Lost in Translation

The following are Cantonese sentences we did in class today. These sentences are the nine points of Chinese grammar. The following is an example of using one of our vocab words to demonstrate the sentence structures.

Sentences in Cantonese:
1. Ngoh daaih bihn.
2. Ngoh mh daaih bihn.
3. Neih daaih mh daaih bihn a?
4. Neih daaih bihn ma?
5. Neih daaih gan bihn.
6. Neih daaih jo bihn.
7. Neih wuih daaih bihn.
8. Neih daaih mh daaih gan bihn a?
9. Neih daaih jo bihn meih a?

The following is the book's English translation of the above sentences:
1. I make a bowel movement.
2. I do not make a bowel movement.
3. Do you make or not make a bowel movement?
4. Do you make a bowel movement?
5. You are making a bowel movement.
6. You made a bowel movement already.
7. You will make a bowel movement.
8. Are you making a bowel movement?
9. Have you made a bowel movement?

These are the actual words used when one of the students translated the above sentences into English:
1. I shit.
2. I do not shit.
3. Do you shit or not?
4. Do you shit?
5. You are shitting.
6. You have shitted.
7. You will shit.
8. Are you shitting?
9. Have you shitted?

I kid you not. He used those exact words in translating. The teacher could not stop because his mouth was kept open in shock.