tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post940789066520735925..comments2024-03-25T17:27:38.456+01:00Comments on Itchy Feet: the Travel and Language Comic: Rookie MistakeMalachi Ray Rempenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-71386116100921325802020-02-09T19:15:49.506+01:002020-02-09T19:15:49.506+01:00I remember a Dutch person once wanting to welcome ...I remember a Dutch person once wanting to welcome a group of English speakers, who wanted to say "Ik heet u allen welkom" but translated that as "I hate you all welcome".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-75721248985860653942019-05-04T02:09:47.722+02:002019-05-04T02:09:47.722+02:00Visiting dear friends in the Bohemian country side...Visiting dear friends in the Bohemian country side, going mushroom picking in the forest with my american husband, we are offered some rum before hand. We decline the offer. When my husband spotted a mushroom some time later, he exitedly shouted "Mushroom, mushroom, mushroom" ! My Czech friends complained loudly: Your husband is crazy ! Why is he shouting for us to give him rum now in the middle of the woods ? He should have had some at the house before, when we offered it to him ! I am in stitches , crying-laughing so hard, that I can not talk, they are giving him a hard time, he is insisting on: "mushroom" ! So this continues for a while, till I finally am able to squeek out the translations to both sides, at witch point we are all helplessly clutching our bellies and crying. In czech " Mas rum, mas rum" ( And it really sounds the same ) means; "Do you have rum, do you have rum ? The rest of the time I taught my husband to shout "houba" instead, to keep us functional.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18134562930181782223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-55617251290174896062018-07-08T18:43:51.763+02:002018-07-08T18:43:51.763+02:00Sounds a bit like an Englishman declaring he loves...Sounds a bit like an Englishman declaring he loves his girlfriend's pussy. "Pussy" means cat, but it's also slang for female genitalia. I once tried to use "Pussycat Josie" as an online handle (there was a band called "Josie and the Pussycats" in a comic book aimed at children), but half the web sites censored it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-91333138330149846912015-12-23T00:20:13.077+01:002015-12-23T00:20:13.077+01:00HahahahaHahahahaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07094766459971027744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-34283284237976183032015-10-23T16:57:39.517+02:002015-10-23T16:57:39.517+02:00Hah! That's fantastic. I also hope to have bil...Hah! That's fantastic. I also hope to have bilingual kids who will make such adorable mistakesMalachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-72576875963676787372015-10-23T01:27:38.712+02:002015-10-23T01:27:38.712+02:00Reminds me of my 4 year old son (who is German/Eng...Reminds me of my 4 year old son (who is German/English bilingual) recently who was visiting Oma & Opa for the weekend. We came on Sunday to have lunch and there was Lammgulasch that his Oma cooked. Our son said he didn't want to eat it, because Opa said "it was spicy," even though we told him it wasn't. Later on we realized that his Opa said (paraphrasing) "Das Gulasch ist vom Scharf," referring to the "Lamm" (sheep), and our son heard it as "Das Gulasch ist scharf" (spicy).strad77noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-17804198627780314982015-03-23T23:29:33.743+01:002015-03-23T23:29:33.743+01:00People used embarazada in my spanish class when I ...People used embarazada in my spanish class when I was in high school, when they meant embarassed, and it was really funny. <br /><br />Also, a girl in class used gustar to say she liked her friend, not knowing that it has a sexual connotation, like she pleases her sexually. The teacher looked shocked (it was a Catholic all-girls school, for reference), but she just went along with it. The teacher was a native Spanish speaker with iffy English, and didn't understand the mistake until later. Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-85140653594549907962015-01-17T05:22:49.391+01:002015-01-17T05:22:49.391+01:00Oh boy, that was funny!! :D
Interestingly enough...Oh boy, that was funny!! :D <br /><br />Interestingly enough, a similar mistake could easily be done by English speakers venturing to say «they have a flu» to a Quebecer French audience. For us, «avoir le flu» (although we pronounce it with a French «u») means to have a serious case of «diarrhea». I remember, as I was younger and not having the same command of English I have now, English speakers saying they had just had a flu in the calmest of ways to fellow classmates. I was thinking to myself «Gee, anglophones surely are not afraid to talk of these things openly!»<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-65256705824210548612014-09-20T19:10:58.881+02:002014-09-20T19:10:58.881+02:00I started learning Deutsch a few years ago, and I&...I started learning Deutsch a few years ago, and I'll never forget the day I apologized for not paying attention. My teacher had been very irritated with the class that day, so naturally I described her as aergerlich! <br /><br /> I meant "wuetend" XDJacobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-37922644321163670882014-09-15T21:34:18.578+02:002014-09-15T21:34:18.578+02:00LOL. So true! My latest was to take a "puff&q...LOL. So true! My latest was to take a "puff" from an inhaler in German. My colleagues are still laughing :)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-11965244746012908632014-09-09T16:16:17.546+02:002014-09-09T16:16:17.546+02:00I'm sure you will some day...I'm sure you will some day...Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-2578311276932509802014-09-09T13:59:38.767+02:002014-09-09T13:59:38.767+02:00Omg, that's hilarious!!! :D thanks for all the...Omg, that's hilarious!!! :D thanks for all the stories, they're super funny!