Lost in translation: Chinglish.com steps into fray

SHANGHAI, Oct 31 (Reuters) As ambitious parents in western countries cram their children into Mandarin classes and career-minded Chinese students study English, an online service has stepped into the fray -- Chinglish.com.

Chinglish -- a word which returned no results on Dictionary.com or online dictionary Merriam-Webster -- is typically taken to mean a sort of Chinese-English pidgin.

The term echoes the term ''Engrish,'' which is used to describe mistranslations into English in Asian countries and has led rise to cult Web sites such as www.engrish.com.

Calling Chinese and English the ''major languages of the future,'' Chinglish BV -- a Dutch company with venture capital backing -- launched today with the aim of breaking ''the communication barrier separating China and the West.'' ''Chinglish's mission is to promote linguistic and cultural exchange between China and the West by creating a virtual Internet community in which Chinese and English coexist and enrich each other,'' Chinglish chief executive Marius van Bergen said in a statement.

But while Chinglish.com, which helps translate emails to and from Chinese and English, accurately translated well-known Chinese sayings, some creative liberties arose.

The Chinese authorities' one-child policy dictum ''It is good to have just one child,'' (or ''zhi sheng yi ge haizi hao,'' in phonetic Mandarin Chinese) translates to a slightly foreboding ''It is good to only give birth to a child.'' Free online translation service Babelfish's answer? ''Only lives a child to be good.'' A search for ''Chinglish'' under Google Images yields a string of Chinese signs bearing mistranslations including ''show mercy to the green lives under your foot,'' for ''keep off the grass,'' and ''Let your head knocked (here)'' for ''Mind your head.'' Beijing authorities hope to eradicate Chinglish from bilingual signs from the Chinese capital in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, state media have reported.

The Beijing Speaks to the World Committee is also working hard to identify mistranslations in the capital city, which have included ''Racist Park'' for Park of Ethnic Minorities and wet road signs proclaiming ''the slippery are very crafty''.

REUTERS AB SSC1339