Lost In Translation - Restaurant Menus
I remember getting an email from a friend that included a chinese menu with strange names like "Batter bits deep fried yummy" or item names like that and some comments people made were that it was racist and horribly degrading to the asian culture and no restaurant would dare do that sort of thing. Then I found this article (http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_196267.html) that apparently gives illusions that it does happen. Why? Simple lost in translation.
I gave it a read and thought it was most enlightening. If you are thinking of heading to China for the Olympics, you might be interested in giving this a little bit of a read to let you know what you are in for and can expect.
Lost in translation no more
Beijing to come up with standardised English translations for outlandish-sounding dishes, in run-up to the Olympics
By Tracy Quek, China Correspondent
BEIJING - FANCY some 'American Flag Cooks the Space Person' for lunch? Not in the mood? How does a helping of 'Explodes the Vegetable Meat to Steam' sound instead?
Reading the English translation of the Chinese menu off the Sanlitun Kitchen's outdoor advertising board, potential foreign patrons might be scared off by these outlandish-sounding dishes.
The eatery offering Hong Kong-style cuisine in Sanlitun Street, a popular expatriate haunt dotted with cafes and bars, is not the only one in Beijing lost in translation when it comes to names of dishes.
'American Flag Cooks the Space Person' actually refers to a braised ginseng dish while 'Explodes the Vegetable Meat to Steam' is steamed rice with preserved Szechuan pickle and meat patty. The eatery also offers a fried rice dish which is translated as 'The rich and powerful people fry'.
Chinese cuisine is famous the world over, but on the mainland, bad English translations of otherwise delectable and popular Chinese dishes can render them not only unappetising and confusing, but also downright macabre at times.
Soon, however, non-Chinese readers will know exactly what they are feasting on.
What's in a name?
THE names of Chinese dishes contain cultural and artistic elements. Some have historical, geographical and political backgrounds, others originate from Chinese fairy tales and folk tales.
Translators have divided the names of dishes into four categories: ingredients used, cooking method, taste, and name of a person or place.
Under the ingredients category, a dish's main ingredients make up its name, such as the Mushroom-Duck's Foot.
Dishes listed under cooking method would be described by the way they are cooked. For example: Fish Fillet Boiled In Hot Chilli Oil.
The third category goes with the taste or texture of the food. A good example is Crispy Chicken.
Dishes could also be named after either their creator or the place they originate from. One example is Mapo Tofu, which is a tofu dish invented by Mapo, the name of a Chinese woman.
The Beijing tourism bureau is due to release a set of standardised English translations for Chinese menus before the Spring Festival next month, which it hopes restaurants in the city will adopt for their bilingual menus ahead of the Olympic Games in August.
The final draft is expected to contain translations for more than 2,700 dishes and drinks. It was partially revised after opinions were sought from netizens and language experts last August, Xinhua news sgency reported yesterday.
The standardised list appears to be the first of its kind. A quick check with popular dining establishments in Beijing found that individual eateries engage translation companies to come up with bilingual menus, some with better results than others.
As part of a public relations campaign to spruce up its image before its international debut at the Olympics, Beijing is on a mission to sweep its restaurants, hotels, street signs and other public signboards clear of unintelligible English and mis-spellings.
China's capital city expects to host at least 500,000 foreigners who will attend the world's most prestigious sporting event, and officials are keen to impress.
As a result, Beijing residents have been bombarded with campaigns exhorting them to stop spitting, quit littering and to queue up, among other drives aimed at changing entrenched bad habits.
Taxi drivers listen to English lessons on tape while driving and have been banned from smoking in their cabs.
The city's 4,000 unrated hotels have also been told to translate their names, service hours, room rates, menus and notices for guests into accurate English.
When it comes to local food, of which Chinese people are fiercely proud, Beijing wants all embarrassing translations done away with.
'The names of Chinese dishes have long been part of our culture, and we hope we can share our culture with others through the Beijing Olympics in a tasteful and, more importantly, appropriate way,' Mr Feng Dongming, the head of the translation programme and vice-dean of the Tourism School at Beijing Union University, told Xinhua.
A team set up by the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the Beijing Tourism Bureau has been working on correcting the translation problem since March 2006, backed by a committee of 20 language experts and catering service managers.
Translators have divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste, and name of a person or a place.
Some netizens, however, have turned up their noses at the standardised list.
'Why should we waste time and effort coming up with English translations? Do you see restaurants in other Western countries that have Chinese menus for Chinese visitors?' asked one.
Two out of five restaurants contacted by The Straits Times said they would welcome the new translations. The rest said they would wait to see the list before deciding whether to adopt it.
Ms Zhang Xin, financial manager of a famous Beijing Peking duck restaurant, Liqun Roast Duck, said foreign customers have no problem with her restaurant's bilingual menu, but said smaller eateries will benefit.
