Lost in translation
A SPANISH COLD IN PARIS
Laura had just moved to Paris when she caught a really bad cold. After telling all her friends about her illness, she could not understand their reactions.
After several weeks, her friends started to get really worried – especially since what Laura was suffering from was totally misconstrued. In Spanish‘ constipado’ means having a cold. In French, it means‘ constipated’. No wonder her friends were worried. marc sardon
Show me the money
After she had worked in Sydney for a month, Majja from Sweden decided it was time to check her bank account to make sure that she had been paid. When she did not find any money in her account, she went into the bank and asked about it, only to have the clerk laugh at her.
Confused, she went to another branch and asked the same question but received the same response. When Majja then visited the third branch and asked the same question, she received an explanation:
Instead of asking about the missing money in her account she had asked three different members of staff:“ I’ m sorry, there must be some problem, I don’ t have any money in my c * nt!”
Communication over national and linguistic borders is constant all over the world. People are making new friends despite speaking different languages. But occasionally things get lost in translation.
Here are some hilarious examples.
words by rasmus arvidsson
THE CHEF’ S SECRET tHE BEST PICK UP LINE no STANDARDS
Jules, a Frenchman, moved to the United States and quickly became popular among his newfound friends for his culinary skills. After several excellent meals, one friend felt that he had to know the secret behind the wonderful flavours and asked how he had made it.
Jules answered with a smile, saying simply:“ I rape the cheese.” He was trying to say he‘ grated’ the cheese. In French,“ râper” means‘ to grate’.
Marta, who hails from Italy, was trying to flirt with an Englishman. She was hoping to impress him and tried to describe herself.
An easy-going girl, she thought that this was something worth pointing out straight away. Unluckily, she chose to phrase it as:“ I am a really easy girl”.
She and the Englishman are still together. Though she jokes:“ That’ s probably why he was interested in me.”
Italian Paolo met a girl on a night out. Love was in the air and Paolo was ready to take things to the next level. The girl was reluctant to let him into her flat because her room was untidy.
Paolo tried to reassure her by saying:“ No, it is not a problem at all, I do not have any standards.” He thought he telling her a little messiness was not a problem.
Unfortunately, he came across as a just wanting to sleep with her.
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