Sue – Page 12

Beauty Revisited

Filed Under: Reflections · April 18, 2012 · Leave a Comment ·

Three years ago, back in 2009, I wrote a blog post called Beauty, when Susan Boyle wowed the world with her singing on Britain’s Got Talent.

Her performance gave the world not only her glorious voice but also a sobering lesson about prejudice and about the folly of judging people by their outward appearance.

We might have hoped the judges and the BGT audience had learned that lesson and would never make such snap judgements again.

But did that happen?

Nope!

They’ve done it all over again in March this year.

They showed the same shallow prejudice immediately young 17-year-old Jonathan Antoine and 16-year-old Charlotte Jaconelli walked onto the stage.

Watch the video below to see what a huge mistake they made.

These two young people, their soaring voices – and their friendship – are indeed beautiful.

It may just bring a tear to your eye as it did to mine. :)

More Mangled English

Filed Under: Reflections · April 11, 2012 · 1 Comment ·

As mentioned in my previous post, we’re all used to finding examples of mangled English on product packaging from overseas.

But I was gob-smacked to find a dreadfully mangled sentence on a poster in a shop window at my local shopping centre.

Bear in mind this is not a hastily hand-written notice for a local garage sale! It’s a corporate advertisement for new reproductions of Mickey Mouse watches, produced by the Ingersoll and Disney companies.

The final sentence of the ad copy has no fewer than four errors in it! Not bad going for one sentence! :)

Though to be sure, the use of however … a ‘conjunctive adverb for the curious :) … means it should have been two sentences. Or at least utilised a semi-colon in the middle of the sentence instead of a comma.

That’s one mistake. As for the others …

2. A space has been left out between the words today’s and launch
3. An apostrophe used for a decade should be ’30s not 30’s (indicating the omitted numbers at the start)
4. And as for ‘phenomina‘? Good grief! Perhaps this should actually score as two errors. Phenomena is misspelled, but should actually be phenomenon anyway.

Apparently not one person spotted the mistakes. Obviously the original writer of the copy did not have grammar or spelling as particular strengths. :) But, given the fact this is a corporate production, we have to assume the poster’s content and design would have been approved by a string of managers, editors, and finally printers.

Where, oh where were the proof readers among them?

English as She is Spoke

Filed Under: Reflections · April 9, 2012 · 1 Comment ·

We’ve all come across delightful examples of mangled English when products are packaged overseas by those whose native language is not English.

This knife is one such example …

Made in China, it may possibly be a very useful utensil. But I bought it from a local store just for its packaging. This, from my perspective, is it’s most attractive feature because it makes me laugh. :)

While the front of the pack assures us the knife is Sharp, Secure, Sanitary and Convenient, the instructions for its safe use are less reassuring:

Perhaps the warning not to ‘test sharp by finger‘ simply shows faith in their product. Though admittedly very little faith in the intelligence of their customer base!

And I wonder … is the fifth and final instruction a warning for distracted and frazzled parents, so they remember to keep the knife out of their own reach? For the ‘safey‘ of their children? ;)

But the most fascinating sentence – and the most mangled example of all – is on the front of the package:

What on earth … ???

That one still has me scratching my head in bewilderment!

But hmmm …. the magical properties of ‘Excelsior”?

Perhaps I should take the knife out of its packaging after all. :)