The concept is interesting however the illustration accompanying the story is not so.
While both English and Arabic alphabets are up-right and correct, the four Chinese characters are upside-down.
認真爆笑 means "serious laughter" in Chinese.
This is second time I have spotted Wired magazine making similar snafu.
how about the translation?
ReplyDeleteis that what OMFG really mean?
i would've thought - ok, maybe a little traditional - it'd be 我的天啊
Agreed, 我的天啊 would be much better translation.
ReplyDeleteI'd say 啥米碗糕 (sia mi wa ko, in hokkien/taiwanese) is a more appropriate (and coarser) translation.
ReplyDeleteIt literally means "what is this cum?", 碗糕 being a thick liquid that is most commonly interpreted that way.
The Arabic reads "Loool!" which isn't really the same as "OMFG!" either
ReplyDeleteThe arabic is a direct transliteration, with extra letters. The first character (from the right) is a "lam" and an "wow" combined together. Then there are two "wows" followed by a "lam", this time alone. In other words: (now left to right) "LO O O L !"
ReplyDeleteThe actual translation should be something like "W'allahi!" (Oh my God!), at least in Egyptian Arabic.
So, did you email them again telling them about yet another mistake concerning Chinese?
ReplyDeleteIt would serve them right.
Qi
okay, but does "serious laughter" mean anything Chinese (idomatically speaking)? or it just a pair of words strung together that would mean nothing to a Chinese person upon viewing?
ReplyDeletep.s. really enjoying your website, which i found today! :D