The Chinese have a long tradition of colourful names for their dishes. Take the popular dish kung pao chicken for example. It is a traditional Sichuan dish. It is thought to have been named in honour of a Qing (late 19th century) official whose official title “GÅng BÇŽo†led to the dish we all know and love.
In the interest of feeding the incoming hordes, the organizing committee for the Beijing Olympics have had to deal with the translation of restaurant menus into English. The process was contentious, requiring many rounds of discussions in order to come up with an official translation list for restaurants in book form. Nationalistic ire has already erupted over the bland linguistic makeovers. One internet commenter said “I don't like this new naming method, it's abandoning Chinese tradition. There are many stories in the names of these dishes.†Indeed.
Alas, visitors to the Games will now miss out on those stories as â€Husband and Wife's Lung sliceâ€, an appetiser has become “ beef and ox tripe in chili sauceâ€. â€Mapo tofu†is the new name for â€Bean Curd made by a Pock-Marked Womanâ€. The delightfully named â€Chicken without a Sexual Life†is now a dull â€Steamed Pulletâ€. They should have kept both forms to please the traditionalists and delight the tourists!
Translating Culture
Olympics Trigger Linguistic Makeover for Strange Chinese Meals
Trend Themes
1. Cultural Translation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a technology or platform that accurately translates cultural names without losing their meaning and significance.
2. Restaurant Menu Localization - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a solution that efficiently translates restaurant menus into different languages, preserving the cultural context and appeal of the dishes.
3. Linguistic Preservation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Invent a tool or system that preserves the linguistic heritage of a country's cuisine while providing translated versions for international audiences.
Industry Implications
1. Translation Services - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop an AI-powered translation service specifically tailored for translating restaurant menus and preserving the cultural nuances of dish names.
2. Hospitality Industry - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a digital menu platform that automatically localizes dish names and descriptions based on the region or language of the customer.
3. Culinary Tourism - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Launch an interactive mobile app that educates tourists about the traditional dish names and their cultural significance, providing an immersive culinary experience.