More than 400 million people around the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seem, try to. It would be charitable to say that the results are sometimes mixed.
To be fair, English is full of booby traps for the unwary foreigner. Any language where the unassuming word fly signifies a buzzing insect, which at times can be rather annoying; a comfortable means of travel, unless you accidently have chosen one of the low budget companies, which will try to rob you blind with extra charges and fees for this and that; and a critical part of a gentleman’s apparel, hiding his most private parts from sight, is clearly asked to be mangled.
As non-native speakers we have to learn that in English one tells a lie but the truth, that an American who says “I could care less” means the same thing as someone who says “I couldn’t care less”, and that a sign in a shop saying ALL ITEMS NOT ON SALE, doesn’t mean literally what it says – that every item is not on sale – but rather that only some of the items are on sale.
Most writers of the messages below, which we hope that you will enjoy just as much as we have, were not about to let a little ignorance of English stand in the way of communicating. In fact, it would appear that one of the beauties of the English language is that with even the most tenuous grasp of the English language you can speak volumes if you show enough enthusiasm – a willingness to make do. And the authors of these signs, which were all produced for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, surely had a willingness to make do.
(...너를 잃어버리면?!?!, If you have been stolen...이 맞...는 표현인가ㅡ_ㅡ?)
('treasure' 제길슨.. 이상한건 알겠는데 뭘로 바꿔야 할지 모르겠... ㅡ_ㅜ )
이것도 뭐가 이상한건지 감을ㅡ_ㅜ;;;
There might be many reason of why one should improve and maintain a certain degree of eloquence when speaking English, but no one explains it better that this commercial. Enjoy the video!
