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  • abcdefg 10
  • Publius 8
  • StChris 8
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  • mungouk 5
  • jbradfor 5
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Entries in this blog

skylee

Counter

By skylee,

I took this photo at the HK Central Library this afternoon. If you like, you can try to identify what is wrong with the words used.

skylee

豬仔包

By skylee,

I said to the cashier, "兩個豬仔包". And this is what such small olive/round shaped bread rolls with hard. . skin are called here.

I wonder what it is called in Putonghua, English or in other languages. Anyone wants to share?

The bread is going to be my dinner tonight.

EDIT: New photo of a 豬仔包 sandwich with cava added on 19.1.2013. Some cava has already gone to my head. :D

skylee

Sexual harassment

By skylee,

A friend, who is a professional translator (E->C, C->E) sent me this picture, which he had got from a friend of his. His brief remark reads, 傑作，甘拜下風。 :D This photo reminds me of one I took in Shanghai featuring some "west point" . :D

Enjoy.

PS - if you like, you can look up what 例 on the menu (as in ¥58/例) means.

skylee

沙士（示）汽水

By skylee,

I took this picture today at a supermarket. The first thing that came up in my mind was "Why is this called 沙士?" and it took only seconds for me to remember the reason. This soft drink has brought back some childhood memory.

No when I was little we didn't have soft drinks imported from Australia. But we had a root beer by Watson's called Sarsae, which is still available today. Its Chinese name is 沙示, which I think has to do with the ingredient Sarsaparilla. In Taiwan a similar drink is called 沙士. The wiki has more information. So this is why root beer is called 沙士/示.

Whenever I think of the Sarsae drink I remember the song George Lam (林子祥) sang for its ad. It was a cover version of

, and in place of "sunny" he sang "沙示". I can still sing the song today. :) Too bad I can't find that commercial online.
skylee

專科診所 Specialist Clinic

By skylee,

I was at the Queen Mary Hospital (Hong Kong) a few days ago and I took these pictures because I was bored. The Chinese used in the pictures is all right I think, but the English is quite disappointing, especially the name of the teaching department (but most probably it was an editing error - the clerk's fault, I suspect). There is nothing special in the pictures, really. But if you like you can list the mistakes, and translate the one notice that is in Chinese only.
But what is uroflowmetry for?
skylee

From Taipei

By skylee,

I took these pictures in Taipei during the last weekend. Look at them from left to right.
The first sign was under a very tall tree. It caught my eyes because it seemed ridiculous. But then when I looked up and saw the tree it sort of made sense. Why do you think?
I took the second one at the Breeze's food court. It caught my attention because what it said seemed very strange. It seemed to me that besides the two cultures singled out all others were 異國. But this did not sound right (I mean, why is Japan not one of the 異國). I might just be over-interpreting it. Probably they take 異國 to mean all other foreign countries.
I took the third one at the cinema where I watched "Detachment" (excellent film IMHO). I found this notice, especially the part in quotation marks, difficult to understand. Do you know what it is about?

skylee

修理

By skylee,

Two pictures taken yesterday near my home. They are very simple, but Mandarin speakers might not be able to underatand them immediately.
Then another one taken in Causeway Bay. It was a protest. See if you can read what is on the yellow banner.
skylee

From Lyon

By skylee,

I took this photo in Lyon a couple of days ago. If you are interested, you can try to find out the following -
1. What is written on the big character? How are the small characters arranged?
2. What characters (traditional / simplified) are used on the poster?
Side story about a scam - outside the Cathedral Notre Dame in Lyon, different young people asked me to sign on a form with a big UNICEF heading. They did not speak to me, but just held up that signature form to my face. It appeared that they were asking for support for the cause of UNICEF. But then I noticed that their fingers covered the last column of the form, which was for the signers to write down the amount of money they would give. If that was legitimate they would not need to play such a trick. I had been fooled by this trick once many years ago in Paris.
jbradfor

醒酒桩

By jbradfor,

Easy question: if they had one of these in your hometown when you were growing up, how often would you have been there?
Hard question: since I'm sure you read and remember every one of my posts so you know where I went, and using your google / Chinese reading skills, in which city is this currently located? [Actually this might not be so hard, as the first google hit for 醒酒桩 currently gives the answer....]
skylee

