TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW. *
In a London Laundromat: *
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT*
Outside a London second-hand shop: *
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN? *
Spotted in a safari park: *
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR *
Seen during a London conference: *
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR*
Notice in a field: *
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES*
On a repair shop door: *
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR, THE BELL DOESN'T WORK) *
People in other countries sometimes go out of their way to communicate with their English-speaking tourists. Here is a list of signs seen around the world :
At a Budapest zoo: *
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.*
Doctors office, Rome : *
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES*.
Hotel, Acapulco : *
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE. *
In a Nairobi restaurant: *
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE SHOULD WAIT AND SEE THE MANAGER*.
In a City restaurant: *
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO*.
In a Calcutta Coffee House:*
PEOPLE DISCARDING CIGARETTE STUBS IN CUPS WILL BE SERVED COFFEE IN ASH TRAYS*
"In a Nairobi restaurant: * CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE SHOULD WAIT AND SEE THE MANAGER*."
ReplyDeleteI would be so happy if this turned out to be a clever staff member having a subtle but very public dig at the manager. More likely, it is just a translation hitch though.
It does just go to show that even if you have the right words in the right order, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're saying what you think you are. There's no reason why a non-native speaker would know that phrasing the sign that way would mean "You think that's bad? Get a load of this!"
That's ones of the reasons why I filove slightly off signs. You get an insight into your own language, not to mention a healthy respect for how hard it is to learn English if it isn't your first language. Of course, a professional translation company has to be used if we're talking about a safety sign or something like that but otherwise, a slightly off sign never hurt anyone.