#1
Here is how that conversation went, or rather *how I heard it*:
Officer: “First time, Air Jordans?”
Me: “Uhhh, no I just have Nikes on”
Officer: “Mam, first time, Air Jordans?”
Me, now looking at my feet, very confused: “Uhhhh, no I don’t have any Air Jordans but I guess I used to have them maybe sometime uhhh…”
Officer, somewhere between being pissed off and wildly amused: “Mam. Is this your first time, HERE IN JORDAN??”
I was so embarrassed I nearly died from shame, thankfully he let me through. It still pops up as a memory every once in a while, my brain is just not willing to let that one slide..
#2
#3
My brother asks me if they offer wake up calls in this hotel. I’m like „of course, just ring reception“.
Now, for context, six in German is „sechs“ and sounds similar to „s*x“.
My brother picks up the phone and I can hear him talking to the girl at the front desk: „yes yes I would like s*x in the morning“.
I could not stop laughing.
As of today, the original thread has more than 1.3K upvotes and around 706 comments with various stories and their lively discussion. The stories are discouraging, funny, sometimes sad - but in any case, interesting. And Bored Panda makes a selection of the most outstanding tales from this thread for your pleasure.
#4
“wher’re you from?”
I reckoned she wanted to have a little chat and started to talk about myself. But she was
“no, haha, I mean which gas pump”.
#5
#6
I love traveling to Indonesia, and eventually, I figured I had no more excused and began learning Bahasa Indonesia.
All proud of the few sentences I spoke, I made sure I would always tell people "see you later" upon leaving the shop, hotel, and/or restaurant.
It took me 4 days, and many confused looks for me to double-check what I was actually saying.
I meant to say "sampai nanti ya" (see you later), but instead, I told people "sampai manti ya," which beautifully translates to "until you die, yeah"...
Of course, the stories told here are mostly about tourists not having any idea about some cultural or culinary customs in the country they are visiting - and this turns into some embarrassing yet amusing experience for them. Someone drinks sauce in a restaurant, someone breaks an unspoken rule of local etiquette, and someone even confuses the name of the local airline with the brand of their sneakers.
#7
There were Fireworks and lots of people because it was the 14. july french national Day.
There was a Bus with Food and i tried to order some Food. I can speak french but not super well. But to my excuse, the crowd was super loud and i couldnt hear the cashier properly. (Atleast thats my side of the story lmao)
So the cashier apparently asked what my name is. Idk why? So i, instead of telling my name i ordered Salmon. Repeated it. Because i tought she couldnt hear me.
She asked again if my name really is monsieur Salmon…..
My gf and the cashiers were dying with laughter..
So, from this day on. I go by the name of Monsieur Salmon 🍣🐟.
#8
#9
Spaniards have been getting massive diarrhea on top of the cold they already had in every English and French speaking country since the beginning of time (my mom, in Geneva in the 70s).
Why do people get lost in translation abroad? The thing is, many languages of the world have their own unique specifics, so even if you know the basics of the language, you can still make annoying and funny mistakes.
"Every language has something unique - it could be in the syntax, the semantics, the phonetics, or the vocabulary, and that element is impossible to translate perfectly into another language," this dedicated post on Seven Circumstances says.
"For instance, Dutch has many uses for the diminutive, and many subtle meanings attached to each variant. <...> But those diminutives just sound weird in English." And if we are talking about languages from other language groups, with a fundamentally different system of syntax and word construction, then it becomes even way more complicated.
#10
#11
#12
In the mid-90s I was on a youth exchange between Uruguay and Canada. We were a group of youth working in rural communities & living with local families. One of my good friends in the group who was from Toronto was assigned to a local school and got lost on his first day, arriving late. In his panic to explain, he starts off by telling his new employer that he was “muy embarazado” about arriving late on his first day, realizing later that he had told them he was pregnant.
At the same time, there are so-called "false friends of the translator" - the words that look familiar and share consonants with well-known words, but at the same time are not even cognates. For example, in the Ukrainian language, the word "voda" means "water," but at the same time, the word "vodiy" has nothing in common with water and means "driver."
And such words and expressions are present in literally every language in the world - so even if you have superficial knowledge of some language, there is no guarantee that at some point you will not be let down by these "false friends." And then the main thing that remains is to simply perceive the failure with humor. And, perhaps, share your story in our selection.
#13
#14
#15
I sit down at the Cafe, and the server comes up to me. I want to order a hot coffee, but very quickly he says something I don't understand, I panic, and instead of saying the Spanish word for "hot" (caliente), I say the Spanish word for "shut up" (callate). His eyes go wide and he just kind of stares at me for a a few seconds, and he clarifies "no frio?" (Not cold). And I reply with yes. So.. thankfully he knew I wasn't trying to be a jerk and what I was trying to order.
I didnt even realize my mistake until a few hours later.
Here we have collected lots of exciting and funny stories from different countries all over the globe, so we are almost sure that you will definitely find a story to your liking. And if not - I do suppose that you also have a similar case behind you, so please feel free to share it with us in the comments below this post of ours.
#16
#17
I looked like Scrooge McDuck swimming in cash.
#18
I then went ahead to the next stall and bought myself some grilled Octopus. I was so excited and told my sisters “Look, I got some octopus! It seems to be very popular here as all the stores say they have it!” Only for them to laugh at my face and tell me that Octopus is what they call their train cards, much like Oyster for the UK. Good thing the grilled Octopus was tasty.
#19
At my prim grandmother's request, I made arrangements to meet an old friend of hers who lived at a very posh address. I was holding my own, French-wise, at a restaurant until we talked about dessert. She asked (in French) if I wanted cream or sugar on my strawberries. I said, "Je m'en fous." Basically means, "I don't give a f**k." I didn't know this until I returned to the States.
#20
