Taiwan: Fluent in Fun

On a recent trip back to the US, I had a one-night stopover at Taipei Taoyuan International – or for the more militant readers, Chiang Kai-shek International – Airport in Taiwan.  No big deal, I speak some of the language, can get Japanese hamburgers and most importantly, can speak some of the language.  Oh, did I write that already?  Read on…

My backpack was filled with dirty clothes, and that time, I didn’t have “a rainy season in Asia” to blame.  Regardless, why not explore Taoyuan – sweet, an airport suburb! – somewhere I never visited before, for my last hurrah of that trip.  Finding a laundromat would be key, for I was carrying around the inedible equivalent of the average Taiwanese night market.

The journey paid off, because there were signs for self-service laundry along the main drag (if you wanted to get there from Taoyuan Airport, hop on a bus).  However, what those signs said remains a mystery drowning in Engrish:

More polite than the average animate object.  Or inanimate.

What I glean from the Chinese in the red column is, “before putting (literally “throwing”; for that part of the world, it makes sense) money in, please close the (dryer) door).”  You may not need a translation here, because eventually you’ll figure out that the narrow metal slot wasn’t where you put the clothes.

I’m hungry too.

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Have you spotted any Engrish lately?  If so, care to share?

As a side note, I’d be glad to help you out with your translations if you’re in the market.

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