Language, Culture and Communication.

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Globish or Pidgin English
2019/10/11

This picture was taken in my department 農企學程 (IBPA), after class a few days ago. This is and
example of Globish language.

The picture shows what I believe is a hamburger and a cup with a straw inside. The English message
reads: “The forbidden food”, which is different from what the sign is supposed to show the students or
the users who will make use of the classroom.

The forbidden food makes me understand that eating hamburgers and drinking what I can guess it’s a
soda is forbidden as it if was imposed by a law. Would potatoes, cake and other different kinds of food
be allowed as they aren’t hamburgers and soda? Instead it should be showing a message such as: “No
food or beverages allowed in this area/classroom”; “No food or drinks permitted in the classroom” or
even “no food or drink beyond this point”.

It’s an example of Globish language because it’s most likely that the person who made this sign was a
native Chinese speaker and used a literal translation from Chinese to English in order to make the
message also understandable for international students from different backgrounds by using English
language.