Sign Language （間違っている英語の看板） Archives - Page 15 of 44

Please call us if you understand this sign

Bath Accessories

X Please let us know when you change appointment date in advance.

Tim says:

I don’t quite understand what this sentence means. Looking at the Japanese above it, I understand somewhat better. Sometimes people might simply not go to their appointment without calling the clinic to cancel. But would anyone actually change their appointment without calling the clinic? If you don’t call the clinic, you can’t change your appointment!

O Please call us if you need to change or cancel your appointment.

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！

Let’s dispense with this sign

Bath Accessories

X Bath Accessories

Tim says:

“Bath Accessories” is a correct English term, but it doesn’t mean the same thing as 「ディスペンサー」. That term comes directly from the English “dispenser” and means the same thing — a bottle from which you can release a bit of something by pressing or squeezing.

A dispenser is one kind of bath accessory, but there are others, such as soap dishes, towel racks, and other kinds of containers.

O Dispensers

A carefully selected mistake

We carefully did the best selection. They are outstanding among others.

X We carefully did the best selection. They are outstanding among others.

Tim says:

First of all, we don’t “do a selection.” You “choose” a selection.

O We carefully chose the best selection.

In the second sentence, “among others” is really not needed. Anyway, if these drinks are “outstanding”, it means they’re NOT among the others — they’re better than the others.

O They are outstanding.

Can you refresh a drink?

refresh

X Canned beverage makes you refresh.

Tim says:

A drink refreshes you! You don’t refresh a drink! Or, is the drink causing you to refresh someone else? “I’m going to make you refresh him!” the drink says to you…

This sentence should end with an adjective showing the condition that results from drinking the beverage. To make an adjective, you should use the past participle form — “refreshed.” (Also, we need “a” before “canned beverage”!)

O A canned beverage makes you refreshed.

Or else we could use “refresh” as a verb, the correct way:

O A canned beverage refreshes you.

You’d better wear your sandals to eat here

Hot sand God mother

X Hot sand God mother

Tim says:

When I saw this, the first thing I thought of was the beach on a summer day. That’s where I would expect to find hot sand （暑い砂）!

Native English speakers never shorten “sandwich” to “sand”. It would be too confusing. Also, “godmother” is one word. (But even with these corrections, it’s still kind of an odd name to me!)

O Hot Sandwich Godmother

This space is on fire

Free smoking space

X Free smoking space

Tim says:

This sign is rather unclear. “Free”? Do smokers usually have to pay in order to find a space to smoke?!

I assume this “free” is a translation of 「自由」, but in English it appears to mean 無料. I think what they mean to say is:

O Smoking area available

The opposite of opposite!

The opposite side of the main entrance

X The opposite side of the main entrance

Tim says:

When I saw this sign, I didn’t notice the map, because I was so focused on the strange English. I was standing to one side of the main entrance, and “the opposite side” should be the other side of the doorway — but on the other side, all I found was another sign exactly like this one!

But if you notice the map, you can see that the “taxfree counter” is actually, not on the opposite side of the entrance, but rather opposite, or facing, it. More clearly, we would say that it’s at the back of the store.

O At the back of the store

Actually, I’m anti-morte

promorte

X District Promorte Association

Tim says:

Putting “pro” before a noun means that you support that thing. But “morte”, in Latin (and some related languages, like Italian and French) means “death”!

There’s an “r” in that word that shouldn’t be there, but “Promote” is still not correct in this usage. “Promote” is not an adjective; to make it modify “Association”, you need to change it to the adjective form, “Promotional”:

O District Promotional Association

Double down

X W

Tim says:

This letter is, of course, called “double-you”, and it really does mean that it’s made of two “U”s (the old style of U, which used to look like a modern V). But in English, “W” is never used as an abbreviation for “double”. If we want to abbreviate “double”, perhaps we could use “2x” (“two times”).

O double O 2x

On second thought, I’m fine, thanks

life support

X Life Support

Tim says:

This is the name of a business that hopes to provide some support to help you get along in life. That would be fine, except usually when we say “life support”, we mean 「生命維持装置」! Life support is what you get in the hospital to prevent your death!

O Support for your life

Category: Sign Language （間違っている英語の看板）

Please call us if you understand this sign

Let’s dispense with this sign

A carefully selected mistake

Can you refresh a drink?

You’d better wear your sandals to eat here

This space is on fire

The opposite of opposite!

Actually, I’m anti-morte

Double down

On second thought, I’m fine, thanks

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