If you liked 'Chinglish' you’ll love 'Saudinglish'!
Due to its numerous oil wells, Saudi Arabia attracts many foreign firms, which means there is a constant flux of expat workers. Since few read or speak Arabic, many signs and advertisements are translated into English, which sometimes leads to humorous translation errors.
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Photo of a store’s sign advertising “slit-throat”, which translates as halal chicken. However, the English version advertises “chicken murder”…
Due to its numerous oil wells, Saudi Arabia attracts many foreign firms, which means there is a constant flux of expat workers. Since few read or speak Arabic, many signs and advertisements are translated into English, which sometimes leads to humorous translation errors.
“Susie of Arabia”, an America blogger who has lived in Jeddah since 2007, has kept track of funny translation bloopers.
This sign is advertising for a store that sells “slit-throat” (or halal) chicken. However, in the English translation, the store purports to sell “chicken murder”. Not a very appetising prospect.
This restaurant’s menu offers an “itch salad with bulgur”. Perhaps this is a way of warning that the dish is spicy?
This men’s perfume was probably meant to be named “One Man Show”.
This restaurant sign seriously misspelled the name of the Spanish capital Madrid.
If this chicken vendor knew that the Arabic word “dik”, which means chicken in Arabic, sounds like a slang word for “penis” in English, perhaps he would have thought twice when choosing a name for his establishment. The Arabic word was automatically translated into the equally vulgar synonym “cock”.
As for this supermarket, instead of selling chicken thighs , it offers “chicken tights”.
This phenomenon of sketchy translations is known for being widespread in China, earning it the nickname “Chinglish”, a mix of “Chinese” and “English”.