| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7] > | Off topic: Your biggest language blunder in everyday life 投稿者: Melanie Meyer
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Ide Verhelst (X) 
ベルギー
Local time: 07:54
フランス語 から オランダ語
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This happened when we had our London friend over. I was going to drive her back to the railway station in my car, but she didn’t manage to close the passenger side door properly. So I asked my friend to pull it shut with the words: Just give it a good wank.
She quite nearly choked.
| | | | Alice Zuzek
スロベニア
Local time: 07:54
スロヴェニア語 から イタリア語
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Speaking with an English friend, I made a "work of art" become a work of fart.
There and then I understood THAT pronunciation rule!
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...that during my first visit in the US I suspiciously sniffed at the air freshener in my host family's bathroom. The spray can said "Mist", in large letters. "What the...?!?" The German word "Mist" means dung, poop.
| | | | JanKG
Local time: 07:54
ドイツ語 から オランダ語
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| Détente/ détention | Apr 27, 2012 |
While talking with a Rwandese friend, I erroneously said that I wanted some détention, whereas I should have said: détente, relaxation, etc. .
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My host sister and I were walking past the city's large hospital, and she wanted to be sure I knew the word "korhaz." Except I said "k*rva" (b*tch)... It took her at least 10 minutes to stop laughing!
D'oh!
| | | | | Ashtray in French | Apr 27, 2012 |
When I was studying in France, I kept saying "Cinderella" ("Cendrillon") instead of "ashtray" ("cendrier") for about two months, until a girl working at a café corrected me. This was before the smoking ban and I was using the word quite a lot.
You wouldn't think this could cause any misunderstandings, but I think that it actually did once. I was spending the Halloween night at a bar where all the staff members were wearing various costumes. Needing an ashtray, I approached a barten... See more When I was studying in France, I kept saying "Cinderella" ("Cendrillon") instead of "ashtray" ("cendrier") for about two months, until a girl working at a café corrected me. This was before the smoking ban and I was using the word quite a lot.
You wouldn't think this could cause any misunderstandings, but I think that it actually did once. I was spending the Halloween night at a bar where all the staff members were wearing various costumes. Needing an ashtray, I approached a bartender who had his face smeared with black and grey face paint and generally looked like he had fallen through a chimney: "Monsieur, vous avez une Cendrillon?" ("Monsieur, do you have a Cinderella?"), I asked. (Thinking back, adding "s'il vous plaît" might have helped.) The bartender raised his eyebrows and asked: "Une Cendrillon?" "Oui, une Cendrillon", I confirmed, quite pleased about having managed to deliver my message correctly in such a noisy environment. The bartender simply flashed me a smile, said "Non", and turned back to do whatever he had been doing previously. At the time, I thought it was just a bit weird, but later I realized he probably thought I was asking if he had a girlfriend or something.
[Edited at 2012-04-27 21:26 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | axies
オーストラリア
Local time: 15:24
英語
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| Avoid the ''Fáca'' (knife) if you are learning Portuguese! | Apr 28, 2012 |
Once( upon a time) something so very innocent happen to me that, to make a short story, stopped, all at once, some one hundred people talking in a restaurant.
Here is my story:
There were no more than a couple of months that I had arrived in Sydney Australia and I had been invited for dinner in a fish restaurant in Manly; a restaurant so popular that you had to book and before you were to be seated you had to queue up for at least an hour. Much larger today and I believe not s... See more Once( upon a time) something so very innocent happen to me that, to make a short story, stopped, all at once, some one hundred people talking in a restaurant.
Here is my story:
There were no more than a couple of months that I had arrived in Sydney Australia and I had been invited for dinner in a fish restaurant in Manly; a restaurant so popular that you had to book and before you were to be seated you had to queue up for at least an hour. Much larger today and I believe not so popular- ''The Snapper in'' to give them a plug.
This friend of mine, a MD, had also invited to join us two other doctors and their wives. While queuing up they tried to talk to me but I had difficulty with my English. My friend new some French and so he translated our conversation back and forward.
Big mistake!
When we finally sat at the table I had the doctor’s wives flanking me. Wedged between the two, they both start pointing out to things on the table,- china, utensils etc, and asking me:
''What do you call this in Portuguese?''
With me replying: Prato, garfo, copo…It just went on. Until it came to pointing to the knife…
''Ladies never ask a Portuguese that question…It spells differently but the sound is not pretty particularly if you are in a packed restaurant!...''
''What do you call the knife? Said one of the ladies.
''Fáca!'' I said, feeling pleased that the ladies were involving me in their conversation, and showing some interest in learning some Portuguese; while the male doctors talked among themselves everyone seemed happy.
I notice that when I repeated the word FÁCA the conversation slow done among patrons next to us and no more questions from the ladies followed.
Had it been left at that, things would just be normal, to me at least, but my friend across our round table and among all the surrounding noise, stopped talking, lifted the knife in the air and in his ‘’pommy’’ English accent asked:
What…what… do you call this in Portuguese?
''FACA!'' This time even louder than previously, so that my friend and, all others, looking at me, (now I know puzzled to say the least), could hear me better.
''What?'' Me?... No couldn't be me, I said nothing wrong'' ...
