Here is an interesting collection of signs and notices from other countries. They’re written in English but something is definitely lost in translation. 🙂
11. Outside a Hong Kong Tailor Shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.
12. In a Bucharest Hotel Lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.
13. In a Yugoslavian Hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.
14. In a Budapest Zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
15. On the door of a Moscow Hotel: If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it.
16. From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.
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6. In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.
7. In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
8. Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride your own ass?
9. In a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
10. In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the hotel lobby be used for this purpose.
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1. In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk.
2. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.
3. In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the front desk office between the hours of 9 and 11 am daily.
4. In a Copenhagen airport: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
5. In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
Source: Feature in the UTNE Reader, March-April 1998.
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