China and English: A place where slipping and falling should be done carefully

While some English signs in Shanghai might be poorly translated and humorous, the Chinese city boasts numerous skyscrapers and has become a financial capital. Photo source: www.simple-chinese.com
From the looks of it, The New York Times story about butchered or poorly-translated English phrases in China is making the rounds in a big way, judging from the fact that it’s one of the Gray Lady’s most emailed stories since being published on Sunday.
The article, which carries a Shanghai dateline, includes some egregious examples of words and phrases that are embarrassing, incorrect, offensive and need to be fixed. Some translations can make you chuckle – especially if you’re a native English speaker.