We're Switching to TSU

We started off on Blogger many months ago, and we've been using other social media platforms to drive in traffic. Our goal was to generate income from Google AdSense. So far, we've only been using tsu to post links to our blogs. But tsu has generate far more revenue in a short time than AdSense has generated in a much longer time. Therefore, we are going to start moving all of our content over to tsu, posting all new content on tsu, and directing all other social media traffic to tsu. As of this moment, tsu is officially our new blogging platform. Please join us at www.tsu.co/realbloggerx.

I will be eaten?

This restaurant banner reads, "no matter what you imagine, you will be eaten more than you expect." The problem is that the phrase "you will be eaten" has two possible meanings, and the restaurant does not mean either one.

One meaning is the dictionary meaning of "to eat." You will go to this restaurant and, instead of you eating the food, someone or something will eat you. This implies that you would lose limbs (fingers, hands, arms, toes, feet, legs), ears, or noses, and possibly even die. So we really don't think this restaurant is advertising that.

A second meaning is sexual, and we will not explain that here. But this meaning suggests that women who go to this restaurant will have a specific sexual act performed on them. Again, we really don't think this restaurant is advertising that.

There are two correct ways to say this instead. First, you could say "you will eat more than you expect." Or, you could say, "you will be eating more than you expect." In the English language, these very small changes make the difference between suggesting that you will eat food or suggesting that you will endure violent or sexual acts.

One step ahead

The phrase "one step ahead" does not make sense when it is out of context. After all, what exactly is one step ahead? Danger?

Because this sign was above a bathroom urinal, we could figure out the meaning. Someone, probably a janitor, wants men to stand one step closer to the urinal so as to reduce messiness.

A better way of stating this, however, would be, "take one step forward."

Traditional Coffee Blood

We have never heard of "coffee blood" before, so we think this is meant to say "coffee blend." That certainly makes more sense, anyway.

This napkin has a few other minor issues, as well: 1) the company name should consistently be "Hands Coffee," with a space and proper capitalization, 2) the word "traditional" should have a lowercase "T," and 3) the slogan "My belief. My choice." sounds like a controversial American political subject.

Without knowing exactly what this coffee shop intended, a better way of writing this could be: "Hands Coffee (traditional coffee blends of southern French style) loves specialty hand drip coffee and authentic European espresso."

Pull door open for... what?

We found this sign in an airplane bathroom. The problem is that if you only understand Korean, you may know that you want to open this door, but you may have to figure out how; do you push it in, pull it out, slide it aside, or what? And if you only understand English, then you may know how to open this door without actually knowing what you could pull this door open for. Or, maybe you shouldn't open it all.

For English speakers, the size and shape of the door looks like a diaper changing table. But, it isn't. Plus, the sign only shows an image of a woman, not a mother or father with a baby. The Korean translates to "sanitary napkins."

As we have recommended before, it would be better to have two complete translations: one in Korean and one in English.

That's offensive.

Disclaimer: we censored this photo.

This is a vending machine on a street in Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea. We recommend that tourists always stop and take a look, because these vending machines usually have peculiar items in them. For example, we've seen lingerie for sale in one of these. And, again, these are not indoors, but on the street where children walk by.

This particular vending machine caught our attention because of the belt buckle at the bottom. Most Koreans probably don't understand the meaning and probably don't know that this phrase is offensive. On the other hand, profanity in Korea, at least by Koreans, seems more acceptable in more locations, in front of children, and even from children.

Also, this belt buckle is not unique. It is not uncommon to see Koreans out in public wearing hats and shirts with English profanity. Again, this could be a mix of misunderstanding and greater acceptance, but some of it is offensive. Much of it is meaningless, due to mistranslations, but sometimes you'll find something more like this belt buckle.

May I have you?

This is from an English workbook for young Korean learners. Because the waiter in this illustration is speaking to two people at a table, "may I help you" is the correct choice. The other choice, "may I have you," is a request for sexual intercourse. As you can see, the elementary school student first picked the inappropriate second choice, which is why that second option does not belong in this book. The writers and publishers really should have thought of something else.

My robot is good teacher?

This is the cover of a notebook. Sadly, this is one of many, many notebook styles in Korea that is used by English students even though the English expressions on the front and back covers always have errors.

Koreans often omit the articles "a," "an," or "the," because these articles do not exist in the Korean language. However, the English language requires them. Therefore, the sentence "my robot is good friend" should be "my robot is a good friend" and the sentence "my robot is good teacher" should be "my robot is a good teacher."

