Lost in Translation

Excerpts from the sign on the door of our $3/night room in Nong Kiaw, Laos:

Lao People's Democratic Republic
Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity

Regulation to link the guest Who come to stay.
Staying at hotel or guest house to attach guest inside and forside country guests. Come to stay.

I. In order to tidy the sociality and safety_peace to the guest who come to stay also insure to the way policy nation wide tourism Lao P.D.R. The officer authorities had. to limited regulation for acting austene as following
1. Touris. Visisting of the guest had. to back the hotek or guest house before 11 o'lock. (to-night)
...
5. Disallow to apply another dopes and betting in the guesthouse or hotel.
6. Every tim you get in ang get out please locked your room then bring the key room to the receptionist before you leaving out of the room.
...
8. Forbid to get every thing in the room that belong to the hotel. Guest. When you checkingout the hotel or guest house.
9. Please meet your guests at the reception room that the guest house.hotel had provided. Awesome Received or lead the guests in to your room before you gut allowed from the staff of the hotel. guesthouse.
10. If any one not to perform this regulation. Will get penalty to put on trlalby law.

-----
This sign appears in some form in every guest house in Laos. In our $2/night room it was in perfect, concise English. In our current $8/night room in Luang Prabang, it is only written in Lao script! The moral of the story is that it is often very difficult to communicate anything beyond the most basic ideas when you do not share a common first language with the locals. Singapore, where English is the most commonly spoken language, should be a refreshing change. Although I hear that "Singlish" is not quite the same as what we speak at home...we'll see.