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If you've ever interacted with someone who speaks a different language, what is the funniest misunderstanding you've had? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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An example of what I mean:

I, in China, told an English speaking Chinese friend I needed to stop off in the bathroom to "take a shit."

He looked appalled and after I asked why he had that look, he asked what I was going to do with someone's shit.

I had not laughed so hard in a while, and it totally makes sense.

I explained it was an expression for pooping, and he comes back with, "wouldn't that be giving a shit?"

I then got to explain that to give a shit means you care and I realized how fucked some of our expressions are.

What misunderstandings made you laugh?

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If there's one important thing to learn from this thread, it is that idioms do not translate. At all.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

And for some of us they're difficult in our first language. I mean what the fuck does "he wears his heart on his sleeve mean?" He would die.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My favorite is the swedish "att få blodad tand", literally "to get a bloody/bloodied tooth". Somehow it means becoming interested in or finding inspiraton in a topic.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Well you’re obviously sinking your teeth into it so your tooth got bloodied

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

My favourite English one that makes the least amount of sense is "fucking the dog". Like, of all things, why choose that??