Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

English speakers traveling the world have long delighted in spying funny, odd, or just plain wrong written English in the countries they visit.  Here's a sample of my favorites from Cambodia: 


I don't actually understand this sign (above) or what it's for.  I think it's for a public toilet in the downtown area.  Which is not a funny thing, especially since it would be the only public toilet I'm aware of in Phnom Penh.  But the funny part is written at the bottom:
"Mr. Toilet Public - Funded by the World Toilet Association"  


For many months I had assumed this sign (above) for the "Ministry of Cult and Religion" was a misprint and that it meant to read Ministry of Culture and Religion.  But I later found out that the true English name of this government institution matches the sign.  Clearly, Cambodians use the word cult differently and don't attach all the negative connotations to it that we do.


We saw this sign (above) on the highway while taking a road trip.  The statement "Think - Accident Bring Tears, Safety Brings Cheers" is completely true and accurate, despite a slight grammatical error.  But the sentiment is so cute and unlikely to be used on American highways, it brought a grin to my face.


This sign (above) is my favorite!  It was on a fence put up at a construction site near the Royal Palace, whose roof you can see in the background.  It read "No task banned" but I am sure it meant to say "Notice banned" as in no posting any signs on the fence.  But the combination of the mixup of similar sounds (no task = notice, close enough, right?) with the result of the sign stating the exact opposite of its intention (if no task is banned, then posting notices is okay!) still makes me laugh every time I think about it!

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