MENU

Chicken without sexual life

Husband and wife’s lung slice

Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman

These are some of the English translations appearing at restaurants which authorities are determined to clean up before the Games.

The Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau is preparing a set of fixed English translations for Chinese menus is set to be published before the Spring Festival in February.

The state news agency Xinhua reported that the final draft, which has been partially revised after soliciting opinions from netizens and language experts, has been sent to the printers and would soon be recommended to restaurants across the country for their bilingual menus.

I, for one, though hope these lovely mistranslations still abound at the time of the Games. It certainly adds a new dimension to eating out!

Just for the record, the menu should have read:

Spring chicken

Pork lungs in chili sauce

 Stir-fried tofu in hot sauce.

Picture of a young boy eating noodles at a restaurant in Beijing by Hyungwon Kang