) so I could feel the writer's effort.
April 8, 2012
A fun read with the title most apt - overseas countries translate our English into all sorts of rubbish - but I wonder if we could do any better in, say, Swedish, Portuguese, Chinese etc? Well at least we would make every effort to get it right, unlike many of the examples in this enjoyable book.
At least a Chennai, India, newspaper does itself proud with its announcement 'Our editors are colleged and write like the Kipling and the Dickens', unlike the CV mishap which stated 'I am a rabid typist'! And the person applying for a job who stated 'The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers.' Oh, yes!
Who would want to be offered a donkey ride in Thailand - 'Would you like to ride on your own ass?'! And don't expect a quick laundry service in Indonesia as the notice reads 'Someday laundry service'.
Do be cafeful of drinking the water in Mexico as 'The manager has personally passed all the water served here' - oh, no! And if a new occupation is wanted in Paris, this is the shop to go to 'Dresses for street walking'!
There are plenty more fun mis-translations but one in a London restaurant reads 'Open 24 hours except 2am to 8am' ... so we can get it wrong as well!
At least a Chennai, India, newspaper does itself proud with its announcement 'Our editors are colleged and write like the Kipling and the Dickens', unlike the CV mishap which stated 'I am a rabid typist'! And the person applying for a job who stated 'The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers.' Oh, yes!
Who would want to be offered a donkey ride in Thailand - 'Would you like to ride on your own ass?'! And don't expect a quick laundry service in Indonesia as the notice reads 'Someday laundry service'.
Do be cafeful of drinking the water in Mexico as 'The manager has personally passed all the water served here' - oh, no! And if a new occupation is wanted in Paris, this is the shop to go to 'Dresses for street walking'!
There are plenty more fun mis-translations but one in a London restaurant reads 'Open 24 hours except 2am to 8am' ... so we can get it wrong as well!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews