Comments on: I’m very pregnant that I’m late: The joys of foreign language miscommunication http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:36:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Rocket French Review http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-952 Rocket French Review Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:02:58 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-952 French and English are always having this problem. A French friend of mine was discussing how a particular soccer player lacked clairvoyance when he was playing. It means vision or being able to read the play in French but in English it means the supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing....but you kinda roll with it and know what people mean in the end. French and English are always having this problem. A French friend of mine was discussing how a particular soccer player lacked clairvoyance when he was playing. It means vision or being able to read the play in French but in English it means the supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing….but you kinda roll with it and know what people mean in the end.

]]> By: LeV http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-433 LeV Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:50:04 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-433 I have a nice anecdote, too. On our holiday in Greece my german-speaking mother and me used to drink an orange juice for breakfast. My mother tried to communicate in English, since we didn't speak Greek. When the waitress came with our juices, she smiled at her and said: "I'm very afraid of this orange juice!" She thought "afraid" would be the German "erfreut" and wanted to say: "I'm looking foreward to..." (Ich freue mich sehr auf...) I literally rolled on the floor laughing and the waitress just looked blank. It took me some time to explain the mistake. I'll never forget that. I have a nice anecdote, too. On our holiday in Greece my german-speaking mother and me used to drink an orange juice for breakfast. My mother tried to communicate in English, since we didn’t speak Greek. When the waitress came with our juices, she smiled at her and said: “I’m very afraid of this orange juice!”
She thought “afraid” would be the German “erfreut” and wanted to say: “I’m looking foreward to…” (Ich freue mich sehr auf…) I literally rolled on the floor laughing and the waitress just looked blank. It took me some time to explain the mistake. I’ll never forget that.

]]> By: magdalene http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-421 magdalene Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:09:32 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-421 There's a video store near my office (in Mexico) called "Bloque Fantasma" -Ghost Block would be the translation-. I suppose they just mixed the meanings of Blockbuster and Ghostbuster when they tried to translate "Blockbuster" to Spanish. As if buster=ghost (fantasma) in "ghostbuster". Every time I look at the neon sign, I chuckle a little. There’s a video store near my office (in Mexico) called “Bloque Fantasma” -Ghost Block would be the translation-. I suppose they just mixed the meanings of Blockbuster and Ghostbuster when they tried to translate “Blockbuster” to Spanish. As if buster=ghost (fantasma) in “ghostbuster”.

Every time I look at the neon sign, I chuckle a little.

]]> By: monday bullets » change therapy - isabella mori http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-389 monday bullets » change therapy - isabella mori Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:25:05 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-389 [...] and linguistic mystic (love the title of the most recent post: i’m very pregnant that i’m late) [...] [...] and linguistic mystic (love the title of the most recent post: i’m very pregnant that i’m late) [...]

]]> By: speechless parrot http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-383 speechless parrot Fri, 22 Jun 2007 19:06:00 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-383 When I was a young man, I took a trip to Japan. Surprisingly, not many people there spoke English. That was fine with me, since I carried along an elementary knowledge of Japanese that I wanted to practice. I made mistakes right and left, but one of the extremes was when I was trying to explain to someone I met that I was an artist. Instead, he understood me to be a geisha girl. At first he looked at me in deep confusion, until the mistake became clear, and he couldn't stop laughing. In France, I mixed up the words baiser and baisser. Standing inside a well packed Paris metro, I was perturbed by the station names being high on the wall, so only seated passengers could see them. I turned to my friend and said "I can't see a thing... they really should copulate with the signs". Of course, what I meant was that they should lower them. I just remembered another embarrassing mistake I made on behalf of my grandmother. When my brother was to marry his wife, a French woman, my grandmother asked me to translate a note she wished to write to the parents of the bride-to-be. Instead of conveying the special qualities that my grandmother found in the young woman, the wording I chose, (which I found out months later) had the nuance of casting this newest member of our family in a somewhat odd light, unique in a strange way, and not being quite normal. Nothing was ever mentioned of that note by the French family, but hopefully they would have recognized the intention beyond the actual words. There are plenty more incidences. I always tend to travel with a foot in my mouth, and it's certain that I've made far more faux-pas than I'm aware. Fortunately, most people seem to be good natured about linguistic mistakes. When I was a young man, I took a trip to Japan. Surprisingly, not many people there spoke English. That was fine with me, since I carried along an elementary knowledge of Japanese that I wanted to practice. I made mistakes right and left, but one of the extremes was when I was trying to explain to someone I met that I was an artist. Instead, he understood me to be a geisha girl. At first he looked at me in deep confusion, until the mistake became clear, and he couldn’t stop laughing.
In France, I mixed up the words baiser and baisser. Standing inside a well packed Paris metro, I was perturbed by the station names being high on the wall, so only seated passengers could see them. I turned to my friend and said “I can’t see a thing… they really should copulate with the signs”. Of course, what I meant was that they should lower them.
I just remembered another embarrassing mistake I made on behalf of my grandmother. When my brother was to marry his wife, a French woman, my grandmother asked me to translate a note she wished to write to the parents of the bride-to-be. Instead of conveying the special qualities that my grandmother found in the young woman, the wording I chose, (which I found out months later) had the nuance of casting this newest member of our family in a somewhat odd light, unique in a strange way, and not being quite normal. Nothing was ever mentioned of that note by the French family, but hopefully they would have recognized the intention beyond the actual words.
There are plenty more incidences. I always tend to travel with a foot in my mouth, and it’s certain that I’ve made far more faux-pas than I’m aware. Fortunately, most people seem to be good natured about linguistic mistakes.

