Chinglish

One day Franc Zabkar got dressed and committed to text

Hey Frank, The whole western world is full of those sorta manuals. I reckon there are a few chinamen out there laughing their ass's off at us :-)

-- Regards ..... Rheilly Phoull

Vice versa. Sometimes I wonder why they even bother.

Now, if you found a chinese made product with a clear, concise, accurate and syntactically correct manual, now THAT would by newsworthy! :-)

What! Real men throw out the manual without even glancing at it.

Thanks, I just spit my coffee all over my keyboard.

Classic, even as Chinglish goes.

How would it be for someone from over here in the western world to write a manual in Chinese or Japanese?

I am sure it would be full of these types of errors, but in to their direction. You have to give credit to these people, that they came very far in the last number of years. As for their engineering, and skills to be able to developed the mass manufacturing at a very low cost, this alone was a great accomplishment. I realize that they had a lot of help from the R&D technology companies from the western world, but they still did a great accomplishment, considering their historic background.

--

JANA _____

PREPARATION OF REMOTE CONTROLLER

Load the batteries to the groove of the remote controller and then enable you to operate the native

OPERATION SCOPE OF THE REMOTE CONTROLLER

Make the controller toward the inductive window of native and then press the keys

1. Distance: about seven meters in front of the inductive window
2. Angle: about 30 degree right or left refer to the frontispiece of the native's front panel

The serial data interface is used to update the software version and enrich the database of this device

Do not tie the antenna signal cable (line) with power line in order to avoid causing the watching effect be affected

USEFUL PROMPT

To prolong the useful life of this machine, the interval of the continuous switch action must be above one minute

The parameter of using power source should be squared with which indicated on the rear panel, or the machine will work improperly and even be ruined

When the picture the unexpected nonresponse happening, please turn on the machine again

NOTE: Any changes will not be noticed in advance. Our company reserves the rights for the explanation of the discrepancy

- Franc Zabkar

-- Please remove one 's' from my address when replying by email.

Heck... These days, I have trouble finding that kind of manual quality with lots of equipment, including that made in the USA! ;-)

If only other manufacturers had learned from the example set by the early (prior to the late 80's) Tektronix and GE mobile radio manuals...

Keep the peace(es).

Rubbish.

They are built of the same stuff, same grey matter. If anything they pump out a higher percentage of engineers etc. They have been chaffing at the bit for ages to jump on the industrial bandwagon.

If we had a requirement to produce a manual in Chinese or Japanese or any other language for that matter, we would get a translator who can speak the other lingo correctly.

I don't know if its pride or just an assumption that their high school english cuts it, that they continue to produce their manuals without getting them proof read, but either way, their manuals suck.

Bryan

try

Ben

Please improve your English or mentality before posting here. Thanks!

The hardest part of this is finding someonw not only knows the language well but have a good under standing of the product, or is willing to learn about your product.

Most of the people who does these trnslations are armed little more that and a dictionary.

I've done some translation myself, both from English to Chinese and the otherway round. I've experieced how hard it is sometimes to come up with that perfect phrase. It is oftern difficult to get someone to proof read it since

1. you are probably the only that able to translate into target language
2. even if you're not, there is probably no one more capable.,

In my opinion, he only way to get good quality translation is to hire a full time manual writer in the target language who is to learn your product inside out. you can only guarantee high quality manuals if it is written from the propective of the users from the target language.

Some instructions just doesn't translate well across cultures.

Thats all I've got for now.

PS. I anyone has translation consignment(especially for document in the EE field) I'd like to rack up some practice. I can do Chinese to English. I can go the other way, but I'm not as eloquent. It'll be functional but not all that pretty. I'll be trying for my NAATI level 3 later this year, it be nice to get some practice under the belt.

are

How are your Mandarin or Cantonese?

Absolute nonsense. The simple fact is, the Chinese can't be bothered. E.g. Silicon valley, which is now nearly 50% immigrant Asian and which has been decimated by the 'dot com collapse' is chock full of companies who write decent English manuals, and chock full of people who're desperate for gainful employment of any kind.

It's greed and sheer laziness on the part of Asian (mostly Chinese) manufacturers. Nothing else.

Or proof that Chinese are capable of bullshit like everyone else, "Yes, I spoke prefect Engrish"!

"Rick" while reading the NewsGroups, found courage and express out opinion in news:wVmne.13935$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net:

For the price you are paying, you should be grateful that a manual is supplied at all.

If you are willing to purchase the item at lower rate, you should be willing to receive less than perfect service.

If you think that they are getting too much for their effort, then prove them otherwise. Produce the same product, sell them at the same price and give the properly written english instruction. See if you will last in the market place or gone bankrupt before your first batch sold out.

English is a language that's evolving. It gets parts from German, french , scott, welsh, spanish, etc. Now it will get Chinese. So live with it, you plick!

Par.

Well, it shouldn't be hard for english speakers to write decent manuals in English.

I did actually mean that, perhaps I should've added "can't find someone like that, for the price they are willing to pay".

And naturally you would pay more to buy the same product with a manual in what you consider to be good English?

Ken

That's a classic ROFL