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Time to bid goodbye to 'Chinglish'



Beijing: ‘To take notice of safe - the slippery are very crafty.’ Does that make sense to you?

When English and Chinese collide, the result can be down right terrifying. And if you think 'keep off the grass' would be fairly simple, in China it can translate to: 'Tiny grass has a life, sincere concern shows under your feet.'

It's an example of "Chinglish" - a language barrier the Chinese are trying to fix, before the world arrives at their doorstep for the Olympics.

Chinglish is often humorous, sometimes mysterious translation of English into Chinese, verbatim.

Sample this: 'I'd like a serving of the husband and wife lung - is it good?’; or: ‘The spike the body platter’ or better still: ‘Aserving of the hexogen germs and the cowbow bone?’

Well here are the English versions: ‘the husband and wife lung’ is heart and stomach, ‘the spike the body platter’ is sashimi, and ‘the hexogen germ and the cowboy bone’ refer to mushrooms and beef ribs.

Across Beijing, the rush is on for better English, from wannabe volunteers to taxi drivers.

But along the way, some fear a little something is being lost , the old world charm, that special 'Chinglish'.




























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