Opinions split over fixing English on Taitung elementary school sign

Opinions split over fixing English on Taitung elementary school sign

2025-12-15

An unusual sign in Taitung County’s Hongye Village might lead some English speakers astray. The signpost directing visitors to Hongye Elementary School flipped around two characters for the English translation, so it reads “Hongye small countries.” Some annoyed people are asking authorities to fix it as soon as possible. But some residents want it to stay, saying it could become a tourist draw.

After crossing Hongye Bridge, there are all kinds of signs leading to attractions around the village. Most of the English translations are fine. This map put up by the Tourism Administration also seems normal. But this sign for Hongye Elementary School next to a large bend in the road was incorrectly translated as “Hongye small countries.”

Member of public
It’s ridiculous. It should be elementary school, not small countries. I hope they fix it. Otherwise it’ll mislead foreign visitors.

Member of public
When foreign visitors come to Taiwan, it’ll give them the impression that the people hired to do translation aren’t professionals.

Someone must have pointed it out, because the problematic sign has already been removed.

While some say it’s unprofessional, other residents think it should be kept, since it could become a selfie hotspot.

Local resident
Since it said “small countries,” many people came here to take photos. So township office, please put it back. Really! It’ll become an attraction for the social media crowd. Then over here, locals can sell handmade crafts, barbeque, wild boar...

To fix or not to fix, that is the question. Some people think it would draw tourists, but others think it would just mislead them, or even affect their opinion of Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taitung #mistranslation #elementaryschool #HongyeElementary #sign #tourism #photohotspot #photoop #English #translation #funnysign

紅葉國小翻譯變"小國" 改與不改意見分歧

2025-12-15

台東縣紅葉村，竟然出現一個奇特的告示牌，要通往紅葉國小的牌子，英文翻譯，竟然把國小，翻成了小國，讓民眾看了好傻眼，都希望相關單位快改正，不要讓別人懷疑翻譯的人不專業。但相比民眾希望改正，當地居民反倒希望保留，說不定能成為打卡熱點。

民眾行經紅葉橋，沿路隨便看，到處都是前往紅葉各景點的告示牌，看上去英文翻譯也都沒問題，再到觀光署設立的告示牌上看，也很正常，不過這個大彎處的告示牌，上面的紅葉國小，卻被翻成紅葉"小國"!

[[民眾]]
“是誇張的，應該是小學不是小國。就希望他們改正，不然外國人來會誤導他們。”

[[民眾]]
“外國人來我們台灣玩的話，是不是就會讓人家會印象說，我們一個語言上，在做這個的人是不是很不夠專業。”

或許是有人提醒了，現在這個錯誤的告示牌，已經被拆掉。

相較有人覺得翻譯不專業，當地居民卻有人認為，應該留下來，搞不好可以變成打卡熱點。

[[當地居民]]
“因為變成一個國家，很多人會來這邊拍照，所以那個鄉公所，你再給他插回來，真的啦!這邊會變網紅點，然後這邊旁邊，就部落人會賣手工藝品，烤肉啦，石板烤肉山豬烤肉。”

改與不改，見仁見智，有些人認為可以吸引觀光客，有些人認為，錯誤翻譯可能誤導外國遊客，甚至影響他們對台灣的觀感。

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Temple authorities began taking in-person registration for lantern lighting on Monday, starting with 800 slots every day until Wednesday. All 800 slots for the first day of registration were snapped up within half an hour. Many left empty-handed.

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