Show the "ghetto power?"

"The four elements of the street culture together always will show the ghetto power" should instead be written "together, the four elements of the street culture will always show the ghetto power." Sadly, other than being correct English, this still doesn't make any sense. What are the four elements of street culture? What is ghetto power? We don't know.

A skank eats cheese?

There can be a big difference between using the letter "a" and the letter "u", or, in this case, a letter "u" that looks too much like a letter "a." A "skunk," which this word is supposed to be, is an animal. A "skank," which this word is not supposed to be, in an insult that one person might call another.

Visit to a... what?!?!?

This is an actual medical bill for visiting a doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor's first initial is "A" and his family name is "Dick," and calling someone "a dick" is an insult.

If only someone had reviewed this, the best alternative would probably be to use his full first name, instead of the initial "A," plus the prefix "Dr." A visit to "Dr. Alfred Dick" or "Dr. Abraham Dick" or "Dr. Alex Dick," or whatever his name is, would be highly preferable to just "Visit to A Dick."

We never sicken with love twice.

"Love sick" is an English idiom, but it is used as a state of being, not as a process. Someone can be love sick, in which case he or she loves someone else very much, but someone does not "become sick" or "sicken" with love. A better way of writing this would be: "No, we are never stricken with love twice."

The second sentence, "Cupid spends no second arrow on the same heart," sounds very nice and is rather poetic.

A third sentence, above these, simply needs punctuation and one letter capitalized: "If you would be loved, love and be lovable."

Enjoy a... ddung burger???

In English, "dung" means feces, or the solid waste that leaves your body through your anus. Adding another letter D does not change the sound, and naming food after it is a very bad idea.

Wonju Bus Terminal

Photographed on an inside wall at the bus terminal in Wonju (원주시), Gangwon Province (강원도), South Korea (대한민국), this has no meaning in English. Because Wonju begins with the letter "W," someone decided to nickname the city "W-city" and then list a few random English words that also begin with the letter "W." The use of "so" suggests that these words are a reason to use Wonju bus terminal, yet these words do not form a complete sentence, do not describe Wonju city, and do not describe bus travel.

A better way to write this would be to forget about the "W" theme, forget about listing unrelated words, and just write a normal English sentence.

Services and mental?

To be honest, without a translation of the Korean language we have no idea what "services and mental" is supposed to mean, nor can we recommend a better way of stating this message in English. This would seem to have something to do with providing customer service, but we don't know in what way.

This is another example where either a second, full English translation should be provided for English speakers who probably can't read the Korean at all, or the entire message should be only in Korean since not every Korean understands English.

This is from an English teacher?!?!?

This is from an English teacher? Besides poor punctuation, "a easy decision" should be "an easy decision."

A second image, intentionally not included due to branding, states "one dogs - My friend has a dogs." First of all, you can't have "one dogs," you can only have "one dog." "Dogs" is plural, meaning more than one. Also, either "my friend has a dog" or "my friend has dogs," but no one can have "a dogs."

The moral of this post is to be careful who you learn from.

Get a smart body.

Photographed at a fitness center in Andong (안동시), North Gyeongsang Province (경상북도), South Korea (대한민국), we first thought that this meant to say, "get smart, baby." Calling someone "baby" can indicate endearment or affection and is different from calling someone "a baby," which insultingly compares them to a newborn child.

However, because the adjacent sign reads, "make the best body," the first sign probably meant to say, "get a smart body."

Writing a Better Warning Label

Keeping the same sentence structure, you could rewrite this as:

WARNING: If the rotor blade is damaged, do not fly it; it will result in fuselage damage.

However, a better way to rewrite this would be:

WARNING: Operating with rotor blade damage could result in fuselage damage.

Grand Open

Photographed in Andong (안동시), North Gyeongsang Province (경상북도), South Korea (대한민국), the use of "Grand Open" is common throughout the Republic of Korea. However, the phrase should be "Grand Opening."

Actually, the English should be removed from this sign. If you don't read Korean, then you don't know what kind of business is opening here unless you look through the windows. And if you read Korean, then you may not be able to read the English. The best approach, if there will be English-speaking employees, would be to have one sign fully in Korean and another fully in English. If not, just keep the signs fully in Korean.

