Literal Translation Charades: Two Words, Sounds Like...
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| Photo: Metro |
Now, with all the things going on in the world that I could possibly choose to write about, you're going to think I'm pandering to the lowest common denominator by highlighting this British tabloid story. But it amuses me.
Last week I told you about an Austrian town with a name that makes English speakers blush — they had to resort to 24-hour surveillance of their municipal signs to keep tourists from playing charades that make the locals blush. According to the UK website, Metro, the German town of Wank thinks the people of F**king should just get a grip.
[editor's note: The London-based site censors the word "wank" to protect local readers from vulgarities. As an American, I'm as comfortable publishing that word as I am saying "fanny" at a church picnic... Or more to the point of this story, as comfortable as the people who call Wank and F**cking home, because they speak different languages all together.]
Wank, Germany has a similar appeal to English speaking tourists, and officials there are willing to exploit it. The word means nothing in German, but translates to cash in tourist dollars. The Wank Haus apparently has to put mattresses out in a big room to accommodate all the snickering visitors.
This got me to thinking. I'd like to believe Americans could deal with this kind of self-deprecating humor, but I'm not sure it would fly. For example, the Spanish word "jale" (pronounced ha-le) means "pull" — you've probably seen it written on doors. The word "ween" — at least as far as I know in Mexican slang — is a euphemism for, let's say, rhymes with weenis. So for those who celebrate El Dia de los Muertos, our Halloween deserves quite a giggle. But I'm pretty sure Lou Dobbs' head would explode if Mexican teenagers started showing up at Halloween Party Headquarters to act that out in charades.
I don't know enough foreign language to site other examples of English words that are hilarious to others. But English speakers can't be the only ones who get to obnoxiously point and snort. Do you know of other examples like this? If so, please break it to me gently. My sensibilities are delicate.
P.S.
I have a technical difficulty I can't explain. The Metro.co.uk article referenced above won't attach as a link. If you're interested in the original story, it can be found at the address below. Thanks for your understanding — copying and pasting into a browser should do the trick.
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?W**k_tells_F**king_to_get_a_grip&in_article_id=714925&in_page_id=2
Posted by TheWordWire at 8/7/2009 9:52 AM 
Categories: Lost in Translation
Tags: Wank Germany funny translations funny town names Austria
Categories: Lost in Translation
Tags: Wank Germany funny translations funny town names Austria
Enquiring minds just have to know.... What were the circumstances under which you became so apparently familiar with all the Mexican slang terms for penis? Is this related to that time you got your bathrooms mixed up in Tijuana... for 45 minutes?
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No, but I did come out of a Quebec restroom marked "hommes" one time noting how cutely ironic it was that the in the French language women were "homies". It had to be pointed out to me that I was saying it wrong... and that I had been in the mens' room.
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Pay Day which to all of us is a wonderful thing; sounds exactly like the Portuguese word for fart. It's not nearly as exciting as the one you cited in your blog, but I think about it every time I get paid, mostly because after taxes, they stink!
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This made me burst out laughing! Great one - thanks for sharing! Love it.
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