Some “important” news…apparently “baby changing station” is literally a place to exchange babies and the THSR has made an huge gaffe by using this translation for the place where one changes diapers/nappies. They suggest using the incorrect “DIAPER CHANGEZONE”.
How the hell did they get this idea? Is there any way of telling these idiots they are wrong?
http://www.nownews.com/2008/08/04/91-2314926.htm
I wouldn’t know how to tell the original complainers they’re wrong, wrong, wrong. (But I’m trying muttering it right now, just in case that works.)
Taiwan Gaotie’s Web site, however, has a suggestions form and a customer-service number (6626-8000).
[quote=“Mawvellous”]Some “important” news…apparently “baby changing station” is literally a place to exchange babies and the HSR has made an huge gaffe by using this translation for the place where one changes diapers/nappies. They suggest using the incorrect “DIAPER CHANGEZONE”.
How the hell did they get this idea? [/quote]
Like all the others: word-by-word translation + poor grammar skills
No. I mean you could probably call or email them but don´t expect that they will listen to your advise. Chabuduo and all that.
Bunch of fucking pillocks. A product made and presumably named by a company in the US, yet some halfwitted blowhard over here thinks his Enrishee spikk-spikk is better.
Anyway, it should be “Put off stinky napkin shitty smell area.”
You mean I CAN’T swap my baby there? Bugger.
Right I told the HSR people that the English is correct.
In fact my Chinese teacher raised the subject in our class today, she had also thought the “baby changing station” could be a place where your baby might be snatched by a “heiren”, at least that’s what I thought I heard–I would prefer to put it down to my poor listening skills.
Strange day.
Edit: my dictionary says that “heiren” can also mean “unregistered resident” or “disgraced/wanted person” - is this usage still found in Taiwan?
Did you read this sentence in the article:
So, which “foreign friends” think it’s wrong?
[quote=“asiababy”]Did you read this sentence in the article:
So, which “foreign friends” think it’s wrong?[/quote]The guy in the video with a slight European accent who obviously doesn’t know what “Change the baby” means, or is having a laugh or was asked a loaded question like “Is ‘Changing the baby’ a strange phrase?”
Apparently “Judy” on the Tarako Express imagined her child being exchanged for another. I am guessing they made this up. Could the meaning be confused in any dialect of English?
city.udn.com/125/2969009
On another bug bear, why are foreigners often only addressed by their first name in the Taiwanese media?
[quote=“cranky laowai”]I wouldn’t know how to tell the original complainers they’re wrong, wrong, wrong. (But I’m trying muttering it right now, just in case that works.)
Taiwan Gaotie’s Web site, however, has a suggestions form and a customer-service number (6626-8000).[/quote]Does that page work?
I don’t know if that one works, because some time ago I left a complaint about the cleaner leaving all the toilet garbage bags on the baby changing station but never heard back.
I did write to the website that posted this article earlier today. I used this email:
The UDN website has a section where you can leave comments. Good to see that the locals seem to have as much disdain for the media here as I do. That was unbelievably bad journalism, especially since a quick google search would have stopped the offending article from ever appearing.
They still seem to be incapable of admitting they were completely wrong.
udn.com/NEWS/LIFE/LIF1/4456582.shtml
Are you using Wenlin too? I’ve heard 黑人 plenty of times here, and given the manner in which I’ve often heard it used I thought it simply meant ‘nigger’. This does not excite me, given that my wife is an African American.
Yeah I use Wenlin, which I find excellent–except that I am sometimes confused by the mainland usages, different tones and so on.
I thought “黑人” would just mean “black person”, wouldn’t “nigger” be “黑鬼”?
I’m guessing that there is nothing wrong with the term “黑人” in itself, just the context in which it is too often used in Taiwan.
Same!
No idea.
Yeah, it just sounds like ‘nigger’.
You know, what really gets me about this story is, someone is spending time and money researching this whole thing, when they really should be going around and fixing all the broken ones in the MRT stations… oh well that would be… useful.
Whatever newspapers report on in Taiwan isn’t a waste of money… they have no news to report on anyway! They probably had to dig really deep and hard just to find a hint of crap to report on.
Don’t you all remember on the TV news that some reporter took a hair dryer to the THSR tickets and showed how they turned black when subject to the direct heat of the hair dryer for a couple of minutes?! What an outrage! What if someone put the ticket in their hair after a shower, and then was blow-drying and the ticket turned BLACK and burned them?! Imagine the lawsuits!
And what about yesterday’s news about Mr. Ma’s mother going to the hospital, or something? Like, c’mon! World leaders aren’t usually subject to this same kind of paparazzi. I bet Ma wanted to be a celebrity and not the president…
OH… and my most important comment! This “Baby Changing Station” fiasco was probably caused by some ESL “foreigner” who came to Taiwan and all of a sudden started priding himself on his English “skills” (even though French, German, Russian, etc. is actually his first language and he’s nowhere near native in English, but is teaching at an “American kindergarten” anyway). And then, “Oh, let me go around and raise a fuss about any little mistake in English here. That way, I can prove that I am great!” WTF.
There was also that thing about the post office writing “prompt deli” on their boxes… and some dude saying, “Uhh… I thought it was referring to ‘delicatessen.’” All I have to say is, “Sir, you’re an idiot. That’s a mailbox.”
And then there was the dude arguing about “UN for Taiwan.” (But, I’m glad that the GIO Chief showed him!)
And the THSR got nailed again about “Kiss ‘n’ ride.” WHAT?! You HAVE TO kiss before riding?! WTF!!!
MERCY… an entire country scrutinizing everything English, everywhere, takes a toll on ya.
Great post!
I don’t know what exactly you’re referring to in this part, but I just gotta say that I love those signs! They’re so cute! Just like the ones on the DC metro stops. I feel so nostalgic whenever I see them. 
I don’t know what exactly you’re referring to in this part, but I just gotta say that I love those signs![/quote]
David on Formosa has several posts on “kiss and ride”. Here’s one of his photos at a high-speed rail station.
