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Charlie Croker

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Lost in Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad Paperback – July 1, 2007

by Charlie Croker (Author)

4.3 183 ratings

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In today's world - characterized by globalization, mass communication, cheap air travel and abundant Chinese takeaways - surely no self-respecting English-language enthusiast could have failed to notice the frequent and flagrant abuse of our native tongue by pesky foreigners?

Forgetting, for a moment, the fact that many nations speak our language better than we do, and that most people's grasp, say, of Dutch, amounts to jabbing the "Lonely Planet" guidebook's picture of the Van Gogh Museum and saying 'Where?' loudly (and in English), it is nevertheless true to say that unintentional mistranslation is often hilarious.

"Lost in Translation" features hundreds of genuine, original and utterly ridiculous examples of these experiments in linguistic expression, gathered from around the globe by the author and his intrepid team of researchers. Published in an attractive, gift-book format,

"Lost in Translation" runs the gamut from hotel signs to baffling advertisements (such as the German beauty product offering a 'Cream shower for pretentious skin'), with all manner international meaning-mangling in between.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Michael O'Mara
Publication date

July 1, 2007
ISBN-10

1741730066
ISBN-13

978-1741730067
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Michael O'Mara (July 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1741730066
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1741730067
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds

Customer Reviews:
4.3 183 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

183 global ratings

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Lawrence S.

Must read for well traveled people.

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013

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Hilarious, we read it from the library on a cruise and immediately ordered 3 copies, 1 for us and the others went to our travel agent and to another well traveled friend. A good book to just have around when you need a little "pick-me-up".

One person found this helpful

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Alexis

International humor

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2013

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Wonderfully entertaining even for non-linguists. Contains hundreds of well-meaning translations that miss the mark with hilarious results. Get set to roar with laughter. Highly recommended.

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tiggrie AKA Sarah

Genuinely funny

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2012

Some of the snippets in here are recycled from elsewhere, and there are the odd few that fall a little flat, but there are many laugh-out-loud entries, too. I actually got a sore throat from laughing at some of them.

Personally, I think this is a book to dip into. Some of the examples won't tickle your funny bone - others may be a little repetitive. Overall, the belly laughs outweigh the duds, and certain gems are almost worth the purchase all by themselves. A lot of fun!

3 people found this helpful

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Maria

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2013

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I purchased this for my son, and he is enjoying it very much. It's a fun book to have around.

One person found this helpful

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R Helen

Does not live up to its potential!

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

I bought this book because I was looking for something entertaining and not too thought provoking for my flight to Berlin. It's a series of quotes the author came across during his travels abroad where the English is used incorrectly. This can lead to some strange sounding sentences. And while there were a few funny quotes here and there, for the most part this book just gets tiresome after awhile. Many of them aren't even that funny. Plus, how can you make a whole book out of this? I was actually expecting the author to make some comments on the misuse of the English language or at least tell us something and give some meaning to this book, but it really is just a series of quotes. I got rid of it because it wasn't worth holding on to. Don't waste your money.

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Eve Wright

One of the funniest books you will ever read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2022

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Prior to this one, I bought an earlier edition and only saw the comment on the cover that read: "Do not read this book on public transport" after sitting on a train with tears running down my cheeks.
These are true mistakes in English from around the world and they are absolutely hilarious.
The book is worth every penny.

tired bicyclist

Wurde mir vorgeschlagen

Reviewed in Germany on February 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Schnelle Amazon Lieferung.
Gut verpackt wie immer.
Da ich über mein Profil immer wieder Vorschläge auf meiner Amazon Seite finde, stöbere ich diese durch und kaufe von Zeit zu Zeit ein Buch wie dieses. Mein Profil ist bekannt und ich erhalte Vorschläge zu Belletristik, Reiseliteratur, Politik und auch Krimis.
Bin mit den Vorschlägen meist zufrieden.
Oft gibt es die Möglichkeit "Blick ins Buch", so wurde ich oft zu einem Kauf annimiert.

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Grace

bellissimo!

Reviewed in Italy on January 1, 2016

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assolutamente divertente ! bellissimo! lo consiglio anche per migliorare l'inglese di quelli che, come me, purtroppo non possono parlarlo molto.

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Siv

A classic collection of misuse of English

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2022

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A hilarious book showing how mistakes can be made by people trying to writeEnglish but not quite getting it right. I like the range of situations and countries covered. It is great to dip into for a good laugh.

eva

great book

Reviewed in Germany on December 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

The examples are really good, I had a good laugh many times. As I travel a lot, I could experience similar "explanations" many times - they are all true!

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