dry goods in China or a comedy of translation errors
Language Log: The Etiology and Elaboration of a Flagrant Mistranslation
People who see signs employing the f-word all over China, even in large stores and fancy restaurants, are not only aghast, they wonder how the dickens such a gross mistranslation could have originated and proliferated. Theories abound, to say the least.
Amazing, fascinating, hilarious, and educational — I cannot recommend this link highly enough.