Communication faux pas

[David_McQueen]

Am putting some stories together for a cross cultural communication speech I have to give later this year and am lookin for funny stories where a term or an interpretation of a term has not worked out very well.

For example on travelling in business from the UK to America we are advised of certain slang or terms we should not use as they dont translate very well.

Have you any particularly funny stories where communication did not work that well across cultures/languaes?

[Gail]

It happens often enough on here, but I'm not sure if it is due to culture OR language...

or that they are even so funny

[Bravus]

Here's one, but it's toilet humor (literally!)

When we were moving to Canada we told our girls, who were 7 and 10 at the time, that Canadians tend to use the euphemistic 'washroom' for what the Australians vulgarly call the 'toilet'. They never did end up raising their hands in calss and asking to go to the toilet, but they were terrified for a long time that they would be accident, and scandalise all those delicate Canadian ears!

[Bravus]

There's the old joke, too:

A young British airman during the Second World War is sent to the Australian hangar to borrow a ladder. He's very shy and scared, and it turns out the Australian CO's a huge brawler of a guy. The British pilot stammers out his request, then disappears. One of the other Australians saunters in and says to the CO "What'd you say to that bloke, he was running like a scared rabbit?" "I dunno", says the CO, "he wanted to borrow a ladder, and I just said 'Go for your life, mate!'"

[Dr. Shane]

I didn't get that but I am not Austrailian. When studying Spanish in Guadalajara with a group of students from Minnesota State we all went out to a swimming pool. One of the girls announced to the Mexican guys (in Spanish) that she was so hot. Which in Spanish translates to horny. <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> So she quickly got their attention.

[Guest]

Yeah..a certain conference official in a very primitve section of Africa had requested permission of the general conference to proceed with an undertaking in his area....the reply came...'you have the green light for the issue'...and the conference official had to send back...please explain "green light"?

[Bravus]

In Australian (particularly of that era), 'Go for your life' means 'sure, no worries, you're welcome'. But the British bloke didn't know that, so he was 'going for his life'!

[Neil D]

At Pacific Union College, Professor Erwin Gain [an ozzie] tells of an american missionary couple with a baby coming to an SDA Australian church. The child, being cholic-y and crying, would not settle down duing the sanctuary service. In an attempt to be friendly to the American missionarys, one Aussie woman asked the American mother if she could nurse her child.

Of course, this american mother told the friendly aussie woman, "No"... As the word, "nurse" means something totally different to the ozzies than to americans.

To "nurse" , in Astrailian, means to hold, retain. To "nurse" in american, means to breast feed.

[SMAN]

There are several postings in the Humor Section that might help you if you go back a piece. This is one from there.

These are from posters outside of mosques in Bosnia.

Bosnians are very secular but tourists are expected to show a degree of respect while visiting their mosques - which is quite common due to their historical significance, interesting architecture, and so on.

In 1998, the signs explaining the basic rules for entering the mosques were translated into German and English to accomidate these tourists. However...many things were mistranslated.

One sign outside of Begova Dzamija Mosque said, in Bosnian:

"Women are not required to be veiled, but please exercise modesty as a sign of respect to God's house."

The English translation read:

"Females are not curtains, however if you are nice we guarantee your purity."

Another outside of Carsija Dzamija Mosque read, in Bosnian:

"Animals are forbidden to enter the courtyard of the mosque unless they are leashed. Animals are forbidden from entering the mosque itself at all times."

The English translation read:

"Living things are banned from existing in the courthouse mall except while being beaten. Living things are banned from existing in the mask."

And my favorite...from Bijela Dzamija Mosque. The sign said, in Bosnian:

"You are allowed to explore, experience, and photograph all areas of the mosque - but please be respectful during prayer times and do not interrupt worshippers."

The English translation read:

"Your privilege is to probe, taste, and capture in all places of the mosque - however, if you are nice you will get the same treatment from worshippers."