Crazy English

It is reported that organizers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will change the collective English name of the mascots from “friendlies” to the Pinyin variant “Fuwa”, to arrive at “a more accurate translation of its Chinese equivalent”- using the words of a Chinese official. As a result, the Chinese government has to spend millions to replace posters and other franchised products just to get the name right.

I am perplexed as to how “friendlies” came to be adopted as the English name for the mascots - some cuddly toddlers.  If you look up the Oxford dictionary, “friendly” (friendlies-plural) means “a game of football, etc. that is not part of an important competition”. Could it be that “friendlies” be mistaken for “friendliness”?

That fact that usage of English can be so careless and incorrect on such an important occasion reflects the scale of misuse of English in China. I recall many “funny” and “inventive” English names Chinese people give to themselves. For instance, “Satellite Chen”, “Auditorium Wang” and “Coca Cola Lee”. Or this one “Jellito Tang”.

These names are meant to surprise and to stand out. And no doubt the owners of these names are very successful in achieving the aim.