Sometimes a sign is simply lost in translation, sometimes the graphics get out of hand. Translated signs can have bad spelling, with humorous consequences. Instructional signs can leave us baffled.
Here are some of my favorite funny signs from around the world. No country can seem to avoid presenting signs that make us scratch our heads or outright laugh.
Food is often the subject matter for crazy translation. This menu at a Beijing restaurant is at least reassuring?
“We serve meat that is crisp and not rotten!”
Well, if America has an ice cream sandwich, then Japan can take it to another level.
An ice cream burger is a real thing in Tokyo.
Speaking of ice cream, this sign at the Incheon airport in Korea wants you to try Turkey ice cream. At least someone caught the error and decided “Turkeysh” was a good fix.
Turkey ice cream with goat’s milk.
In the U.S. it is actually possible to buy bacon-flavored dental floss. I’ll pass. But in Asia, bacon floss has an entirely different meaning.
Bacon floss treats in Bangkok.
I think this elevator in China is going to be shut down more than temporarily. First, they have to get rid of the escalator.
“This elevator is temporarily shut down.”
Bumper stickers can be funny, but I’m sure this one didn’t intend to be.
Mama’s in the car. Good. Baby’s on the road?
Misspellings are pretty common in translations. This one still gets the point across.
Asia art for sale, both hosale and retel.
Here’s another misspelling, from a shop in Bangkok. Maybe they work really hard.
Clothes made here by toilers.
Make sure you go to the right place. In Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, the Museum of Tortury is right next door to the police station.
Take your pick. Torture museum or police station.
Sometimes direction signs can leave us a little confused.
Still wondering how to get on this bus.
This sign in Chengdu, China just seems to be toying with visitors.
Apparently non-visitors can go straight ahead.
This directional sign in Beijing’s central business district is very specific. Go left if you want a hotel. Go right for plastic surgery.
This way for plastic surgery and a second hand.
Here is maybe the scariest sign I have ever seen in my travels. It seems to warn you to wear a gas mask and seat belt or risk falling down into a dangerous hole. The only problem was that this Beijing neighborhood sign was on the entrance to a public restroom!
Beware of what might happen in a public toilet!
Speaking of toilets in China, some of them are rated by the government. I visited this 4-star toilet. I don’t want to see the 1-star version.
This toilet gets 4 stars!
Warning signs are helpful, for sure. Sometimes they just state the obvious, such as this sign near Hana, Maui.
Attention. Invasive plants have taken over this sign.
I think there are more warning signs in the U.S. than any other country, probably because there are more lawyers than anywhere else.
You never know when you might get hit by a hang glider.
In the same area of San Francisco: if you manage to escape hang gliders, you still might fall over a cliff. Note: I actually saw a cliff rescue here at Fort Funston. Apparently, people don’t read.
People and dogs really do fall off these cliffs.
Maybe because people don’t read, China has gone to warning drivers through pictures and graphics. I’m still trying to figure out this road sign.
Do not let your car explode on this street.
Here is another sign written by the lawyers. In a tranquil park in suburban Orange County, California, apparently we are in danger of being eaten by lions, bitten by poisonous snakes and insects, or just swept away by Mother Nature.
Your safety cannot be guaranteed. Expect to die.
Park signs in China tend to be more instructional. People are used to being told specifically what not to do.
“…Don’t spit or relieve the bowls on the ground…”
A park in Hainan, China provides a little more latitude. You are only to kill hostile living things. Figure it out.
It’s up to you to decide what animal to kill in this park.
Riding a Chinese cable car has its own set of instructions, including who is prohibited from riding. Do you get to make the decision?
Not allowed on cable car: “Drunkard and people who are insane.”
This is the friendliest “keep off the grass” sign I have encountered in my travels.
The grass is smiling at you. Please detour.
Speaking of signs that tell you what not to do, this is my favorite.
Would it be easier to just say what we are allowed to do?
My neighboring town, artistic Laguna Beach, California, has several new age signs. They include “Breathe” and “Relax, UR OK.”
Continuing the theme of positivity . . .
Finally, we have this sign on a corner deep into a Beijing alley or hutong. I can’t read Chinese characters, and I can’t decipher the English translation either.
If you weren’t already lost, this ought to guarantee it.
Do you have any favorite signs? You can relate their stories at the bottom of this post.
