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Category: Signage

Lost in Translation

I'm posting this from a Starbucks in Bremen, Germany. (I'd prefer to be in a German cafe, but Starbucks turns out to be the easiest place to find an internet connection.)

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Most Germans speak very good English. Which means it's not common to find the kind of bizarre translation errors that are a common feature of Japanese or Chinese English. But they do pop up occasionally. I walked past this sign outside my hotel in Bremen at least ten times before I noticed that something was wrong with it.

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This German department store would probably have to change its name if it wanted to open a chain in America.

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Finally, when I saw these "Berliners" (jelly donuts) on sale, it reminded me of one of the most famous mistranslation urban legends of all time: the claim that when Kennedy proclaimed "Ich bin ein Berliner" to a crowd in Berlin on June 26, 1963, that he was actually proclaiming he was a jelly donut. Yes, a Berliner is a jelly donut, but the word can also mean a citizen of Berlin, and everyone in the crowd would have known what he meant.
Posted By: Alex | Date: Mon Oct 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (7)
Category: Regionalism, Signage, Travel

Weird Poster

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[Photographed in Providence, Rhode Island, October 2008, corner of North Main and Branch.]

If anyone can possibly explain the meaning of this poster, please do so.
Posted By: Paul | Date: Mon Oct 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (37)
Category: Aliens, Art, Sexuality, Signage, Posters, Gender-bending

Donation Meters

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How to solve the problem of unruly panhandlers?

The donation meter!

The picture here portrays one in Denver, which I found on the Flickr page of msitarzewski.

Read all about Atlanta's recent experiment with donation meters here.

Japanese “Do Not” Signs

The one on the left is self-explanatory, though odd. The meaning of the one on the right, however, is a complete mystery to me. Do not sit on the little cone person?
(via Gloria Brame)

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Posted By: Alex | Date: Thu Jul 31, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (16)
Category: Signage

Little Bells and Pepper Spray

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Click on the image for an amusing warning.

This photo comes to me via the two-person chain of North Peterson and Michael Bishop.

Thanks, guys!
Posted By: Paul | Date: Thu Jul 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Death, Signage, Paul
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All original content in posts is Copyright © 2008 by the author of the post, either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.