The natural love for coffee

Photographed outside a coffee shop somewhere in South Korea (대한민국), this contains two statements. The phrase "the natural love for coffee" is not a sentence, but it works as a slogan. The sentence with it, however, would read much better as "you can taste the love."

you and coffee, we only think.

This is the window of a coffee shop in Gunsan (군산시), North Jeolla Province (전라북도), South Korea (대한민국). Any native English speaker should understand the sentence "you and coffee, we only think" even though the grammar is incorrect. Because this is a coffee shop, the owner obviously thinks that everyone should drink more coffee.

There are many ways to rewrite this, but we'll focus on two key points. First, the phrase "you and coffee" is an idea, but you have to add more words to turn this fragment into a sentence. Second, remove the word "only" and just use "we think." So, for one example, you could state, "we think that you and coffee belong together." That actually has a romantic sound to it. You can also shorten this to "you and coffee belong together," because the "we think" is implied.

Also, don't forget to capitalize the first letter of every sentence!

I'll make you marry me.

Look at the lower half of this image, photographed from a Korean language English textbook. The phrase "I'll make you marry me" sounds very bad, as if the wedding will be unwanted and forced. The choice above that, "I'll make you my wife," is much better and can sound romantic. Yes, the meanings of these phrases are the same, when said to women, but the responses will probably be very different.

Swincramp?

Found on an athletic sweatshirt in South Korea (대한민국), the word "swincramp" probably should be "swim camp," a camp where children go swimming.

A hair of the dog?

This Korean language English textbook reads, "Oh, I'm miserable. I need a hair of the dog." At first, we were going to blog that this does not make any sense, and that we don't know what the author wanted to write. But, we goodsearched it, and learned that this is an English idiom that we never heard of.

The lesson, then, is to try to learn common English expressions first. You can use a phrase like this correctly, but it is so rare that many native speakers might not understand it. Also, there are many English-speaking countries around the world. Many phrases will only be understood in one country, and maybe even only a small region of that country.

Sence of Style

Photographed in a clothing store at the traditional market in Wonju (원주시), Gangwon Province (강원도), South Korea (대한민국), we first noticed that "sence" is misspelled, and should be "sense." Also, the pronoun is missing. For correct grammar and spelling, this shirt should read, "I have an exceptional sense of style."

The statement is ironic anyway, because the shirt is not actually stylish.

O. J. Simpson Murders

O. J. Simpson is a famous American athlete-turned-actor who was accused of killing his ex-wife and her male friend. These two victims were human beings with family and friends who loved them. While it is true that Simpson's role remained highly controversial long after the criminal and civil trials, it is extremely disrespectful to the victims' loved ones to use their murders to teach English grammar.

Living Ehglish Language

Found at a book kiosk in the Daejeon Express Bus Terminal, Daejeon Metropolitan City (대전시), South Korea (대한민국), this book needed to be proofread. How can you expect to learn English from a book that can't spell the word "English?"

Just now choice!

This sign was found on a building near the Lotte Mart (롯데마트) in Gunsan (군산시), North Jeolla Province (전라북도), South Korea (대한민국), and the English words should not be on it. If you can't read Korean then you don't know what someone wants you to choose, and if you can read Korean then maybe you can't understand the English.

Either way, if you want someone to make a choice, say, "choose now."

Are you having an affair?

This one is from the United States of America, and it helps to prove how so much of the English language can have multiple meanings. Although an "affair" can be any kind of event or gathering, the phrase "having an affair" usually refers to marital infidelity, in which a married person is romantically unfaithful to his or her spouse.

A better way of advertising this service would be to use any synonym of the word "affair," or any better description of the event. For example, "are you having a party?"

Because the writer of this advertisement was most likely a native English speaker, the wording was probably intentional. If you are a fellow native English speaker, then this is certainly going to attract your attention. And that, after all, is the purpose of advertising. However, if English is a second language to you, then always remember that whatever you write or speak may have more than one meaning.

We Recyclable

Recycling means to reuse something. Photographed in Daegu Metropolitan City (대구시), South Korea (대한민국), this container should say, "we recycle," as if to say, "we recycle glass," or, "we recycle plastics," or whatever it is they want to use again. Common recyclables include aluminum cans, steel cans, newspaper, magazines and slick inserts, corrugated cardboard, paper and paperboard, plastics, and glass.

It is also correct to say, "we are recyclable," because we humans, when we die, return all of our matter to the Earth. However, this container, found outside of an office building, was clearly not intended to collect people.

For more information on recycling, click here.