taiwan scoot culture
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FROM..Motorcycle Philippines -
taken from taipeilife.net; super nakakatawa
Scooter-Talk
Broken English from Taipei's Motorcycles
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One of the more interesting aspects of Taiwan culture (indeed, all over Asia) is this predilection for all things Western, especially the English language. Sure, there are people interested in English all over the world. But, nowhere is the market for English teachers so huge; nowhere else do people choose English names, and use them (even with each other, not just with foreigners) instead of their Chinese given names. Around here, manufacturers put English words on everything from clothing to waste-baskets, because it sells. Scooter manufacturers are no different. Sometimes, the words seem to be chosen at random out of a dictionary. More often, they are a lame attempt at translating something that would actually sound cool in Chinese.
Whatever.
For some more notes on Taipei traffic, and scooter life in general, check out this section of my Taipei Life page. Perhaps if I get time, I'll also add a page on Jacket-Talk, as the stuff they put on clothing is generally even funnier than what goes on Scooters. ;-)
Before I dive in to the actual scooter quotes, I'd like to offer a little background on this phenomenon. (If you'd like to skip ahead to the Scooter Talk, click here.)
Why Scooter Talk?
As I said before, English sells. But, Chinese-flavored English sells even better. What I mean by this is that, although any random English (or sometimes French) words will make you or your product seem more cosmopolitan and worldly, choosing words that reflect Chinese culture is even better.
You see, signs and slogans in Chinese tend to be a lot more high-falutin' than what we're used to in the West. Even a small mom-and-pop type greasy-spoon cafe, which in the States might be called "Joe's Eats", here in Taiwan is often called something like "Magnificent Sunrise Noodle Shop". Even something more pedestrian like "Good-Tastin' Noodles" (Xin Wei Mian Dian) would most likely be translated straight out of the dictionary as "Happy Flavors Noodle Restaurant".
Honestly, in Chinese this sounds quite normal.
Indeed, if you mention to someone that "Happy Flavors" sounds funny in English, and that "Good-Tastin'" would be a better translation, they often seem to feel a bit disappointed, as if "Good Tastin'" is too low or common, and doesn't reflect enough of the high-minded poetry of the original.
This is really no fault of the locals. It just never occurs to most folks that what sounds good (and commonplace) in Chinese might sound pretentious and hoity-toity (or perhaps even have sexual overtones) in English. Indeed, why should they care anyway? These scooters are not sold overseas. They are only for the domestic market, and the scooter talk has a proven sales record.
A lot of scooter-talk reflects this tendency. Just as marketing-creeps everywhere want you to feel good about their wares, Taiwan's scooter manufacturers want their customers to feel like the purchase of a scooter will somehow transform one into a dynamic, cool, independent, artistic person. (In fact, I've seen all of these words on scooters before.) When you add to this the inevitable mis-spellings, grammar goofs, and syntax-slips, you end up with an amazingly entertaining witch's brew of fractured phrases and double-entendres.
Scooter Basics
There are several major manufacturers of scooters in Taiwan: Yamaha (Shan Yeh is the Mandarin reading of the Japanese name, which means "mountain leaf"); Honda (The Japanese name would be ben tian in Mandarin Chinese, but they generally say hong da, [great big] which sounds about like the Japanese pronunciation); San Yang (literally three suns, most bikes from the Honda plant here in Taiwan go by this Chinese brand name); Vespa (the Chinese rendering Wei Shi Pai means "great scholar brand"); Suzuki (lîng mù means "bell wood"); and Kawasaki (chuan qí "rugged river path").
There are also several 'lines' put out by each of the major manufacturers. (Vespa is the only brand that doesn't do this.) Some examples of this are: Duke, Cabin, Fuzzy, Dio, Target, Freeway, Heroism, Refined, Tact, and J.O.G. (I don't know if J.O.G.is supposed to stand for anything). These lines are like the the brands made by GM and Ford (Mercury, Lincoln, Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, etc.) and there are model divisions within each line. The way the scooter-talk works is, you'll see a scooter with a line name like "TACT" written in large letters across the sides, and then the scooter talk written in smaller print along with it.
Scooter Quotes
Here are some of my favorite sayings, as I've recorded them from the fenders of Taipei scooters. Where it seems appropriate, I have added some explanatory notes.
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"Cabin Z -
Welcome to Cabin Z Scooter
It's a scooter with European styling
and Dynamic movements...
RACING TEAM"
This is longer than most, but typical.
"Jockey 125 - Join us to ride it!"
Another common one.
"Ling-Dao -- Hyper Exhaust"
The 'ling-dao' is in Chinese characters (which is rare), and means 'leader'.
"Honda DJ-1RR --New Sensitive and Aggressive Preference"
This is a good one!
"KYMCO Filly 50 - In Touch With Tomorrow"
Average...
"KYMCO COMET - Motive Power Give You Super Power"
Now this is a good one!
"PARTY 100 - Flying Angel of Elegant, Nimble and Beautiful"
Party on, Wayne...
DUKE 125DL - Set me free - Let me alone
This may be my new favorite... concise, direct... almost poetic! (Almost)
"CHA-CHA 90 -
keep clean - keep pleasant - keep healthy
Giving you the best sensation all I have."
This is a pretty new one, but it's a good one.
"CIO 125 --
Super Motorcycle,
Good Striker,
Tomg Woei!"
I have no idea what that last bit is supposed to be. Presumably it's something in Chinese, but I have yet to find any native Chinese speaker who can tell me what it stands for.
"Yamaha TECH-21
For Your Nice Scooter Scene"
(See my note below on "For you nice scene".)
"Yamaha TECH-21
Fresh and Sporty Sense"
A very old one. It's actually quite rare nowadays.
