When we learn other languages we don’t always translate our thoughts correctly. Or sometimes we translate too literally. Koreans (the current generation anyway) learn English in school and it’s not very hard to find someone to speak with. [In fact, all of the very few places I have traveled I have found that if you stand on a street corner or in a public transportation terminal looking at a map, someone will ask if they can help you....] Almost all of the T-shirts I’ve seen here have English words on them and more than half are for Western products like Levi’s and DKNY. Some Koreans are eager to have someone to practice their English with. One man approached me near the beach in Jeju to ask where we are from. “It is my dream to come to your country,” he told me….

But this post is about the signs used by government and businesses. Because sometimes….

You just need to know the rules.

What a yummy sounding sports drink!

Every business in Korea says it’s the best. Or better than the best. Or, in this case, so much better that it,s [sic] the only one.

If you get dissed at the Ho Bar you have only yourself to blame.

This photo didn’t turn out well, but I love how proud they are to have been in business “Since 2007″.

In Italian cooking there’s no such thing as too much garlic.

I’m not sure. I think this is supposed to be better than the first.

We visited Rodeo Street. [In my opinion, don't waste your time. But I don't have the shopping gene.]

I love this one.

This is a men’s wear shop.

I’m sure they intended to suggest that the best way to take the self-guided tour is to refer to the numbers on the map….

And I’m sure that with my extremely limited Korean vocabulary that I am making a horrible mess of what I’m trying to say to them. For their willingness to put up with me I say, “kamsa hamnida” [thank you].

Posted by Tim