Thursday, July 15, 2004

Easily Amused - Lost in Translation

For every truly useful and informative web site, there must be an equally trivial and frivolous one. This is the yin and yang of the internet universe. But just because a web site is devoted to bubble wrap doesn’t mean it is any less important than a page dedicated to ending world hunger, does it? Well, alright, it probably does. But it is this heterogeneity that gives the internet a vitality and uniqueness that is unparalleled in any other media. This column is dedicated to these mindlessly fun, sometimes intriguing web sites.

This Week’s Theme - Lost in Translation

The Bible in Pig Latin - http://www.museumofconceptualart.com/ible-bay.html

You can hear the collective cheer of Pig Latin speakers across the globe now that the Holy Book is available in this elegant tongue.

Kiss This Guy: The Archive of Misheard Lyrics - http://www.kissthisguy.com/

Taken from the famous Jimi Hendrix mondegreen “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy,” this site is a funny compendium of similarly misunderstood song lyrics.

Engrish - http://www.engrish.com

A hilarious and often surreal look at Japan’s misuse of the English language, from “No Smorking” signs to “Miss Urine Tester USA” t-shirts.

The Dialectizer - http://rinkworks.com/dialect/

Just type in a phrase and watch “Hello, how are you” dialectize into Swedish Chef as “Hellu, hoo ere-a yuoo.” Other dialects include Jive, Redneck and Elmer Fudd.

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