Cultures and their Arbitrary meanings.

As many of us know cultures plays a large role in our lives. From the food we eat to the language we speak "culture mediates our experience of the world" (Lecture 2, slide 4). The importance that culture is learned, shared, debated, has history, and involves power plays a significant role as to how we perceive ourselves and others. It is through culture that we are able to find meaning in symbols. The article brings to light the misunderstanding of symbols in one culture may not mean the same in another. The idea that symbols and their arbitrariness cannot be better portrayed than in the mixed language of Chinglish. A comical look at cultural translation from our perspective may be more of entertainment than a warning.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/world/asia/03chinglish.html?pagewanted=1&sq=chinglish&st=cse&scp=1

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/03/world/asia/20100503_CHINGLISH.html