Month: September 2018

Down in a hole

Dish Down Hole

X Dishes and drinks cup Please lower to the dish down hole.

Tim says:

I can’t imagine exactly what a “dish down hole” looks like. Are we throwing the dishes and cups into the garbage?

That’s the strangest part of this sign, but there are a few smaller problems….

We wouldn’t say “drinks cup.” “Cups for drinks” is better, but really, would the cups be used for anything else besides drinks?! Simply “cups” is best.

Using “lower” as a verb is common when someone is using a machine, or has an object attached to a rope and you are lowering it into a hole by rope. I don’t think the “dish down hole” is so deep!

This photo was submitted by ミキコリさん, who says that, after she took the photo, the sign was replaced with a much simpler and better-written sign:

O Return trays here

Thank you to ミキコリさん for sending this photo!

周囲にある英語を見て、果たしてそれが正しい英語なのだろうかと感じる英語はありますか？「あの英語は絶対に間違っている」という英語の表記はありますか？看板の写真を撮って、Machigai.comに送りましょう！とんでもない英語だったら、このコーナーで出します！

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Quiz No. 601

この文章を日本語にしてください。 （辞書を使ってはいけません！）

 

It will take a good 90 minutes.

次のクイズは１０月３日（水）です。

This site will always respect your personal information.

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このコーナーは毎週水曜日です！

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No. 049 LATER

please come back two weeks later 今週のよくある英語の間違い：
  • 「I will spend for two weeks in Australia.」とは、どうして間違い？
  • 「two weeks later」vs.「two weeks from now」
  • 「a」と「the」の使い方
  • “L or R” answer (click here)
Co-host: Masako Miyake Machigai Theme: “Enter the Party,” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) L or R Theme : mpfree.org.uk ２００７年８月１４日の再放送

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Use the AED? 床n’t!

mark is marked

X AED is installed in the floor in which this mark is marked.

Tim says:

Once again, the English errors on this sign also come in threes:

A minor point, but “AED” should follow the word “A”.

“Installed in the floor”? Oh no! We need to move it around, but we can’t if it’s 「床に設置された」! But looking at the Japanese we can see that 「フロア」 is used, not 「床」. So the correct English would be “on the floor”, not “in the floor.” However, it is probably installed on more than one floor, so change that to “on floors.”

Finally, we wouldn’t say “this mark is marked” — using the same word twice, in two different meanings, makes it pretty hard to understand. Referring to the little red “AED”, we would probably call it a “symbol”, not a “mark”. And we wouldn’t use “mark” as a verb in this case, either. Perhaps “posted” would be better.

Also, “where” sounds more natural than “in which”.

O An AED is installed on floors where this symbol is displayed.

Thank you to ミキコリさん for sending this photo!

周囲にある英語を見て、果たしてそれが正しい英語なのだろうかと感じる英語はありますか？「あの英語は絶対に間違っている」という英語の表記はありますか？看板の写真を撮って、Machigai.comに送りましょう！とんでもない英語だったら、このコーナーで出します！

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Quiz No. 600

この文章を日本語にしてください。 （辞書を使ってはいけません！）

 

What’s wrong with your hand?

次のクイズは９月２６日（水）です。

This site will always respect your personal information.

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このコーナーは毎週水曜日です！

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No. 326 SUIT

jogging suit X When he runs, he wears a set of training suits.
O When he runs, he wears a jogging suit.

今週のよくある英語の間違い：
  • 「jersey」の英語の意味
  • だったら、日本語の「ジャージ」は、どういう英訳？
  • 「It suits me」「It’s my strong suit」というイディオム
  • “S or TH” answer (click here)
Co-host: Saya

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Your English has no heart

in congressional

X The automated external defibrillator is set up in congressional in the this hospital.

Tim says:

There are three problems with the English on this sign.

If you say “The automated…”, we would assume it’s the only AED, or it’s a specific AED that has been mentioned before. But it hasn’t been mentioned before, so “an” is better.

Someone has translated 「設置」 as “set up in congressional” — it’s hard to be sure what that means! Americans might think it has something to do with their Congress (国会)! A better translation is “installed”.

Also, as you probably realized, there’s no reason to have “the” and “this” together. You only need one or the other. In this case, “this hospital” would be better, because it means 「当病院」; “the hospital” is simply 「その病院」.

O An automated external defibrillator is installed in this hospital.

Thank you to ミキコリさん for sending this photo!

周囲にある英語を見て、果たしてそれが正しい英語なのだろうかと感じる英語はありますか？「あの英語は絶対に間違っている」という英語の表記はありますか？看板の写真を撮って、Machigai.comに送りましょう！とんでもない英語だったら、このコーナーで出します！

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Quiz No. 599

この文章を日本語にしてください。 （辞書を使ってはいけません！）

 

What does it take to make it as an artist?

次のクイズは９月１９日（水）です。

This site will always respect your personal information.

Entering your e-mail address will allow this form to send a copy of your answer back to you.

このコーナーは毎週水曜日です！

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No. 048 THIS, NEXT, LAST

the week after next 今週のよくある英語の間違い： Co-host: Masako Miyake Machigai Theme: “Enter the Party,” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) L or R Theme : mpfree.org.uk ２００７年８月７日の再放送

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Insisting on smoke

No, Smoking

X No, Smoking

Tim says:

A simple change in punctuation can make a big difference. “No Smoking” clearly means that smoking isn’t allowed, but if you add a comma, it sounds like the angry response of someone who is committed to lighting up a cigarette! It’s not perfect English grammar (that would be, perhaps, “no, I’m going to smoke”), but the feeling that the comma adds is obvious to the native speaker.

O No Smoking

周囲にある英語を見て、果たしてそれが正しい英語なのだろうかと感じる英語はありますか？「あの英語は絶対に間違っている」という英語の表記はありますか？看板の写真を撮って、Machigai.comに送りましょう！とんでもない英語だったら、このコーナーで出します！

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