The idiosyncratic English of Taiwan's public signage: A photo essay on errors and charm
By
Tao Lin
Summary
A photo essay and cultural observation about the widespread, often erroneous and idiosyncratic use of English in Taiwanese public signage. The author documents examples of mistranslations, grammatical errors, and unintentionally poetic English found on signs, shirts, and advertisements during a twelve-day visit to Taiwan, reflecting on the relaxed standards for English-language text in the country's public typography.
Source
Twitter / XThe idiosyncratic English of Taiwan's public signage: A photo essay on errors and charmtheparisreview.orgKey quotes
· 4 pulledI'm not sure why Taiwan has so much English—maybe due to optimism regarding tourism and business.
Whatever the reason, it has resulted in widespread error-ridden, idiosyncratic, and unintentionally poetic English in public typography.
Mistakes and oddities have decorated the landscape for decades.
Cute-looking animals often stand in for humans in Taiwanese signage.
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