Let’s try that again, why don’t we?
I have written and re-written this post three or four times. First, it was just too sad; then, too cynical.
And so, as a compromise, I leave you with a hilarious (well I think it is) photo from Nikon’s stand at the Photo and Film expo yesterday, and some funny things heard around the office.
It’s all about the point of view…
And secondly: office talk …
One of my colleagues was trying to spell out his email address to a client over the phone. It was all going perfectly until he got to spelling Nikon:
“N for November,” he started. “I for … I. You know, the letter with the little dot on top.” I can think of at least one word starting with the letter “I” that I would have used …
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I was explaining to another woman at work today (whose first language is not English) that I would be unemployed at the end of the month.
“What will you do,” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I’m free to do anything, I suppose.”
“Ah,” she answered. “Free, like a chicken in the oven.”
Um? Yes. Clearly a case of “lost in translation”. Unless I’m missing something.
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Then we have my (supposedly) English-speaking colleague who was explaining to another colleague a few days ago how I had thrown some jelly tots (candy) at her while she was deep in thought at her workstation.
“I got such a fright when Robin threw me with some sweets across the room earlier!” she told him.
I too would have been alarmed had I been picked up and thrown across the room … at the same time as a bag of jelly tots! Ah, how I love grammar …
7 Comments on “Let’s try that again, why don’t we?”
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They called me weed
I have been blogging here since around April 2011 - my little place on the blogosphere to express myself creatively. As a teenager I used to write a diary - in fact, as a 17-year-old living in Belgium, I wrote religiously every day. Fortunately the Internet didn't exist back then because my ramblings as a teenager were ever-so-slightly dark, cynical and depressing. You won't find much of that here. Also, mostly, I try not to get too deep or philosophical in this forum - I'd like my photography to uplift and inspire, and, where I can, I try to bring a bit of humour into my writing too. I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively and have made many friends across the globe. This is my spot to keep in touch with them.
I get such a kick out of these! I have to read a lot at my job, and sometimes I come across some really funny spelling errors, or misuse of words.
“P” for pneumonia…
Ha ha. Bite your tongue now. Or vasbyt. Then freedom like a chicken in the oven. Almost sounds foreboding. Scalariuous!
Laugh out loud!
great post.
Free as a chicken in the oven… I burst out laughing at that one! And, I’ve heard one or two of my kids talk about being thrown with something. I tell them that is Afrikaans English.
Tina – mom of 4
Spanish speakers have trouble with some prepositions also. My students had a terrible time with “stand in the highway” or “stand on the highway, and a lot of other things since “in” and “on” are the same word in Spanish–”en.” Why do you get off the bus but not get off the car? And why can’t you use “oversee” and “overlook” interchangeably? I loved he one about the letter with the little dot. They didn’t think of j.
I thought of this blog this week when I was spelling a word over the phone…I can’t remember what word I was spelling (I think it was an e-mail address) but I said “….i for ice-cream…x for xylophone…” LOL!