“Govt insists all signboards be in Malay” – Food Stall Goes Viral for Literal BM Translation of ‘Yau Char Kwai’

Recently, there have been many controversies involving the use of languages other than the official language of Bahasa Melayu on signboards in Malaysia, including a popular singer questioning the use of English in Kuala Lumpur signboards and former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir lambasting new malls in the capital city for using Chinese signages.

With that in mind, a stall selling Yau Char Kwai left Malaysians amused recently thanks to its literal translation of the snack name into Bahasa Melayu, going viral with over 8,000 reactions and 1,500 shares as of the time of writing.

A Yau Char Kwai stall goes viral for its literal translation of the snack in Bahasa Melayu

A photo of the stall, located at an undisclosed location, was posted on the Melbourne Cari Makan Group Blogs public Facebook Group by user Jay Tee.

The photo showed the name of the stall being written prominently in Bahasa Melayu as “Goreng Hantu”, which translates to English as “Fried Ghosts”, a literal translation of Yau Char Kwai from Chinese.

In the caption, Jay Tee wrote,

“Malaysia Boleh. The Government insists that all signboards must be in Bahasa Melayu. So, Yau Char Kwai becomes Goreng Hantu! ?”

Malaysians were left in stitches about the literal translation

In the comments section, Malaysians share their 2 cents on the viral photo, with many amused by the literal translation.

One commenter said that he once saw a Nasi Lemak stall in London, England, that called the meal “fattening rice” instead of coconut rice, which shows that you need to learn the language well before putting forth any translation.

Meanwhile, one commenter joked that the stall should’ve been called “Minyak Goreng Hantu” to make it even more appealing to customers.

Besides that, another commenter joked that hot dog stalls should be named “Anjing Panas”, the literal translation of the snack in Bahasa Melayu.

Another commenter said that the stall is definitely just joking, but overall, it was great marketing on their part.

So, what do you guys think of the viral photo? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Also read: M’sian Social Advocate Calls Out FB User for Allegedly Editing Out BM Text from KL Sentral Sign to Provoke Netizens