]]> By: John http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-382 John Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:56:35 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-382 My understanding is that cognates are words that share a common ancestor. They don't necessarily have the same sound or meaning. Anyway, that was a very amusing post! My understanding is that cognates are words that share a common ancestor. They don’t necessarily have the same sound or meaning.

Anyway, that was a very amusing post!

]]> By: Jen http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-381 Jen Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:54:43 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-381 Hi there! I love your site, only just discovered it. I too have a love of all things linguistic, I have a BA (Hons) in Linguistics-graduated two years ago. My favourite areas of study were: Sociolinguistics Language and Gender Language in Everday Life History of language and... ... Neurolinguistics. I miss studying, and keep thinking I should have gone on to do an MA! I love the title of your blog-I recognised the phonetic alphabet right away ;) Nice to see good old 'schwa' in use! Re: this post. When I was studying German in senior school (our equivalent of high school), I wanted to tell my class that I 'went on long costal walks'. What I *actually* said was: "I go on coastguard's walking sticks" To this day I still laugh at that! Jen Hi there! I love your site, only just discovered it.

I too have a love of all things linguistic, I have a BA (Hons) in Linguistics-graduated two years ago.

My favourite areas of study were:

Sociolinguistics
Language and Gender
Language in Everday Life
History of language and…

… Neurolinguistics.

I miss studying, and keep thinking I should have gone on to do an MA!

I love the title of your blog-I recognised the phonetic alphabet right away ;) Nice to see good old ’schwa’ in use!

Re: this post. When I was studying German in senior school (our equivalent of high school), I wanted to tell my class that I ‘went on long costal walks’. What I *actually* said was:

“I go on coastguard’s walking sticks” To this day I still laugh at that!

Jen

]]> By: galnoir http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-378 galnoir Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:09:13 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-378 My story isn't nearly as humorous, but it's a good example of the the pitfalls of gender morphemes (not to mention the excellent service available in one particular restaurant in Salamanca): On a study-abroad trip to Spain, one of the guys in my group (probably the best speaker of all of us) wanted some pepper with his paella, so he asked the waiter for pimiento. The waiter said it would take a few minutes, but that he would go get some. While Dave wondered why it would take time for the waiter to bring some ground black pepper, I already suspected what mistake he had made ... but surely the waiter understood what Dave actually wanted, right? Well, the waiter eventually returned with a plate of beautifully sliced red bell pepper. My hunch was correct; Dave should've asked the waiter for pimienta, not pimiento. My story isn’t nearly as humorous, but it’s a good example of the the pitfalls of gender morphemes (not to mention the excellent service available in one particular restaurant in Salamanca):

On a study-abroad trip to Spain, one of the guys in my group (probably the best speaker of all of us) wanted some pepper with his paella, so he asked the waiter for pimiento. The waiter said it would take a few minutes, but that he would go get some. While Dave wondered why it would take time for the waiter to bring some ground black pepper, I already suspected what mistake he had made … but surely the waiter understood what Dave actually wanted, right? Well, the waiter eventually returned with a plate of beautifully sliced red bell pepper. My hunch was correct; Dave should’ve asked the waiter for pimienta, not pimiento.

]]> By: john patrick 吉平 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/comment-page-1/#comment-377 john patrick 吉平 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:49:03 +0000 http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/06/19/im-very-pregnant-that-im-late-the-joys-of-foreign-language-miscommunication/#comment-377 Once in Rome I wanted to give up my seat on a bus to a lady who looked like she need to sit. So I should have said, "Signora, prenda il mio posto." (Take my seat, ma'am) But of course, I got the gender wrong and said, "Signora, prenda la mia posta." (Take my mail, ma'am) She was gracious enough, and thankful enough for the seat, not to point out my mistake. But I knew immediately I had said something odd. The other thing, is that when I was learning the French /y/, I totally said "Merci beau cul" instead of "Merci beaucoup." Thank you, nice ass! Once in Rome I wanted to give up my seat on a bus to a lady who looked like she need to sit. So I should have said,

“Signora, prenda il mio posto.”
(Take my seat, ma’am)

But of course, I got the gender wrong and said,

“Signora, prenda la mia posta.”
(Take my mail, ma’am)

She was gracious enough, and thankful enough for the seat, not to point out my mistake. But I knew immediately I had said something odd.

The other thing, is that when I was learning the French /y/, I totally said “Merci beau cul” instead of “Merci beaucoup.”

Thank you, nice ass!

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