一个中英文水平都很高的老外一直喜欢收集稀奇古怪的中式英文，还为此专门出了两本专著。这是法新社记者对他的采访。
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北京(法新社)- 奥利弗·瑞克（Oliver Radtke）回忆说，他2000年在上海坐出租车时看见了车里一条有趣的提示语：“别忘了带上你的家伙（Don’t forget to carry your thing）。”从此，一个奇异而又精彩的中式英语世界向他敞开了大门。
9年过去了，这位德国多媒体制作人已经出版了两本关于中式英语的畅销书，同时，他对不断推陈出新的中国式英语的保存工作也从未松懈。
32岁的瑞克经常留意街上的公告牌、菜单和商店招牌上的英文翻译，他说：“中式英语绝不仅仅是英文能力不足或用语不正确造成的，很多标语的翻译实际都带有某些中文的概念。这些概念丰富了英语，给英语带来了一些中国的风味甚至是中国的思维方式。”
很多人，包括中国政府，都认为中式英语是件很丢人的事情，必须不遗余力地消灭干净。但是瑞克不这么看，他觉得中式英语应该被保存下来。
“这是我的最爱之一”，目前住在北京的瑞克指着他书中的一个公厕指示牌的照片对我说，牌子上写着：“文明地小便后你才能享受清新的空气(You can enjoy the fresh air after finishing a civilised urinating)”。
“在西方，你永远不会把“小便”这个词写在公厕上，但中国人没这个文化习俗，他们做事很直接”，他说，“这会促使我们反思，为什么我们西方人总是要小心翼翼地避讳很多词语，为什么我们有那么多的所谓文化习俗，为什么有些词在公共场合使用就近乎侮辱？ ”
瑞克两本书中的很多英文标识明显是”政治不正确”–“瘸子专道(Cripple’s lane)”而不是“轮椅专道(Wheelchair path)”, “畸形男马桶(Deformed man toilet)”而不是“残障人士卫生间（Handicapped restroom）”。
书中的有些翻译还带着诗意的色彩，给草地和火焰等无生命物体赋予了人类的情感：“我们的生命将终止于您用力的踩踏（Our life will be ceased if you step hard）”——这是昆明一块绿地上的公告牌。“不要忘记大火是没心没肺的(Do not forget the fire is heartless)”——游客们在长城的一角看到了这句标语。
有些翻译则是口气超大，“1996年以来最好的爱情（Best love since 1996）”——海南一家小影楼的广告牌。
出于对中式英语的喜爱，瑞克自2005年起开始撰写一个专门收集中式英语的博客，两年后又出了一本书《中式英语：意犹未尽》。这本书目前已经卖了5万多本，最近还刚刚出版了续集。
“对于我正在做的事情，很多中国人最初是相当反对的。他们认为我在取笑他们。”瑞克说。“一个在中国生活的老外该如何书写他观察到的某些可能令中国人感到不快的社会现象呢？这一直是个有趣的话题。”
但是，瑞克也说，随着中国人逐渐意识到中式英语实际上丰富了英语语言，支持他工作的人已经越来越多。目前全球范围内约有十亿英语的日常使用者，将英语作为第二语言的人数也在迅速增长，瑞克说，英文应该单一而标准的观念早已经过时了。“不管那些母语是英文的人喜欢还是讨厌，世界各地的人们对英语的大量使用必然会对这种语言产生影响。”
最近几年，中国发动了一场要彻底根除正式场合中英文语法和词汇错误的运动。这场运动最著名的案例发生在北京奥运前夕，当时，政府正式将东大肛门医院（Dongda Anus Hospital）的名字改为东大肛肠医院（Dongda Proctology Hospital）。
瑞克表示，这场运动永远不会真正成功，中式英语绝不会就此销声匿迹。他对中式英语的未来很乐观。
“我只对那些大城市中的官方指示牌不太乐观，但饭店、公司、私营机构和很多小商铺肯定会继续制造大量的中式英语”，他说。
译者注：Oliver Radtke是德国海德堡大学汉学系硕士毕业生，中文名纪韶融。他关于中式英语的博客：The Chinglish Files by olr
Agamemnon @ yeeyan.com
以下是英文版：
Language lover on quest to save Chinglish
AFP/File – Oliver Radtke, seen here, says he first discovered the odd and wonderful world of Chinglish in 2000 in …
by Peter Harmsen Peter Harmsen – Tue May 5, 1:59 am ET
BEIJING (AFP) – Oliver Radtke says he first discovered the odd and wonderful world of Chinglish in 2000 in a Shanghai cab, where he saw a curious sign reading: "Don't forget to carry your thing."
Nine years later, the German multimedia producer has written two popular books on the subject, and is working hard to preserve China's special brand of English for generations to come.
"There is a lot in Chinglish that is so much more than just incompetent English or incorrect English," said the 32-year-old Radtke, who focuses on written examples of the lingo on signboards, menu cards and shop fronts.
"A lot of the Chinglish signs carry a certain Chinese notion in them which enriches the English language and makes English more Chinese in the sense that there is a certain Chinese flavour, a certain Chinese way of thinking."
The view held by many -- not least by the Chinese authorities -- is that Chinglish is an embarrassment that must be wiped out at all costs, but Radtke disagrees, saying the "language" should be preserved.
"This is one of my favourites," the Beijing resident said, pointing to a photo in one of his books of a public lavatory sign which helpfully explains: "You can enjoy the fresh air after finishing a civilised urinating."
"In the West, you would never use the word 'urinating' in a public toilet, but the Chinese don't have this convention, and it's a very direct approach, " he said.
"It challenges you as a Westerner to think about why we carefully circumvent certain uses of words. Why are there those conventions? Why is it almost about stigmatising certain sets of words in public use?"
Some signs highlighted in Radtke's two books are decidedly politically incorrect -- "Cripple's lane" rather than "Wheelchair path," or "Deformed man toilet" instead of "Handicapped restroom."
Others seem almost poetic, attaching emotions to inanimate objects such as grass or fire.
"Our life will be ceased if you step hard," a sign at a lawn in the southwest city of Kunming says, while visitors to one section of the Great Wall are reminded to be careful: "Do not forget the fire is heartless."
Some signs make rather grandiose promises. "Best love since 1996," reads an advertisement for a wedding photo studio from the southern island of Hainan.
Radtke's fascination first led him to launch a blog in 2005, followed two years later by a book, "Chinglish: Found in Translation," which has now sold 50,000 copies. A follow-up title has just been published.
"The initial reaction of many Chinese users was very much against the project. They thought I was making fun of them," he said.
"It's still a very interesting topic -- how difficult it is as a foreigner in China to write in a critical way about certain social phenomena."
But Radtke says the Chinese are increasingly supportive of his efforts, as they have come to understand that he believes Chinglish is in fact enriching the English language.
The entire notion of one single, standard version of English is outdated, he says, because it now has far more than one billion regular users worldwide, and a rapidly growing number speak it as their second language.
"From their usage the language will be influenced one way or the other, whether native speakers like it or not," he said.
In recent years, China has kicked off campaigns to root out poor grammar and misused vocabulary in official usage.
The most famous of these drives took place in Beijing prior to the Olympic Games in August last year. During that time, authorities rechristened the Dongda Proctology Hospital, formerly the Dongda Anus Hospital.
These campaigns will never fully succeed, Radtke says, adding he remains optimistic that Chinglish will never disappear from the mainstream.
"I'm pessimistic when it comes to official signs in the big cities. But restaurants, companies, private institutions, small shop owners will all produce a lot of Chinglish," he says.
