So I was offhandedly asked what the town's motto would be in English. In Japanese, it was something like 月の引力が強い町 (don't remember clearly, but I think that was it). In translation it would mean, "the effect of the moon on the tide is strong in this town." Literally, it is just "[the] moon's gravity [is] strong[ly effective on the tide in our] town".
So I said, "Uh... 'Tara: the moon's effect is strong here...' or something?"
It wasn't until later I realized they were making this translation into a t-shirt.
Not only have I contributed to the Engrish phenomenon, but the shirts will give everyone who reads it the impression that the residents of this town are lunatics (the entymology of lunatic is one who goes crazy as the moon becomes fuller).
What a strange motto for a city in any language. I mean who really travels somewhere to see a strong tide affected by the gravitational pull of the moon, besides oceanographers?
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine the committee gatherings that took place to decide on the phrase?
The chairman speaks.
"What have we got here that'll bring the tourists flooding in?"
The room is filled with random grumblings and heads nodding. Simultaneously, eyes narrow and heads tilt upward and to the left as cranks and gears begin whizzing and whirling in the heads of committee.
After a couple of minutes, the nervous guy sitting in the corner of the room raises his trembling hand.
"We've got..." he begins, but pauses to gulp, then continues, "a strong lunar-gravitational pull on our tides..."
Eyes widen with the wave of excitement that splashes the ingenious idea around the board room.
offhand, I think the whole being a fishing town may have had something to do with it. It at least sounds cooler in Japanese, right?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds cooler in Japanese, but it still has this weird sortof Lovecraftian undertone to it.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of like, the town in Uzumaki by Junji Ito or something :)
I want one of those shirts.
ReplyDeleteI'm serious.