Engrish (Part 1)

Even if there was nothing else funny going on in Korea (don't worry, there totally is), I would still have the plethora of Engrish to give me some laughs. For the uneducated, Engrish is a cutely pejorative term for the attempt by Asians to translate things from their own languages into our own. You see it most commonly on signs, like the innocuous "Way Out" instead of "Exit" or the outrageous "No. 1 A+ Well-Being Coffee Shop" (coming on a little strong there, coffee shop). These minor foibles are ubiquitous in Japan and Korea (less so in China, from what I hear), and never cease to amuse me. Here are some of my favorites so far:

 An advertisement for Starbucks' "Very Berry Hibiscus" drink. There is no "v" sound in Hangeul (no "f" either), so when translated to Korean it comes out as Berry Berry Hibiscus. Completely missing the joke. Swing and a miss, Korean Starbucks.

 The Italian restaurant in the same building as Avalon, The Il Grappa, which, as we all know, is Italian for "The The Grappa."

 Oof. And you thought rheumatoid arthritis was bad.

 Bleep bloip. I am a roibot. Destroi all humains.

Get out of the way, it's an emergegy!

 Downtown's Funny and Delicious Pizzeria.
"What did you have for lunch?"
"Pizza. It was hilarious."

This one is actually probably one of the most common. In Korean, the words for "fun," "funny," and "interesting" all sort of overlap, so they always forget that "fun" and "funny" mean very different things. Almost none of my students (even the advanced ones) remember to use these words correctly.

Sex on the Peach. Sounds like a messy affair.

You would think with all these English teachers floating around, people and companies would pull them aside from time to time for a bit of casual proofreading. However, my impression -- strengthened by the abundance of private English academies and my experience in one -- is that the illusion of English proficiency is actually far more important than the actuality.

Consider this Part 1 in a running series of Engrish hilarity. Expect more in the future!