Crossing the language barrier

[Globalti]

In the third year of my languages degree course I spent five months in Spain and five in France where I spent a lot of time socialising with some other British students. We started going out with some French students and after a couple of evenings one of the girls in our group thought it was time we got into the cheek-kissing thing with our French friends so she proffered a cheek and said to one of the boys: "Tu peux me baiser si tu veux!" Which she thought meant "you can kiss me if you wish" but actually means something far more intimate. The boy looked at her askance and said nothing and the next time she asked him: "Pourquoi tu m'as pas baisé?" Meaning "Why haven't you kissed me?" he took her aside and explained gently that while the noun "un baiser" does mean "a kiss" the verb "baiser" is altogether cruder and the correct verb would be "embrasser".

Much was the mirth at the poor girl's blushes.

 

[Julia9054]

I wish i was better at languages. At my school we all studied German instead of French. I have spent alot of holidays in France so have picked up lots of vocab but can't string it together in sentences.
I can construct sentences in German but haven't spent enough time there to have enough vocab to say anything meaningful.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I found an app which seems to do Spanish translations quite well and you can play it to hear the pronunciation, inflections etc - very handy. It also translates written stuff like menus when you use the phone's camera.

 

[Moodyman]

In this respect, you have to applaud the Dutch. They often switch from one language to another seamlessly.

On a family holiday once, I recall a resort employee switching from Dutch to English to German to French depending on the nationality of the guest.

 

[Julia9054]

In this respect, you have to applaud the Dutch. They often switch from one language to another seamlessly.

On a family holiday once, I recall a resort employee switching from Dutch to English to German to French depending on the nationality of the guest.

We hosted a Dutch English teacher on an exchange once. She had studied English in Belfast - her accent was incredible. She taught English to her class of apprentice motor mechanics by watching episodes of Top Gear. I imagine them all sounding like Dutch Jeremy Clarksons!

 

[Andy in Germany]

In this respect, you have to applaud the Dutch. They often switch from one language to another seamlessly.

On a family holiday once, I recall a resort employee switching from Dutch to English to German to French depending on the nationality of the guest.

My kids all do this, from English to German to Japanese and back. My daughter (3yrs old) translates for me...

 

[Andy in Germany]

In a supermarket in France recently the checkout operator asked me something that I didn't understand at all (turned out it was ,'Do you have a store card?'). I responded with puzzlement, and she twigged instantly that I was English, so asked me again in English. Imagine that happening in an English supermarket. No, I can't either.

It is taken for granted that you have to learn English to a high standard but in the Local Gymnasium (Grammar schools) also French, with options for Spanish, Portugese or Latin in some cases.

 

[Julia9054]

In a supermarket in France recently the checkout operator asked me something that I didn't understand at all (turned out it was ,'Do you have a store card?'). I responded with puzzlement, and she twigged instantly that I was English, so asked me again in English. Imagine that happening in an English supermarket. No, I can't either.

My son was mugged in Paris by a bunch of thugs - in English. Can't imagine that happening in England either!

 

[jefmcg]

Bonjour. Je mange quelquefois, et maintenant, je suis malade.

I think I actually said "quel que chose", but this slip of memory is much funnier, so I will leave it as it stands.

 

[jefmcg]

I found an app which seems to do Spanish translations quite well and you can play it to hear the pronunciation, inflections etc - very handy. It also translates written stuff like menus when you use the phone's camera.

Is that Google translate? I've been playing with it, and it seems only a step away from "universal" translators of science fiction. It quickly translates and then speaks whatever it just heard.

Had few laughs when. I put it into conversation mode, and tried to speak French and see what it made of it.

First I tried to say merci beaucoup. I now understand the odd looks I get in France, I try to say thank you but they hear ass music



Next, as I was educated by a french order of nuns, I try coeur de Jesus and I am not making this up...

Finally, to show I'm not a total plonker, I tried the poem I learnt when I was 13. Yay, that worked!

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Ah I tend to do the translation then get it to do it again in reverse. Not tried the conversation option.

 

[User169]

When I first moved to NL, I kept missing appointments by an hour. Turns out "half three", means half before three.

The other mistake I remember is talking about "sleeping in". The Dutch say "sleeping out" - "sleep in" is used in the context of putting an animal to sleep.

 

[Mr Celine]

Is that Google translate? I've been playing with it, and it seems only a step away from "universal" translators of science fiction. It quickly translates and then speaks whatever it just heard.

Had few laughs when. I put it into conversation mode, and tried to speak French and see what it made of it.

First I tried to say merci beaucoup. I now understand the odd looks I get in France, I try to say thank you but they hear ass music

View attachment 421727

Next, as I was educated by a french order of nuns, I try coeur de Jesus and I am not making this up...
View attachment 421725
Finally, to show I'm not a total plonker, I tried the poem I learnt when I was 13. Yay, that worked!
View attachment 421726

Before you start singing through google translate it's already been done.

 

[Andy in Germany]

When we moved to Germany we landed in Bavaria (South East) for a few yeas. Every week I'd go and do a pantomime at the bakers when we had our Saturday treat of fresh bread, but as is the way of these things gradually I was able to stop pointing and use words and provide less entertainment for the queue of local customers.
When we moved here, I found the bakery, and on Saturday morning confidently went in and asked for Semmeln (Bread rolls) to be met with genuinely blank looks.
After a few minutes of incomprehension another member of staff came in and said "Oh, you mean Brötchen"...
Turns out I'd been speaking the Bavarian Dialect and the first staff member was also a migrant and only spoke the local Swabian Dialect...
Goodness knows what I'd do if I have to move to northern Germany...

 

[PK99]

Went into a tiny backstreet restaurant in a tiny village in the hills of Majorca - well away from the main tourist run.

Proprietor spoke virtually no English and we spoke minimal Spanish.

Menu was in Spanish only, so we pointed at things and he said "chicken" or "beef" then he was totally stumped for English word the next item so said "Baaaaaa!"