you can you up

[Mike12345]

You can you up

Teachers, Is this sentence correct? In my opinion, I think it is wrong, for you up doesn't make sense.

 

[Mike12345]

Mr Piscean, The sentence is very popular in China. It means if you can do that thing, you do.

 

[GoesStation]

It makes no sense in international English.

 

[Tdol]

It hasn't any inroads that I know of outside China.

 

[Mike12345]

Mr Piscean,I did not translate. There are many interesting English words in China. For example, " day day up, good good study", “people mountain people sea”，"Let me give some color see see", " long time no see"......

 

[Mike12345]

It hasn't any inroads that I know of outside China.

Mr Tdol, why do you use "of" in this sentence?

 

[Raymott]

None of those are English.
"Long time no see" is occasionally used in English. It means "I haven't seen you for a long time". But it came into English via Chinglish.

 

[Lynxear]

None of those are English.
"Long time no see" is occasionally used in English. It means "I haven't seen you for a long time". But it came into English via Chinglish.

Well, Asian countries have many many funny examples where they brutally translate their language to English.

But the problems go the other way too. In a marketing course that I took we were cautioned about using English words when advertising in a foreign country.

On example of this came via a rather well known maker of women's hair products Miss Clairol. It was back in 1985 when I took this course. Clairol called their hair spray product "hair mist" and they decided to market this product in Germany. Sales were terrible and not what they expected for this rather good product. Then they were informed that "mist" was also a German word and it translated to "excrement" (to use a polite term). Who in their right mind would spray that on their head?

 

[bubbha]

None of those are English.
"Long time no see" is occasionally used in English. It means "I haven't seen you for a long time". But it came into English via Chinglish.

The origins of "long time no see" are uncertain, but they are often ascribed to Chinese or American Indian speakers of pidgin English.

 

[bubbha]

Mr Tdol, why do you use "of" in this sentence?

"know of" means "know about".

 

[andrewg927]

Well, Asian countries have many many funny examples where they brutally translate their language to English.

But the problems go the other way too. In a marketing course that I took we were cautioned about using English words when advertising in a foreign country.

On example of this came via a rather well known maker of women's hair products Miss Clairol. It was back in 1985 when I took this course. Clairol called their hair spray product "hair mist" and they decided to market this product in Germany. Sales were terrible and not what they expected for this rather good product. Then they were informed that "mist" was also a German word and it translated to "excrement" (to use a polite term). Who in their right mind would spray that on their head?

Transnational companies these days no doubt have their own international department that takes care of all the translation issues.

 

[andrewg927]

You can you up

Teachers, Is this sentence correct? In my opinion, I think it is wrong, for you up doesn't make sense.

I thought I saw "I can you up" but after reading all the comments on here it is clear the phrase is Chinglish.

 

[andrewg927]

Mr Piscean,I did not translate. There are many interesting English words in China. For example, " day day up, good good study", “people mountain people sea”，"Let me give some color see see", " long time no see"......

Except for "long time no see", I have no idea what these phrases mean. Do you happen to use "monkey see monkey do"?

 

[Mike12345]

Mr Lynxear, your English is too difficult for me to understand!

 

[andrewg927]

I don't think you should attach Mr. to anyone on here unless you are certain of their gender.

 

[Mike12345]

I have no idea what "monkey see monkey do" mean.

​

 

[Mike12345]

I just want to be polite!

 

[andrewg927]

I know. But you also know that Mr. only applies to men, right? With women, you can use Ms. There are women on this forum and your politeness will quickly become misguided if you misidentify their gender.

 

[andrewg927]

I have no idea what "monkey see monkey do" mean.

​

Looking at the examples you gave I just thought maybe people in China used that phrase as well because of similar syntax.

 

[Tdol]

I have no idea what "monkey see, monkey do" means.

​

It means that people, often children, imitate the behaviour they see, so they will copy bad examples.