One of those times when an English mistake ends up expressing everyone’s true feelings.
In Japan, everyday appliances like rice cookers and coffee dispensers don’t usually come with English instructions, which can make them difficult for first-timers to use.
Now, with the Olympics in town, organisers are hoping to make things easier for visitors by providing signs in English to help, but sometimes the word choice can create a nuance that’s slightly out of place, making for an Engrish message that’s decipherable…and adorably amusing at the same time.
Washington Post reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) came across one such example of Engrish at the free coffee station at the Tokyo Olympics press centre recently. The coffee dispenser has several signs pasted on it in English, but the one at the top right, which aims to let users know that the coffee service is limited, ends up reading like a dramatic statement about life instead.
The sign, which reads, “When coffee is all gone. It’s over“, is a sentiment that all coffee drinkers can relate to, and it hits especially deep when you’re a reporter working long shifts and late nights on a global event like the Olympics.
▼ “This is such a dramatic sign at the free coffee station in the press filing center. Also not inaccurate”
What makes the sign so amusing is its ability to make sense on two different levels, despite not being an entirely accurate translation, and people around the world chimed in to agree with the statement.
“No coffee no life.”
“It’s definitely true.”
“Never were truer words spoken.”
“For those who think coffee is life, it hurts.”
“It’s true. When the coffee is all gone, my day is over.”
If coffee is the fuel helping to drive the reporters at the Olympics, here’s hoping they were able to get their caffeine hit before the free service reached its dramatic ending. If not, there’s always good coffee to be found at Japan’s 7-Eleven convenience stores, which shot one Canadian reporter to stardom during the Olympics!
Source: Twitter/@myhlee
Featured image: Pakutaso
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