<br />False friends can really be tricky...we especially had to learn them at school (German brief and English brief are not the same / German Mörder doesn't mean "murder" in English even if the pronounciation is the same) but i unfortunately (or fortunately?) don't have a funny story to tell...calucaluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06929629851780765453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-88975720222497278172014-09-08T17:36:51.956+02:002014-09-08T17:36:51.956+02:00Oh, no I wasn't there! My friend was in the su...Oh, no I wasn't there! My friend was in the subway that day and came home telling the story. Lorena LGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615870663302424015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-44830646249700182092014-09-08T13:57:50.528+02:002014-09-08T13:57:50.528+02:00My dad's German, and when he first stayed at m...My dad's German, and when he first stayed at my mom's parents' place in Ireland, at the end of the trip he said "thank you for your hostility!" XDMalachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-35809261567122023992014-09-08T10:09:06.287+02:002014-09-08T10:09:06.287+02:00My husband told this, I guess it happened to his a...My husband told this, I guess it happened to his aunt and her husband. They met an English speaking couple and the gentleman complimented the aunt's dress, and the husband thought he needs to return the compliment and said to the gentleman's wife "Nice turkey!"<br /><br />(in Finnish language a fur coat is 'turkki' and the country Turkey is also 'Turkki', so his apparent generalization to English language went terribly wrong ...)teihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04289745868554035019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-23433642725533810532014-09-07T20:42:57.572+02:002014-09-07T20:42:57.572+02:00Same with Spanish "constipado" :-D I alw...Same with Spanish "constipado" :-D I always try to be careful when talking about colds... X-DHeimyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15385061642205445181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-8392225919725938382014-09-07T16:55:01.034+02:002014-09-07T16:55:01.034+02:00Hah! Thanks, now I will always remember that and n...Hah! Thanks, now I will always remember that and never make that mistake.<br /><br />Or maybe now I'll ALWAYS make that mistake...Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-81935361344993135322014-09-07T16:38:05.028+02:002014-09-07T16:38:05.028+02:00:D
An English student on an exchange in Italy once...:D<br />An English student on an exchange in Italy once tried to compliment me on what I was wearing and said "<i>Bel maiale!</i>", i.e. "beautiful pig". <br />What she meant was <i>Bel maglione</i> (jumper/sweater).Liciahttp://blog.terminologiaetc.itnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-86791528002070132882014-09-07T15:53:14.041+02:002014-09-07T15:53:14.041+02:00Oh, man that's funny. Did that happen to you?Oh, man that's funny. Did that happen to you?Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-40007735713332249882014-09-07T15:50:17.996+02:002014-09-07T15:50:17.996+02:00And another one about direct translations and &quo...And another one about direct translations and "false friends":<br />In Mexico City subway<br />Girl: Soy caliente (I'm in heat)<br />Passengers stare, she realizes the mistake <br />Girl: Oh, no! Ahora estoy embarazada (Now I'm pregnant)Lorena LGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615870663302424015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-18883704601420661632014-09-07T15:45:36.699+02:002014-09-07T15:45:36.699+02:00It has more to do with accents, but it reminded me...It has more to do with accents, but it reminded me of this time I wanted to sound deep and say to my American boyfriend "This is it, I'm burning the sheeps" (Yup, I meant ships)<br />Lorena LGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615870663302424015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-45517539290005574912014-09-07T15:41:35.957+02:002014-09-07T15:41:35.957+02:00This comment has been removed by the author.Lorena LGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615870663302424015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-46843564530026065552014-09-07T15:20:29.675+02:002014-09-07T15:20:29.675+02:00HAHAHA! That's brilliant. Now that you mention...HAHAHA! That's brilliant. Now that you mention that, I have a similar story actually, maybe I'll make a comic of it as well - I was on the bus in Italy with my then-girlfriend, and I loudly proclaimed in Italian: "I tuoi genitali sono belli!" ("Your genitals are beautiful!") "But I was just trying to say you have nice parents!" I said.<br /><br />She grew red in the face and shushed me, and we immediately got off the bus. She then explained that "genitali" means genitals, while "genitori" means parents! <br /><br />The difference a couple letters can make...Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-59286223480092248662014-09-07T15:11:28.066+02:002014-09-07T15:11:28.066+02:00My first year living in the US.
With ex-boyfriend...My first year living in the US. <br />With ex-boyfriend at fancy trustee dinner:<br />Trustee: Have you been well?<br />Me: So, so, thanks for asking. I've been constipated for several days and nothing seems to make it go away.<br />Trustee: *awkward silence and stare*<br />Boyfriend: *smirk*<br />Me: *utter confusion* <br />(In Portuguese, "constipação" means to have a cold...)<br /><br />- DanielaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-47940242905990589462014-09-07T14:00:28.305+02:002014-09-07T14:00:28.305+02:00True. In a different language though :-/True. In a different language though :-/Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.com