Lost in Translation

One of the more amusing aspects about living in a foreign country in which English is scarcely spoken but widely used for marketing purposes is that I am in a unique position to make fun of the misuse of my native tongue. The average Korean wouldn't recognize a comb by the brand name of "The Cock" to be comical or perhaps even controversial, but for someone as immature as myself, the discovery of such interesting phrasal choices that aren't intended to be facetious is one of the primary reasons why I like living in Korea.



By far one of the most interesting moments of mistranslation that I have witnessed occurred a few weeks ago on a journey downtown. In downtown Daegu, there is a stage that acts as an axis point, connecting voracious shoppers to an number of potential streets on which to spend cash. It is at this centralized location that Koreans and foreigners alike habitually meet up with friends. For this reason, the stage acts as a multi-purpose venue for performing a number of different rallies, concerts, benefits, etc. On the particular day that Tim and I wandered downtown, we were halted at the stage by a rally that we assumed was promoting AIDS prevention, but to a native English speaker, it appeared to only be promoting AIDS distribution.



The "Free AIDS" slogan has a double meaning in English that certainly does not call for the termination of AIDS. On the one hand, "Free AIDS" could mean that it is being given away for no cost, in the same way that free samples of cheesecake are given away at Costco and free shipping is given to orders of over $200. (i.e. "Excuse me sir, would you like some free AIDS?") On the other hand, "Free AIDS" could also mean that it should be released and uncontained, in the same way that captive animals should be freed to their natural habitats or our imaginations should be freed from the stupidity of Stephanie Meyer's insults to literature. (i.e. The land of the free, and the home of the AIDS!)



If receiving free AIDS or spreading AIDS to the general public seemed a little rash, it was also an option to simply "Hug AIDS," which doesn't seem like the smartest idea, but it's still probably safer than freeing AIDS. I'm a little unsure what the creator of this sign was intending to communicate, but since it was an option at the rally to hug a few men in condom suits, I assume it meant "Embrace the prevention of AIDS."



While the English signs and slogans provide ample entertainment in Korea, the people of Korea themselves are like walking advertisements of hilarious English confusion. T-shirts bearing English expressions are extremely popular here in the same way that tattoos of Chinese or Japanese symbols are extremely popular back home. And in the same way that these tattoos often carry little meaning to the person who puts it on his or her body back home, the English t-shirts here typically register little meaning to the person who is wearing them. And that is precisely why it's so funny.

One day at work, my friend Hannah spotted one of her students wearing a t-shirt that said, "Olde English: 40 oz. of fun." For those of you unfamiliar with Olde English, it is a malt beverage sold in the U.S. that is consumed almost exclusively by minors and/or the homeless. It is typically not consumed by 12-year-old Korean children. Feeling a certain nostalgia for the glory days of late adolescence, Hannah purchased the shirt off the student's back for 20 bucks.

I, too, have witnessed some interesting apparel choices in my classroom. One tiny, smiley-faced girl routinely wears a t-shirt that says nothing more than "American Red Indian." It shocks me every time I see it, not only because of the racist connotations, but also because of the futility of the message. It's kind of like wearing a shirt that says "The Green Bananas," without offering any picture or further explanation. What about the green bananas?!?! Just yesterday, one of my brightest and most likeable students wore a dark gray t-shirt with bold white lettering that said, "Talentless but Connected." At home, people would wear this sort of shirt ironically, but 11-year-old Korean girls rarely have the same sense of humor as 20-year-old American frat boys. I didn't have the heart or simplified syntax to inform her that her shirt essentially claimed she was Paris Hilton. I am confident that if Amy knew she was offending a group of people, and if Yuri knew she was offending herself, neither of these girls would wear these shirts ever again. But if their enlightenment would detract from my own amusement, then I'd prefer they remain in the dark...

A few more misunderstandings...



Perhaps more hilarious to the British, as "bin" in the U.K. is the equivalent of "garbage can" in America. Probably not the preferred location where I'd like to get my spaghetti and wine...



It is truly amazing how simply altering one letter of one preposition in a phrase can so drastically change the meaning of the sentence. Notice the phallic connection between the elephant's trunk and...errr...nevermind...



I seriously don't understand how this could get misconstrued...