by Missionary Peter Leyrer
Dear Internet Friends:
There really is no language in the world quite like English. Everywhere you go, somebody speaks it. Here in Taiwan, English is not as common as in some world mission fields, but you will find English speakers often enough to help out new language students like us. Many people in Taiwan consider English a "fashionable" language, and that helps us shop because food and other items may be labelled in English. But "fashionable" English doesn't have to be good English. A manufacturer may simply put English words (or words that he thinks are English) on a product to make it look like an item with international appeal.
Everywhere we look in Taipei we find motor scooters. Almost all of them are made here and a line or two of "fashionable" English decorates almost all of them. I've noted a few of these slogans because I think they're funny. Let me know what you think. I have not edited or revised any of these slogans, their punctuation or spelling.
We reach for the sky. Neither does civilization
The Best Function and Good Sensation
The Best Racer You Are From Now On
Specializing in noble model street bike for noble life
Nobody in the world can be my best partner except the Dio New Generation
Just for wind cutting
The "Hold Me" let us fall in love with brave
The Dreaming Touring Motor with Spanking Kwang Yang Scooter 100E
I don't include these to make fun of the people of Taiwan. We have the found the people here to be hard working, intelligent and hospitable. And before I laugh too much at the English that I see and hear, I need to remember that my Chinese sounds funnier than anything else. These examples of fractured English do make a point, though. The people who wrote those slogans have a message to communicate. They want their customers to know about a good product. They know how to transmit that message in Chinese, but when they try to say the same thing in another language, their efforts fall short.
Your brothers and sisters in world missions here and elsewhere also have a message to communicate: the good news of God's love delivered to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. We can share that message pretty well in the language that our parents taught us, but when we need to speak in another language, the message often falls short. Even those who have studied another language for many years will admit to this frustration. I know that many of you keep us in your prayers. We appreciate that. In your prayers, ask that the Lord would bless our language study, and that he would enable Christians everywhere to communicate clearly the good news of Jesus Christ. And as you have opportunity to speak to somebody about Jesus in words your listener will understand, count yourself blessed and take the opportunity.
In Jesus Name,
Pete Leyrer
pjleyrer@ms10.hinet.net