Sign Language （間違っている英語の看板） Archives - Page 10 of 44

No pets, and no “are”

No Pets (photo by Jenny Young)

X In the grass Pets not allowed

Tim says:

Pets do not go IN the grass, they go ON the grass. Much smaller creatures, like snakes or insects, would be found IN the grass.

The structure of the sentence is also a bit strange, and “Pets” shouldn’t be capitalized in the middle of a sentence. Of course “Pets are not allowed” would be more correct, but on a sign that gives instructions, we often skip simple words such as “is”, “are”, and “the”.

O Pets not allowed on grass

周囲にある英語を見て、果たしてそれが正しい英語なのだろうかと感じる英語はありますか？「あの英語は絶対に間違っている」という英語の表記はありますか？看板の写真を撮って、Machigai.comに送りましょう！とんでもない英語だったら、このコーナーで出します！

Please consult me about this sign

Consulting

X Consulting

Tim says:

When I see the word “consulting”, I think of a consultant who helps a business in some way, like a marketing consultant (マーケティング顧問).

In a department store, we usually call this counter the “Information counter”.

O Information

Not so flowery

Blooming Bloomy

X Super market

Tim says:

This

“Supermarket” is one word, not two.

But also… “Blooming Bloomy” is a very strange name for a supermarket. “Bloomy” is not a word. “Blooming”, of course, refers to what flowers do, but it is also sometimes used as a polite replacement for the word “bloody” as in “he’s a blooming idiot” (彼は大ばか者だ). So, this supermarket name is … blooming strange.

O Supermarket

It’s alive!!

Living Bar

X Living Bar

Tim says:

This sign makes me think that the bar is actually living… in other words, alive! Well, if nobody else is in the bar, at least you can have a conversation with the bar itself!

How can we correct this? I guess we need to change the bar’s name. How about this name, which means “enjoying ourselves”:

O Living it Up!

Which medicine do they have?

Drug/Daily Necessaries

X Drug/Daily Necessaries

Tim says:

Two things… I assume this shop sells many different drugs, not only one!

Also, things that you need are called “necessities”, not “necessaries”.

O Drugs/Daily Necessities

Everything is looking up

Point Up Day

X Point Up Day

Tim says:

Today is the day when we should point our fingers toward the sky, right? No? But… look at the picture! The thumb on that hand is… pointing up!

Of course, this sign was meant to refer to points (noun) that can be earned by shopping at this mall, not pointing (verb) up. You can get more points than usual if you shop there on Wednesdays. If it were twice as many points as usual, then it would be “Double Points Day”, but I was told that it’s not quite that big of an increase. So I guess the best English would be:

O Extra Points Day

Unhappy Joy

Joy Study

X Joy Study

Tim says:

Ah, yes. One of the most frustrating things for me, as a native-speaking English teacher, to see: English study materials with a brand name that is strange English!

“Study” is a noun, and should be modified by an adjective. But “joy” is a noun! The adjective form is “joyful”.

O Joyful Study

The more, the merrier!

Use the toilets shown below when crowded.

X Use the toilets shown below when crowded.

Tim says:

After the word “when,” this sign doesn’t explain what would be crowded that would require you to use the toilets shown below. Therefore, we can only assume that it would be… the toilets shown below! “Use the toilets shown below when they are crowded.” In other words, 「以下のトイレが混雑した時、以下とトイレをご利用ください」!

Of course, that doesn’t make any sense. This sign was posted outside of a different set of restrooms, and it means if these restrooms are crowded, use other ones that you can find on the map of the shopping mall.

O If these toilets are crowded, use the others as shown on the map below.

Everyone gets two cups

Please put back when you got several cups

X Please put back when you got several cups.

Tim says:

The first part of this sentence is a bit puzzling. Put what back? “Put” should always have a direct object (直接目的語); of course, in this case, that would be “cups”.

“When” indicates that taking too many cups is something that is to be expected, as if it happens every time. But (hopefully) it doesn’t always happen. Since it’s just a possibility and not a certainty, we should use “if” rather than “when”.

“Got” is strange for two reasons: 1. it’s past tense, and 2. “take” would be a better verb in this case. So “if you get several cups.”

Remember, I said that we need to say “please put the cups back” because a direct object is necessary with “put”? But “Please put the cups back if you take too many cups” is not a good sentence; it has “cups” in it twice. If we want to change one to a pronoun, we could say “if you take too many of them.” But it’s a little bit shorter and smoother to switch the two parts of the sentence:

O If you take too many cups, please put them back.

Gone too soon

Memorial Christmas

X Memorial Christmas

Tim says:

Here’s one more sign I saw during the recent Christmas shopping season… This mall is celebrating its first anniversary, and apparently wanted to say 「記念」 in English. But “memorial” is usually used when we remember something that happened in the past, or someone who isn’t alive anymore! Is this a funeral?!

Yes, the opening of this mall was in the past, but it’s still open now. “Commemorative” would be better… but saying that Christmas commemorates something other than the birth of Jesus still sounds rather strange.

Maybe this is the best way:

O Anniversary at Christmas

Category: Sign Language （間違っている英語の看板）

No pets, and no “are”

Please consult me about this sign

Not so flowery

It’s alive!!

Which medicine do they have?

Everything is looking up

Unhappy Joy

The more, the merrier!

Everyone gets two cups

Gone too soon

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