Max Planck Institute punts 'hot, young housewives'

Chinese-savvy subscribers of the German-language Max Planck Research got a unexpected treat when the magazine featured a cover punting "hot, young housewives" in an ad for a Hong Kong strip club. The publication apparently believed the text "depicted classical Chinese characters in a non-controversial context" but, as Oz's The …

[Joe]

EPIC FAIL

hahaha classic, that's one 'sinologist' getting sacked...

[David Harper]

Is that a Planck in your pocket ...

... or are you just pleased to see me?

[Martin Lyne]

At least..

It doesn't just say "TRANSLATE SERVER ERROR" or something.

Or indeed "HANDJOBS: £10" etc. etc.

"North [of China]" made me laugh. I was hoping they'd imported some Scots.

[Why]

Max Planck Institute Desperate for attention

No story here move on...

[Sam]

Stylish and good mannered beauties from the North

Nothing like our North, then..

[Anonymous Coward]

<Insert title here>

I for one salute "Unsere Prostituierte auf der Grundlage Oberherren"

Reminds me of the person who had a selection of chinese characters tattoed to him under the assurance it meant "Much prosperity and happiness" and actually the roughly translated meaning was "I play with wrinkly old knobs"

[Anonymous Coward]

Sinologist?

We don't even need to look for a double meaning there.

[Eponymous Cowherd]

Tattoos?

I wonder how many people with Chinese tattoos actually know what they say?

I saw a bunch of Chinese students sniggering at the tattoo on the back on some bloke's neck. I asked what it said....

"This way up" was the reply.....

[Austin Chamberlain]

Illustrated ... devices?

Phwoar! Sounds like they went from bad to worse!

[EvilGav]

More Bizzarre

They used the symbols to illustarte their focus on China, yet the Sinologist didn't even point out that the writing was from Hong Kong (where I believe they use the ancient chinese language), as opposed to mainland China where the official dialect is Mandarin.

Anyway, anyone who's been to Hong Kong will be well aware that the "hot, young housewives" are from Mongolia.

[Poopie McStinklestein]

N/t

"Specifically, it more or less says"

I'm slightly completely outraged at this.

[Znort666]

Mong Kok????

I thought Mong Kok was a lovely little market district, all pirate cd's and such. I definately remember going to the Wan Chai district to see the lovely ladies at Suzi Wongs at the ripe old age of 16(being 6ft plus always fooled them into thinking you were older.) Oh the happy happy days!!!

[Jolyon Ralph]

Chinese Tattoo amusements

One guy who used to work for me proudly showed me his chinese tattoo. I asked what it said, and he said it spelt out his name. B - E - N. Oh no, I smiled, it doesn't work that way.

So, my wife (who is chinese) was called in to translate. And she immediately burst into laughter and refused to say what it meant. After much coaxing she finally admitted it was chinese slang for a prostitute (something to do with a chicken, I seem to recall).

So, don't get chinese tattoos from people you do not know and trust :)

Jolyon

[Carlo Graziani]

A Forerunner

Puts me in mind of Journal of Statistical Physics volume 48, numbers 3, 1987, pages 709-726, "Diffusion in a periodic Lorentz gas", by Bill Moran, William G. Hoover and Stronzo Bestiale. "Stronzo Bestiale" is an Italian vulgarity, translating literally to "Bestial Turd", although the meaning is closer to "Appalling Turd". Doctor Bestiale's affiliation was allegedly a non-existent research institute in Palermo, Sicily.

Apparently he was added as a joke by the other two authors, and nobody noticed until the JSP issue hit the academic bookshelves in Italy a few months later. Then all hell broke loose. Like pee in a pool, you can't take something like this out after you put it in, and Google Scholar searches for "Stronzo Bestiale" still bring up plentiful citations --- apparently the paper was of some non-negligible importance, authorship notwithstanding.

[Anonymous Coward]

helpful tips re hongkong china

the characters are classical style rather than the simplified characters developed by the mainland government. HK traditionally uses the classical style.

though there are a large number of spoken dialects, there is only one written language (with the afore-mentioned clasical and simplified character sets)

in china, northern chinese girls are generally considered taller and more beautiful than their southern counterparts

@ Znort666

boy when were you there? pre or post korean war? don't worry the very same girls you saw in wanchai then , are still there now.

wanchai for gwailo's

mongkok for locals notably portland street (note large number of tall blonde russian girls are not tourists)

mongkok computer center still has the DVD's and software (sham shui po golden center has dropped right off)

Mongkok also has a fine selection of shops catering for paintball and RC model geeks

Wanchai good only a quick beer then a rather good curry ( the curry pot for example)

my god..i'm actually starting to miss the place

[David Pollard]

Search Engine Optimisation

Isn't this a variant of a standard 'grey hat' technique for getting higher up in the click rankings?

On second thoughts, maybe it's a variant of boredom in the graphics department, like the one that struck Coca Cola in the '80s:

http://www.deyi8.com/news/78/coca-cola-recalled-an-advertising-poster/

[Anonymous Coward]

a classic example of the uncertainty principle

just when statistically speaking you'd expect to get some informative articles about science, quantum uncertainty throws up this .

cracking !!

Paris, because she understands about being hot and young, even if she doesn't know anything about Max Planck.

[Steve Roper]

Reminds me

of the story of the woman who was going to an embassy function and wanted some Chinese characters worked into her gown to impress the visiting Chinese ambassador - so she copied some from the front of a Chinese restaurant and sewed them on. When the ambassador saw her, he laughed and when asked what the characters said, told her, "It say 'Cheap but delicious'!"

[Chris Fleming]

BOFH take that!

Bloody idiots and their tats... Made my day! LOL!

"May they live in interesting times" Old chinese curse.

Paris cause I know she has a tat, somewhere.