'The standard English menu is good news because some small restaurants' English menus are a mess. The key is to help people understand what they're eating,' she said.
tracyq@sph.com.sg
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LINA MIAO
I gave it a read and thought it was most enlightening. If you are thinking of heading to China for the Olympics, you might be interested in giving this a little bit of a read to let you know what you are in for and can expect.
Lost in translation no more
Beijing to come up with standardised English translations for outlandish-sounding dishes, in run-up to the Olympics
By Tracy Quek, China Correspondent
BEIJING - FANCY some 'American Flag Cooks the Space Person' for lunch? Not in the mood? How does a helping of 'Explodes the Vegetable Meat to Steam' sound instead?
Reading the English translation of the Chinese menu off the Sanlitun Kitchen's outdoor advertising board, potential foreign patrons might be scared off by these outlandish-sounding dishes.
The eatery offering Hong Kong-style cuisine in Sanlitun Street, a popular expatriate haunt dotted with cafes and bars, is not the only one in Beijing lost in translation when it comes to names of dishes.
'American Flag Cooks the Space Person' actually refers to a braised ginseng dish while 'Explodes the Vegetable Meat to Steam' is steamed rice with preserved Szechuan pickle and meat patty. The eatery also offers a fried rice dish which is translated as 'The rich and powerful people fry'.
Chinese cuisine is famous the world over, but on the mainland, bad English translations of otherwise delectable and popular Chinese dishes can render them not only unappetising and confusing, but also downright macabre at times.
Soon, however, non-Chinese readers will know exactly what they are feasting on.
What's in a name?
THE names of Chinese dishes contain cultural and artistic elements. Some have historical, geographical and political backgrounds, others originate from Chinese fairy tales and folk tales.
Translators have divided the names of dishes into four categories: ingredients used, cooking method, taste, and name of a person or place.
Under the ingredients category, a dish's main ingredients make up its name, such as the Mushroom-Duck's Foot.
Dishes listed under cooking method would be described by the way they are cooked. For example: Fish Fillet Boiled In Hot Chilli Oil.
The third category goes with the taste or texture of the food. A good example is Crispy Chicken.
Dishes could also be named after either their creator or the place they originate from. One example is Mapo Tofu, which is a tofu dish invented by Mapo, the name of a Chinese woman.
The Beijing tourism bureau is due to release a set of standardised English translations for Chinese menus before the Spring Festival next month, which it hopes restaurants in the city will adopt for their bilingual menus ahead of the Olympic Games in August.
The final draft is expected to contain translations for more than 2,700 dishes and drinks. It was partially revised after opinions were sought from netizens and language experts last August, Xinhua news sgency reported yesterday.
The standardised list appears to be the first of its kind. A quick check with popular dining establishments in Beijing found that individual eateries engage translation companies to come up with bilingual menus, some with better results than others.
As part of a public relations campaign to spruce up its image before its international debut at the Olympics, Beijing is on a mission to sweep its restaurants, hotels, street signs and other public signboards clear of unintelligible English and mis-spellings.
China's capital city expects to host at least 500,000 foreigners who will attend the world's most prestigious sporting event, and officials are keen to impress.
As a result, Beijing residents have been bombarded with campaigns exhorting them to stop spitting, quit littering and to queue up, among other drives aimed at changing entrenched bad habits.
Taxi drivers listen to English lessons on tape while driving and have been banned from smoking in their cabs.
The city's 4,000 unrated hotels have also been told to translate their names, service hours, room rates, menus and notices for guests into accurate English.
When it comes to local food, of which Chinese people are fiercely proud, Beijing wants all embarrassing translations done away with.
'The names of Chinese dishes have long been part of our culture, and we hope we can share our culture with others through the Beijing Olympics in a tasteful and, more importantly, appropriate way,' Mr Feng Dongming, the head of the translation programme and vice-dean of the Tourism School at Beijing Union University, told Xinhua.
A team set up by the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the Beijing Tourism Bureau has been working on correcting the translation problem since March 2006, backed by a committee of 20 language experts and catering service managers.
Translators have divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste, and name of a person or a place.
Some netizens, however, have turned up their noses at the standardised list.
'Why should we waste time and effort coming up with English translations? Do you see restaurants in other Western countries that have Chinese menus for Chinese visitors?' asked one.
Two out of five restaurants contacted by The Straits Times said they would welcome the new translations. The rest said they would wait to see the list before deciding whether to adopt it.
Ms Zhang Xin, financial manager of a famous Beijing Peking duck restaurant, Liqun Roast Duck, said foreign customers have no problem with her restaurant's bilingual menu, but said smaller eateries will benefit.
'The standard English menu is good news because some small restaurants' English menus are a mess. The key is to help people understand what they're eating,' she said.
tracyq@sph.com.sg
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LINA MIAO
posted by Capt_Canuck at 5:34 PM
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