"FUZZY - Of The Wind Called"
They also say "Fuzzy - the scooter of wind called" in some other versions.
"Man - BOY
Close to Nature"
Isn't that illegal in most states?
"MOVIE 125 - Your Future Depends On It"
I guess I'd better run out and buy one then!
"We Reach for the Sky
Neither Does Civilization
"
This is a classic!
"You Got to Feel the Happiness of Riding"
There are several variations on this theme, such as "Enjoy the Happiness..." (etc.)
"Specializing in Noble Model Street Bike for Noble Life"
I'm rather fond of this one...
"YAMAHA - Sparkling Scooter"
What is this, a bottle of wine or a motorcycle?
"Feel Big!"
This is on the side of a 50cc bike!
"J.O.G. is Fascinating to You!"
JOG is another 'line' or 'model' of scooters.
"All I have Giving you the Best Function"
This is only slightly suggestive, but still a good example.
"TARGET"
The Chinese word mu-biao (or one of its variants) would be better translated as "goal" or "achievement" or something like that. What makes the word "target" particularly hilarious is the driving habits of Taipei citizens (especially Taxi drivers). Knowing how some of these folks hurtle through dark-orange traffic lights, "target" is about the last thing I'd want painted on the side of my motorcycle!
"Enjoy the Riding of Comfort"
Yowzah! Believe me, I'd love to, if only I could find a willing partner!
"Enjoy the Comfortable Riding"
Ditto!
"The Epochal Scooter"
Huh?
"JOG - The Scooter that Adds Style to Life"
What a relief! My life could use some style...
"The Best Racer You are from Now On!"
Gosh, isn't that just swell!
"For Your Nice Scene"
The amazing thing about this one is that I made it up independently one night in a bar, as a joke-example of typical scooter-talk. Then one day I actually saw it on a scooter! Perhaps a marketing guru from a scooter company was sitting at the next table in the pub that night.
"FUZZY - The World Scooter"
I've tried, but I can't think what "World" is supposed to mean here. Even translation into Chinese gives no clue.
"DUKE -
Dreaming Knight of brave,
characteristic, aggressive, active
The modern scooter citizen
for new generation."
Need I say more?
"Human Fitting Concept"
Something to do with ergonomics?
"Enjoy the Lovely Satisfaction On the Road"
Reminds me of that Beatles song: "Why don't we do it in the road?"
"The Smile Across the Miles"
Perhaps this guy got a bit too much of that "lovely satisfaction" on the road?
"New Concepts - By My Own"
This is probably supposed to mean "I'm a free thinker" or some such.
"With Fashionable Feeling"
Translated into Chinese, this would be more like "a good feel for what is fashionable" or just plain "good taste".
"Man/Boy - Jeep Bike"
The punctuation is my own. In reality, the word "boy" is superimposed over the word "man", and "Jeep Bike" is underneath in smaller type.
"Let the Good Time Roll By Freeway"
"Freeway" is one of the lines of bikes mentioned above. The addition of "By" makes it seem like you're letting the good time pass by, rather than just letting it roll, to say nothing of the use of a singular "time" instead of the customary plural.
"Urban Trend"
I believe this is on a "TACT" scooter.
"Dynamic Arts
Status - Stylish - Sporty"
Nice alliteration, but the logic breaks down when you mix a noun with two adjectives.
"Joyful And Powerful"
Is it possible for a scooter to be joyful? Because this 90cc scooter certainly isn't powerful!
"Dynamic Tact"
The "TACT" line has lots of such phrases, including "Super Tact".
"New Colour Trend"
I wonder if this might have something to do with the Chinese word sè (color), which also means "passion".
"REFINED 50 - The "HOld Me" let us fall in Love with Bravo"
The capitalization in "HOld" is authentic. But don't ask me what this is supposed to mean, I haven't a clue!
"No One in the World Can Be My Best Partner Except Zippy Difa Duke Dio for New Generation"
I kid you not!
"DIFA - High Tech Touch"
Okay, this is a little lame...
"Aerodynamics Zone"
That's a little better!
"Aerotype - Just For Wind Cutting"
They were so close to a brilliant, shining example of Scooter-Talk... if only they could have said "Breaking Wind"!
"New City Nobleman"
(This is actually on a 'motorcycle' rather than a scooter, but it's still pretty good.)
"New Chivalry"
Staying with the midieval theme here...
"New Urbane Rider"
Now a modern touch...
"Ridding The Wind"
Yes, that's ridding and not riding. What a great idea! Let's rid the wind of caustic scooter exhaust!
"The Dreaming Touring Motor with Spanking"
For those of you into rougher stuff, I guess... (This one was donated by my friend Dave, though I've also seen it since.)
"Excellent economical motorcycle.
For you and your family's favorite.
It's a pure feeling to drive.
Let's go enjoy the excitement.
Important! Don't kiss me on the road."
This is a real gem! (Note: 'kiss' is one of the English words which is borrowed and bastardized here. In this context, it means 'bump' or 'collide'. In pool, a 'kiss shot' is a carom or combo shot.)
"J.O.G. - The Friendly Scooter On Earth"
This might be a play for the "Green" market, as in "The Environmentally Friendly Scooter", or it might simply mean that J.O.G. is the friendliest (ie: coolest and most fun) scooter on Earth.
UPDATE: I'm now starting to see scooters that say "The Friendliest Scooter On Earth."
"It's New... It's Only... It's Now!"
I suspect that they meant to say "unique" instead of "only", but who can tell?
"The More You Look, the More You Like!"
This is just about the only example I've ever seen of a completely natural and grammatically correct sentence appearing on a scooter in Taiwan, even though it is a bit pretentious.