I can't immediately remember a good story about a short/long vowel mistake in Japanese (which also has that distinction), but it did remind me of a story about an American man in Tokyo who wanted the taxi driver to drop him off (oroshite kudasai), but was instead asking the driver to kill him (koroshite kudasai).
I'm glad that your boss had a good sense of humor. It reminded me of when I had to tell German friends that their term for cell phones, handies, might not go over well in the USA.
Accidental miscommunication is often the funniest part of learning a language for me. When I was learning Bemba in Zambia, I tried to joke with a friend that my host father had a stomach bug but accidentally said he was pregnant. They cackled and must have told everyone they passed after they left because by the time I got home, my entire host family teased me about it for the rest of the day.
It can be a lot of fun I totally agree. We could share stories all day I bet. Most recently I discovered the Finnish for grape and, well, diarrhea are also very similar.
You’ve come up with an elegant solution Will. I’ve been struggling with the same dilemma. I find it irritating when I’ve committed to reading a post then after an extended teaser it cuts off. My internal process goes something like “don’t waste my time”.
Makes I’m a hamburger look tame ! I love that story wil I could hear it a thousand times . How pretty you were when you were 21 if not a little camp ♥️
I can't immediately remember a good story about a short/long vowel mistake in Japanese (which also has that distinction), but it did remind me of a story about an American man in Tokyo who wanted the taxi driver to drop him off (oroshite kudasai), but was instead asking the driver to kill him (koroshite kudasai).
The joys of language
I'm glad that your boss had a good sense of humor. It reminded me of when I had to tell German friends that their term for cell phones, handies, might not go over well in the USA.
Haha, ah I forgot about that. My sister used to live in Berlin and that always amused me.
I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Brian. Really appreciate that.
Accidental miscommunication is often the funniest part of learning a language for me. When I was learning Bemba in Zambia, I tried to joke with a friend that my host father had a stomach bug but accidentally said he was pregnant. They cackled and must have told everyone they passed after they left because by the time I got home, my entire host family teased me about it for the rest of the day.
It can be a lot of fun I totally agree. We could share stories all day I bet. Most recently I discovered the Finnish for grape and, well, diarrhea are also very similar.
You’ve come up with an elegant solution Will. I’ve been struggling with the same dilemma. I find it irritating when I’ve committed to reading a post then after an extended teaser it cuts off. My internal process goes something like “don’t waste my time”.
I guess it’s as tricky as learning Finnish.
Great post as per usual.
Makes I’m a hamburger look tame ! I love that story wil I could hear it a thousand times . How pretty you were when you were 21 if not a little camp ♥️
Bless you, mother.