A week or so ago I posted a bunch of badly-translated signs I spotted while on holiday in China in 2009. Here’s the second installment.

1. At least people will remember the name

I actually spotted this shop in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok area. With that name, I wonder if they’ve ever considered expanding into the UK.

2. Choiceness raw material

Mmmm, appetising.

3. Protect CircumStance

Spotted on the back of a bin in Shanghai. I guess the sentiment is right, even if the wording could be better. And CircumStance could be a strangely-capitalised web 2.0 brand.

4. …from the small start around

Is this the Chinese equivalent of ‘every little helps’? Actually, I think it’d be great if recycling bins over here were called reverse vending machines.

5. Step into my office

Of all the signs I saw, this was the one that made me laugh out loud. Spotted in a shop in Beijing’s super-cool 798 Space (well worth a visit, by the way). I wonder if the people in the office got more than they bargained for.

If you’re looking for a decent, free image editing tool, but don’t need the expense of Photoshop or the complexity of GIMP, I can highly recommend Paint.NET.

However, if you plan on downloading this free software, stay sharp when you’re on the Paint.NET website. Because the link to download isn’t quite as obvious as it seems:

That big ‘DOWNLOAD’ button with the huge green arrow that drags your eyes in and won’t let go? That’s not it.

It is, in fact, an advert. It takes you to www.searchale.com, a site offering ‘the ultimate search tool’ – as far as I can tell, a toolbar you can download and use in your web browser.

I can’t find much other information about the company, apart from this complaint from someone who had the ad appear unexpectedly on their own website. So my advice would be to steer clear.

Oh, the actual download link? It’s up the top there, just beneath the logo:

It’s not hard to see how SearchAle benefits from this advertising. I’m sure there are more people using its toolbar then there would have been otherwise.

I just wonder how many of those people actually wanted it, or even understood what they were downloading.

Chinglish is English which has been inaccurately translated into Chinese. I always thought its prevalence on signs and notices in China was overstated. Until, that is, I visited to China for myself in 2009. Here are five of the best examples I spotted on that three week trip.

1. No strinding

Spotted at Chengdu Panda Base. Please, please drop me a line if you know what this means.

2. Don’t visit the head

If you happen to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu, make sure you don’t lose your head. Or something.

3. LOOKOUTKNOCKHEAD

There must be a lot of concern for people’s heads. Spotted at the Summer Palace.

4. Avoid this restaurant

I think I had a curry with similar after-effects once.

5. The grass is smiling

The Olympic Park in Beijing has various friendly signs encouraging you not to do things.

Don’t forget to check back soon for part two…