Tasty Translations in China 中国餐馆里的神翻译

　　If Michelin gave stars for unintentionally brilliant dish names, an eatery in Pingyao, China, might well be the world’s top restaurant. It has a large sign outside showing some of its tastiest dishes, with English translations: “In Bowl,” “You Flour Silk,” “Beef Cat’s Ear” and a noodle dish in broth¹ known as “Sauce on My Grandma.”

　　如果米其林给意外取下的绝妙菜名打星，中国平遥的一家餐馆很可能会是世界上的顶级餐厅。它的外面有一个大招牌，展示了店里最美味的菜肴名字，从英文来看，有“在碗里”、“你面粉丝绸”、“牛肉猫耳朵”，以及名为“浇在我姥姥上的汁”的面汤。

　　The Chinese and English languages are so completely different that you often see awkward translations like these. They may make English speakers chuckle², but Chinese officialdom is not amused: When major international events come to China, the state tries to clean up the most egregious³ ones. Before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, for example, 400,000 signs and 1,300 menus were revised.

　　中文和英文差异太大了，所以经常可以看到这类尴尬的翻译。它们可能会令英语使用者发笑，但中国官方并不觉得此事好笑：每当中国举行重大国际活动时，政府都会试图清理那些最荒诞的译名。例如在2008年北京奥运会前，就有40万个标识和1300道菜名进行了修订。

　　Still, a stroll through just about any Chinese city will reveal the joys of eating in China: A restaurant menu in Xian offers “The Smell of Urine Dry Noodles.” Shenzhen is proud of its famous “Gollum Shrimp⁴.” A Beijing restaurant serves “The Hand That Grasps the Cowboy Bone” and “Fried Swarm⁵.”

　　不过，直到现在，在任何一座中国城市漫步，都会让人对中华饮食忍俊不禁：西安一家餐馆菜单上写着“尿味的干面条”。深圳为其著名的“古鲁姆虾”感到自豪。北京的一家餐厅提供“握着牛仔骨头的手”和“炸蜂群”。

　　Public institutions don’t do much better with their signs: One warns travelers in Shanghai to “Beware Wallet/Carefully Slide” (it means to suggest that you should watch your wallet and your step on the slippery floor). In Beijing, some wheelchair-accessible bathrooms are marked “Deformed Person.”

　　公共机构的标志也不怎么样：上海有一个警告标识是“当心钱包咬你/小心翼翼地滑倒”（意思是，看牢你的钱包，在湿滑的地面上行走时要注意）。在北京，坐轮椅者的一些专用洗手间上采用的标识是“畸形人”。

　　And it is worth a visit to the Ecstasy⁶ retail⁷ clothing chain on the island of Taiwan just to see what is posted out front. Apparently⁸ unaware⁹ that its trademark¹⁰ is also a street name for the illegal drug MDMA, the store has signs saying, “Welcome to the Ecstasy World” and “The Ecstasy Family Make You Crazy.”

　　就算只是为了看看招牌，台湾岛上的象鼻人(Ecstasy)服装连锁店也是值得一逛。商家似乎没有意识到其商标也是非法毒品摇头丸的俗称，所以店里的招牌上写着“欢迎来到摇头丸世界”和“摇头丸家族让你疯狂”。

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