Linguistic fuckupery (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid



Message

Ninebelowzero -> Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 10:18:21 AM)

Winston Churchill: "Americans and British are one people separated only by a common language." Let's try & clear this up a little

English Fanny A lady's front bottom
American A posterior
English Bum -A posterior
American A loser/ tramp/hobo



Fightdirecto -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 10:43:00 AM)

Actually the originator of that quote was the great Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.

Suspenders - something an American man uses to hold his pants up, and an English woman uses to hold her stockings up.
Braces - something that an Englishman uses to hold up his pants and an American has put on his teeth by a dentist to straighten them.
If you do a good job, your American boss might give you a "raise" - but your English boss would give you a "rise".



LadyHibiscus -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 10:47:37 AM)

Pants.



GreedyTop -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 11:00:12 AM)

fag



Ninebelowzero -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 11:04:05 AM)

Gun Control.



outlier -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 12:09:43 PM)

Automotive:

Bonnet  =  Hood
Boot     =  Trunk
Toeboard = Firewall
Earth = Ground 

There are many more



ShibsStories -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 12:20:28 PM)

If you are at a party and a man says to you that he will come "knock you up"...
In England, all is good- it means to knock on your door, a house call.
In America... RUN, HE GONNA PUT A BABY IN YOUR BELLY!



Edwynn -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:14:47 PM)


Here's the whole story!


http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2112/how-did-faggot-get-to-mean-male-homosexual


I could have made an ostentatiously flaming display of my knowledge of all things back-alley cultural and just plagiarized from the above link with out reference and thereby 'fagotted' the whole question, but then somebody might think I was a queer or something.

Alas, I'm just a queer sort.


Not to worry, the internet is dispensing with the notion of context or minor distinctions of all sorts everyday.






hlen5 -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:20:58 PM)

sweater = jumper



Edwynn -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:40:13 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: hlen5

sweater = jumper


Just don't ask a German to hang his Mantel over a mantelpiece, else we'ed have more flame than we could Handel.

Sorry: I meant to say, more than we could handle.





DaddySatyr -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:42:08 PM)

English "Taking the piss" or "Taking the mickey out of ..." American = "making fun of"

English "Pissed" American = "Drunk"

English "Lift" American = "Elevator"

English "Flat" American = "Apartment"

While this next one doesn't qualify as an "English Vs. American" issue, I really enjoy Cockney Rhyming Slang so, I need to include this:

"If we don't get our shit together and start speaking the same language, we're going to be in Barney."



Peace and comfort,



Michael


P.S.; considering the title of the thread, could I broaden it to some funny translations between languages that were huge fuck-ups?



hlen5 -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:45:11 PM)

The Chevrolet Nova was a bust in Mexico because No va = It doesn't go.



DaddySatyr -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:45:21 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ninebelowzero
Gun Control.


In American, that would be: "Use two hands when firing"



DaddySatyr -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 8:48:11 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: hlen5
The Chevrolet Nova was a bust in Mexico because No va = It doesn't go.


That was exactly one of the ones I was going to mention!

(For those that don't speak Spanish: The reason why two words could equal three {or technically; four} words is because in Spanish, the subject is understood, based upon the verb ending)



Peace and comfort,



Michael



Edwynn -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/21/2012 9:11:26 PM)


We know the sad story of the Japanese economy as it stands now, for far too long, due to Asian obstinance of sundry sorts, but they at least figured out that they needed to hire Western marketing/advert agencies early on to gain access to foreign markets. Using their own language and cultural understanding would have been a disaster.

Witness the Chinese, of whom the insulated understanding of the world makes for the greatest comedy.

They use whatever internet translator and go with that.

I do recall, when I was in show biz, when the Irish girls came to our stage, the first and last words out of their mouths were "fucksake." ('for fuck's sake'). 

When backstage, of course.








DaddySatyr -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/22/2012 9:12:32 AM)

It's funny you should mention Japan.

In the mid-late 70s, Coca Cola decided they were going to try a new marketing campaign. They spent a ton of money, wrote a new jingle, talked to all the right people on Madison Avenue but, it was obvious that when they geared up for Japan, they had a non-native Japanese speaker doing their translation for them.

There, in the middle of Tokyo's "Times' Square" was a huge billboard proudly proclaiming: "Coke will bring your ancestors back from the dead!"

Of course, what they were aiming for was: "Coke adds life"

Growing up as I did in NYC, I remember seeing a sign outside a language school (one just geared for teaching people how to speak English) that read: "English as she is goodly spocken" (There's no typo, there).



Peace and comfort,



Michael



Edwynn -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/22/2012 10:05:11 AM)




Are you British born, or otherwise a native Brit, USA schooling disregarding?

As we speak, I am attempting to grapple with deutsche Sprache, or, the German language, myself. No better way to confuse ourselves or our understanding of the world.

Thank you for your latest input, any regards. As to your reference, the Japs  were apparently aware of the Anglo/Saxon origin and missed by just one letter the difference between spochen and sprochen. Past participle of "to speak," or, "spoken language," of some sort. Don't ask me or the Japs on that one.



tameeks -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/22/2012 8:23:53 PM)

And here I thought this thread was going to be dedicated to all the asstwats who can't spell to save their lives and insist on sending women messages on this site. 

I did learn some new phrases though, thanks for that.  :)



sunshinemiss -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/22/2012 8:28:49 PM)

Inaccurate
See Snopes

quote:

ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr

It's funny you should mention Japan.

In the mid-late 70s, Coca Cola decided they were going to try a new marketing campaign. They spent a ton of money, wrote a new jingle, talked to all the right people on Madison Avenue but, it was obvious that when they geared up for Japan, they had a non-native Japanese speaker doing their translation for them.

There, in the middle of Tokyo's "Times' Square" was a huge billboard proudly proclaiming: "Coke will bring your ancestors back from the dead!"

Of course, what they were aiming for was: "Coke adds life"

Growing up as I did in NYC, I remember seeing a sign outside a language school (one just geared for teaching people how to speak English) that read: "English as she is goodly spocken" (There's no typo, there).



Peace and comfort,



Michael



tameeks -> RE: Linguistic fuckupery (1/22/2012 9:02:13 PM)

I love snopes! 



Page: [1] 2 3 4   next >   >>

Valid CSS!




Collarchat.com © 2025
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Spam Policy
0.046875