With our very large Chinese community here in Toronto, Canada, we have some pretty large Chinese grocery stores. Frankly I am surprised that there are so few Chinese to English translation mistakes. Here is one, from a local Chinese store flyer for Hong Tai Supermarket.
Fresh Butter Free Running Chicken 新鲜U-级黄油走地鸡 from our local Chinese grocery store Hong Tai.
Fresh Butter Free Running Chicken
English Interpretation: This chicken contains no butter, and can run.
English Analysis: All chickens that I know of do not contain butter. We do have butterball turkey, which is basted in butter, but as far as I know there is no chicken variant. As for the chicken’s mobility, we usually see them dead and chilled, so they really cannot run. The image of the chicken does not so movement, but a hen seemingly naked, peacefully resting in a Styrofoam tray.
Chinese Translation, Human: 新鲜U-级黄油走地鸡 -> Fresh, U-level, butter, free range, chicken
Chinese Translation, Google: 新鲜U-级黄油走地鸡 -> Fresh U-grade butter walking chicken
Explanation: The Canadian Carcass Poultry Grading Program follows a Livestock and Poultry Carcass Grading, or LPCG system. Canada’s LPCG has 3 grades of chicken:
- Canada A grade
- Canada Utility grade
- Canada C grade
This chicken happens to be utility grade, hence the shortened U-level.
This style of chicken is very popular in Guangdong Province in Southern China. For proper interpretation I had to ask a Guangdongnese neighbour for assistance. The “butter” term only means the chicken is more yellow than a regular chicken. This type of chicken is supposed to have a richer and stronger chicken flavour. No butter is used, and thus this bird is truly “butter free”, as are all other chickens. This chicken’s running days have long passed. The “Free Running” actually means “Free range” in English.
Fresh Long Kong Free Running Chicken 新鲜龙岗走地鸡 from our local Chinese supermarket Hong Tai
Fresh Long Kong Free Running Chicken
I would have guessed that “Long Kong” is a proper name of someone or some place, and that this chicken is raised where it could run around, rather than in a small pen. It turns out that Long Kong (Cantonese) or Long Gang (Mandarin) is a place name just north of Hong Kong in Shenzhen China. This style of chicken is from there. My neighbour says it should be very tasty.
Chinese Translation, Google: Fresh Longgang walking chicken