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Misunderstandings from a foreign language can be full of humor, especially if you can laugh at yourself. "Faux amis," the French call them, false friends; they fool you and lead you astray.
Many years ago my family spent a summer in Venezuela in a rented home, and I was the only one there one day when a serviceman come to restock the bar. He asked me if we needed any beer (cerveza). The most I could make of it was that he wanted a tip - for "service," or something, I guessed. (After asking three times and getting nowhere he ignored me, checked the supply himself. We didn't.)
But then, this was the same smattering-of-high-school-French-speaking Norteamericano who saw on a hill by the road leaving the airport a sign that read "fume fortuna," and thought how extraordinarily considerate of their tourist guests these people were: they even pointed out the volcanos for them...it's an advertising billboard, and it means "smoke fortuna cigarettes"!
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Ironic Innit stales 02/21/03 07:55 AM Re: Ironic Innit Wordwind 02/21/03 08:05 AM Re: Ironic Innit Buffalo Shrdlu 02/21/03 10:24 AM Ironic Innit - or is it just sarcasm? belligerentyouth 02/21/03 01:30 PM Re: Ironic Innit stales 02/26/03 02:04 PM Re: Ironic Innit Wordwind 02/26/03 02:51 PM Re: Ironic Innit modestgoddess 02/27/03 02:20 AM innocents abroad wofahulicodoc 02/27/03 09:45 PM Re: Ironic Innit Zed 02/27/03 08:09 PM Re: Ironic Innit wwh 02/27/03 08:14 PM Re: Ironic Innit Faldage 02/27/03 08:17 PM Re: Ironic Innit wwh 02/27/03 08:41 PM Re: Ironic Innit wwh 02/27/03 08:56 PM Re: Ironic Innit dxb 02/28/03 07:09 AM Re: Ironic Innit wwh 02/28/03 02:29 PM Re: Ironic Innit musick 02/28/03 02:38 PM
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