Did my friend had trouble explaining to me in French afterwards what I had said in the restaurant!? You see, the ''four letter'', least the seven words fu-- her in English, wasn’t known to me either… ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Text blunder | Apr 28, 2012 |
When I was newly living in Germany, and living in a W.G. (shared flat) I wrote a text message one day to my flatmate because there was a huge spider in the bathroom and I have a spider phobia. If I had spoken it wouldn't have been so bad, but what I typed was "es gibt einen grossen Spinner im Badezimmer". I didn't know then that Spinner - identically spoken as Spinne has a different meaning. The one is a spider, but the one I typed is a madman so it translated as "there's a huge madman in the ba... See more When I was newly living in Germany, and living in a W.G. (shared flat) I wrote a text message one day to my flatmate because there was a huge spider in the bathroom and I have a spider phobia. If I had spoken it wouldn't have been so bad, but what I typed was "es gibt einen grossen Spinner im Badezimmer". I didn't know then that Spinner - identically spoken as Spinne has a different meaning. The one is a spider, but the one I typed is a madman so it translated as "there's a huge madman in the bathroom". He did laugh! ▲ Collapse
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| Norwegian - English | Apr 28, 2012 |
It was not me that did this mistake. I just cannot forget this blunder that one average Norwegian person did when she was in an English-speaking country.
She got sick of being in a bus and tried to stop the bus in order to go outside and vomit, so she shouted in her poor English to the bus driver: "Stop, I must spy!!".
The verb "spy" in Norwegian means "vomit" or "throw up". Poor her!
| | | | domron
Local time: 07:54
イタリア語 から 英語
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Alistair Ian Spearing Ortiz wrote: At the beginning I made quite a few gaffes in French, mainly sexually-related gaffes arising from seemingly innocent situations (my French friends used to say that's because they have l'esprit tordu - twisted minds). For example, I was once munching a sandwich when a female friend came and kissed me on the cheeks. A while later, I referred to that by saying " J'étais en train de manger un sandwich quand tu es venue me baiser...". I immediately found out "baiser" is not quite the same thing as the Spanish "besar". On another occasion I went to the cinema and decided to buy some popcorn before the film started. I couldn't find my credit card, so the shop attendant joked " Pensez-vous voler le popcorn?". And then I answered " Non, pour ce faire j'aurais besoin d'une pipe!. FAIL. In Spanish, "pipa" is slang for "gun". In French, "pipe" is somewhat different. It's slang for oral sex. A piece of advice: if you go to France, watch out, even the most innocent words can have a sexual meaning [Edited at 2012-04-19 06:36 GMT] [Edited at 2012-04-19 06:38 GMT]
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Nicole Schnell wrote:
...that during my first visit in the US I suspiciously sniffed at the air freshener in my host family's bathroom. The spray can said "Mist", in large letters. "What the...?!?" The German word "Mist" means dung, poop.
Wow - so Americans put air fresheners in their bathrooms. We learn something new every day.
| | | | domron
Local time: 07:54
イタリア語 から 英語
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| Shopping in Milan... later on | Apr 29, 2012 |
Hi
I had just arrived in Italy and went to the local department store to look for a basin to do my washing up. When a helpful young girl sales assistant asked me what if i needed any help, I replied, yes, I was looking for a "bacino" = Italian for "a little kiss".
and later on....
When a lady friend, after a period during which we hadn't met, worryingly asked me if I found she looked older, I honestly and diplomatically replied " si, ma t... See more Hi
I had just arrived in Italy and went to the local department store to look for a basin to do my washing up. When a helpful young girl sales assistant asked me what if i needed any help, I replied, yes, I was looking for a "bacino" = Italian for "a little kiss".
and later on....
When a lady friend, after a period during which we hadn't met, worryingly asked me if I found she looked older, I honestly and diplomatically replied " si, ma ti sta bene" = yes, but serves you right
when I wanted to say "si, ma ti dona" = yes, but it suits you.
..these are but some.... ▲ Collapse
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| Fruit and nuts... | Apr 29, 2012 |
I used to translate menus regularly for a client who ran a restaurant as a side-line to the main business. They hoped it would heighten their brand and attract well-heeled customers, so I always had to find suitable expressions in my dictionary of cuisine French or preferably more exotic places.
The desserts always included some kind of glace, on one occasion avec couilles...
The chef did not like me adding accents and subtracting odd letters from his Fren... See more I used to translate menus regularly for a client who ran a restaurant as a side-line to the main business. They hoped it would heighten their brand and attract well-heeled customers, so I always had to find suitable expressions in my dictionary of cuisine French or preferably more exotic places.
The desserts always included some kind of glace, on one occasion avec couilles...
The chef did not like me adding accents and subtracting odd letters from his French, but I tried to spell it correctly, and decided I had better check this one as I did not recognise it. It took me some time to find it on the Internet.
It took me even longer to work out that he probably meant coulis... -- The chef was mortified when I suggested he changed the Danish version too and explained why, but he stopped complaining when I corrected his spelling... ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
...that during my first visit in the US I suspiciously sniffed at the air freshener in my host family's bathroom. The spray can said "Mist", in large letters. "What the...?!?" The German word "Mist" means dung, poop. Wow - so Americans put air fresheners in their bathrooms. We learn something new every day.
What's so unusual about that?
| | | | | Must have missed something | Apr 29, 2012 |
Nicole Schnell wrote: Tom in London wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
...that during my first visit in the US I suspiciously sniffed at the air freshener in my host family's bathroom. The spray can said "Mist", in large letters. "What the...?!?" The German word "Mist" means dung, poop. Wow - so Americans put air fresheners in their bathrooms. We learn something new every day. What's so unusual about that?
Yes, I'm also at a loss about that comment.
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