垃圾暨廢物

By skylee,

I am not going to attach a picture to this post. The main reason is that I don't have one. But please keep reading.
This all happened in Hong Kong. Yesterday a friend wrote to me, telling me that he had seen a rubbish bin labelled 垃圾暨廢物回收箱. He then asked me jokingly what the difference between 垃圾 and 廢物 was.
Now don't use google / baidu yet. Try to (1) think of a difference between 垃圾 and 廢物, however unreasonable.
I managed to first come up with an imagined difference (it was racist so I am not going to repeat it here), and then find the real one.
Now you may use google and / or baidu and (2) find out what the real difference is.
Then another friend joined the discussion and she tried to find a better name for the rubbish bin. Why don't you also (3) suggest a better name for this poor laughing-stock-rubbish-bin?
When you explore this issue, you will come across an article titled "垃圾暨廢物" written by famous lyricist 林夕. Do take a look. It is quite funny. And then consider how you would handle the word "暨" (suggest you take care of this under item (3)).
By now you should have found a picture of this rubbish bin. If you have not, use the link below. Have fun.
skylee

Belgrade 貝爾格萊德

By skylee,

I took these pictures on Friday morning (local time) at the site where the Chinese Embassy, bombed by the US / NATO, used to be.
If you like you can try to (1) identify the characters on the plaque with missing strokes; and / or (2) read the words on the pink ribbons of the wreath.
roddy
Quicky for you from the streets of Beidaihe, sent to us by some bloke called Imron.
1) This message has been posted by who, and criticizes what?
2) The bottom line is a bit difficult to read - can you make it out?
3) That last four letter phrase looks like it's either a variant or a mistake - what's the more common version?
4) Will all your answers result in us getting banned?
skylee

Cents

By skylee,

I took this picture at the cashier of a small restaurant tonight.
If you like, you can -
i) explain what it is;
ii) consider why the shop does this;
iii) comment on the quality of the picture.
skylee

佔領匯豐

By skylee,

I didn't even know this was happening.
I took these pictures today at the street level of the HSBC headquarters building in Central, Hong Kong. If you like you can read the Chinese characters in the pictures.
Follow-up - The occupation has been cleared. A photo of HSBC's notice (the last photo) is attached.
skylee

保釣

By skylee,

I am not sure what has prompted this. But tomorrow is an anniversary of the 1937 七七蘆溝橋事變.
skylee

吃不過癮

By skylee,

I took this picture because I found the selling point / slogan 吃不過癮的美味 weird.
I mean I would use 吃(得)不過癮 on something negative, for example when the quantity of food is not enough, or if the food is too expensive, or if I am too full to eat the tasty food, or if there is not enough time to enjoy the food, or if the companions and/or environment are unpleasant. I don't have a positive interpretation for it.
So have I missed something? Like perhaps for trendy people it means that the food is really good? What do you think?
jbradfor

G-点套

By jbradfor,

Available for purchase in one of our hotels during our recent trip. I think there's some useful vocabulary here
This is the first hotel I've stayed in for a long time that includes condoms for purchase -- and it wasn't a particularly cheap hotel! I assume it's not part of an anti-AIDS campaign or something like that?
I also appreciate the price being labeled in four languages.
skylee
I just want to show the photos about Roosevelt the metro station and the sign about Zhou close to Place d'Italie.
As to Lafayette (edit - the department store, not the general), please find out how the Traditional Chinese version of its store guide is different from the other versions.
jbradfor

YACTS

By jbradfor,

Yet Another Chinese Toilet Sign.
Easy question:
1) What is the Chinese name for the invention that would eliminate the need for this sign?
skylee

Graffiti

By skylee,

I took this picture today. It was the back of the seat in front of mine in a van. If you like, you could try to figure out -
A. Who the writer was unhappy about, and
B. Who in particular, and
C. Why.
skylee

Istanbul 伊斯坦堡

By skylee,

I took these pictures yesterday. The first one is of the door of the metro I took to get to Kanyon Mall at Levant, Istanbul. I took it because I thought a Chinese character was used in the design. However, having stared at the pattern long enough I found that it was not. You can try to identify the differences (from the Chinese character I had thought it was).
The second one is a sign at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant near the cinema of the mall. I found it strikingly ugly.
roddy

Picture this: Paris. A library. 2011

By roddy,

Everyone's favourite Sound of Music song Edelweis has come across these signs in a library. Maybe in Paris, I can't remember. But that's not the point.
1) Can you translate the two signs?
2) Does the grammar seem ok to you?
3) And more difficultly - what's that scrawled note say?
4) And getting silly now - what is the significance of the number 19.25?
skylee

Two random pictures ...

By skylee,

and they are in Cantonese.
The one with the apple is actually part of the poster of the movie "Bad Teacher". The other one was taken amongst the wine racks of a Hong Kong supermarket.
Enjoy.
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