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Signs that are Lost in Translation

Ranked #8,692 in Travel & Places, #225,846 overall

It's sometimes hard for the translators to make a sensible sign!

When English is not your native tongue it must be very hard to translate signs into English and for it all to make sense.

Most likely it sounds fine to them but in reality it doesn't always prove right - as we found during our recent journey through South West China.

In this lens I will share the signs we found and photographed. They certainly brought a smile to our faces and sometimes they were just plain funny signs.

I am also adding a few photographs from our travelling companion Christine from the UK who was with us for 7 days Kunming to Shangri-La and who kindly sent me copies of her photographs when I lost one of my memory cards. We were both taking the same subjects, so thank you Christine for your very kind gesture.

Great Wall of China - Beijing

Well worth the visit to this amazing site

Visit Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest and most developed city in China.

Shanghai, has a population of more than 23 million (with over 9 million migrants)
Wiki Travel
Travel to Shanghai

'Carefully ground obstacles - becare walk'

At the Expo in Shanghai - the sign above 'Polite Sharing and No Challenging ' and below 'Carefully ground obstacles - becare walk'

Visit Guilin

There are many scenic places within short traveling distance of Guilin

Guilin is a scenic town and one of the best-known tourist destinations in China.
Wiki Travel
Dont miss a cruise on the Li River.

'The old weak sick disable and pregnant only'!

A seat in the airport at Guilin airport

Visit Yangshuo

It s a very scenic, small county and city surrounded by many karst mountains and beautiful scenery near Guilin,

It is much more like a vacation town, with wonderful restaurants and shops
Wiki Travel
Explore the local countryside
Impressions Light Show
Not to be missed if you are in Yangshuo

Double Walls of Meditated Life

Homes for sale Yangshuo

Yangtze River Cruise

3 Gorges Dam

A Yangtze River Cruise will give you the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable.
Yantze River Cruises
Choose from different cruise boats

Building under construction

At Fengdu - Mount Ming - along the Yangtze River

Visit Tiger Leaping Gorge

Near Lijiang in Yunnan

Some of the most naturally beautiful and diverse landscapes China has to offer.
Lonely Planet
Introducing Tiger Leaping Gorge Treks

Tiger Leaping Gorge - between Lijiang and Shangri-La

It is a three kilometre walk one way to the gorge, so lots of opportunities for signs!

We couldn't go anywhere except past the rock wall!!

Not sure where we were getting the fireworks from??

Visit Lijiang

A small city in Yunnan Province

The city has an 800 year history from as early as the late Song Dynasty.
Wiki Travel
Walk the cobbled streets of the old town

Loved this one in Lijiang

Photo by Dr C Marshall UK

Photo by C Marshall UK

Lijiang

Photo by Dr C Marshall UK

Visit Dali

Located northwest of the Yunnan Province

The area is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and has the Erhai Lake in its center.
Travel in China Guide
Visit Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple

In the gardens at the Three Pagoda's Dali

Photo by Dr C Marshall UK

Photo by Dr C Marshall UK

Visit Shangri-La

Located at point where Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan all meet

Shangri-La is inhabited by many different ethnic groups, with the Tibetans comprising the majority of the population.
Travel in China Guide
An average altitude of more than 3,000 meters (about 9,843 feet),

At the monastery in Shangri-La

This one is worth the read! Had to cut it because of length, so is in two parts

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At the same monastery

Visit Macau

Travel China Guide
Wandering around is the best way to explore the city's numerous historical and cultural heritages.

Go Bungy Jumping - Falling people!

At the Macau Tower Bungy Jump which is currently the World's Highest at 233 meters / 764 feet!

Susan Moss Art Blog

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I'd love to hear from you please

  • vallain Dec 30, 2011 @ 9:09 am | delete
    Amazingly fun. I've found some great product instructions from China that illustrate the difficulties of translation. Your examples are marvelous.
    Blessed.
  • Susan_Moss_Art Dec 30, 2011 @ 9:14 am | delete
    Thank you vallain, glad you enjoyed it. Happy New Year.
  • susan300 Dec 30, 2011 @ 3:26 am | delete
    Shop rationally is good advice for some people I know that are not even traveling...
    Fun lens! :)
  • Susan_Moss_Art Dec 30, 2011 @ 9:15 am | delete
    Hi susan300, but how many of us listen to good advice? Happy New Year.
  • CatJB Dec 18, 2011 @ 6:15 am | delete
    Oh my, that was funny! Love the rational shopping!
  • davespeed Dec 7, 2011 @ 9:21 pm | delete
    This was a lot of fun. Hope you managed to keep your shopping rational!
  • NYThroughTheLens Apr 22, 2011 @ 3:53 pm | delete
    I love this lens :).
  • KathyMcGraw Apr 1, 2011 @ 10:20 pm | delete
    Too funny...at least from my English speaking point of view. I do know that it is hard to translate things for many people. Anyway....this was fun.
  • catluvrcook Mar 27, 2011 @ 2:37 pm | delete
    i'll walk into work tomorrow and say caution falling ppl! this is rotfl material
  • CruiseReady Mar 27, 2011 @ 9:04 am | delete
    The signs are absolutely delightful! I, too, would like to see more rational shopping!
  • 秦意力 Mar 18, 2011 @ 10:54 am | delete
    How chary you are,Aunt Susan. yeah, I know much about the ?chinglish? we made. The different language system make the translator hard to express very native. hope U understanding. Maybe they could make it more good next time.
    - yokoo
  • TheLittleCardShop Mar 16, 2011 @ 10:29 pm | delete
    Very good lens Sue! So fun to read through all your sign photographs. Lensrolled it to my signs lens :)
  • PastorSam Mar 13, 2011 @ 9:51 am | delete
    cool lens!!! Loved the pictures.
  • mutter Mar 12, 2011 @ 10:46 am | delete
    Your capturing of these excellent specimens certainly made me smile! Thanks for sharing.
  • Susan_Moss_Art Mar 12, 2011 @ 10:55 pm | delete
    Thanks for visiting and glad you had a smile!
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Susan_Moss_Art

I am a retired grandmother of four and love watercolour painting and photography.

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