Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Everything's Designed by Someone: Engrish Debunked
It's a popular sport among Japan enthusiasts to seek out instances of "Engrish," the bits of mangled English found on Japanese products, posters, etc. But bona-fide instances of Engrish—in which the copy writer clearly tried but failed to provide a proper English translation—are hard to find anymore.
There's still plenty of strange English usages to find, but most of them are willfully strange since they're not intended for a native English-speaking audience. Japanese companies know how to hire a decent translator when it's necessary, but it you gain nothing by observing English convention, why bother? This go-nuts attitude makes for some interesting insights into the language.
Take this sign outside a local bar, which I consider a revelation. You don't have to be ashamed of your drinking; enjoy it! It's like booze is coming out of the closet after all these years. What a refreshing take. When I first saw this sign, I had an impulse to fly back to America and open my own bar called "Enjoy Drinking." Its overtly upbeat attitude toward public drunkenness would make me a million dollars. But could I get away with it?
Same question for this item. Answer: obviously not. And there's the rub. This may look like a textbook case of Engrish; in fact, it's using the idea of Engrish to its advantage. The designer responsible for this packaging is brilliant, no joke.
These cookies can be found in any Japanese supermarket. They're quite scrumptious despite their name, which is intentional, I assure you. The comedy isn't lost on Japanese customers, but the name is French-ified enough (according to Babelfish, it translates as "couque of adzes") that everyone can be in on the joke while maintaining innocence. Don't buy into the "wacky Japan" meme. This savvy use of language is everywhere in the Japanese commercial space. If you think it's all Engrish, the joke's on you.
