Bogus Japanese-English Dictionaries

[kenshorin]

Link (http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/wwn/20031204/107055000003.html)

Tourists are buying this J-E phrase book, and are getting more than they bargained for...

[John Lindsey]

Funny, but not true. It is in their Weekly World News section...

[kirigirisu]

I'm surprised the phrase "my nipples explode with delight" didn't make it in there.

[Shitoryu Dude]

Damn! I need to learn how to put that into a conversation :cool:

[william northcote]

A 45-year-old tourist from Okinawa looking for the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem thought he was asking a group of young men, "I am lost. Which way is uptown?" In reality, he said, "I know martial arts. May I kick your !!!?" He was chased five blocks before being rescued by police.

...And they are never around when I need them :(

[Tripitaka of AA]

I had a phrasebook, inherited from my older brother, which was designed for the first generation of teenage Backpackers that were just learning how to conquer Europe (back in the 1960s). The book was titled "How to chat up a bird in 5 different languages". It had Swedish, French, Italian, Spanish and German translations for English phrases such as "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?", "Hi, you must be a Virgo, right!", "My life was dark, but now I have seen the light".

For some reason I memorised the following Italian phrase. I've used it twice.

me non posso sposarti a causa della mia ferita di guerra

The reactions I recieved leave me unsure as to whether the translation is entirely accurate. But I feel it is always worth making the effort to speak a foreign language (this may separate me from my fellow British tourists somewhat). Consequently I know how to say "please", "thank you", "yes", "no" and "stop that!" in most European languages, but not much else :D.

My admiration for those poly-linguists who frequent these boards knows no bounds. :nw: :smilejapa :nw:

[Tripitaka of AA]

Ah, Good! It was right, after al! :) :laugh:

[Kimpatsu]

There's a dead giveaway that it's a hoax: The supposed author's name is given as "M L Tanaka". As any Japanese speaker will tell you, (1) the Japanese don't have middle names, and (2) They use the letter "R", not "L" to describe the sound in question.

[kenkyusha]

Originally posted by Tripitaka of AA
snip
My admiration for those poly-linguists who frequent these boards knows no bounds.
A person who is fluent in:
one language- monolingual
two languages- bilingual
three or more- polyglot

Be well,
Jigme

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by kenkyusha
A person who is fluent in:
one language- monolingual
two languages- bilingual
three or more- polyglot

Be well,
Jigme
No, someone who speaks only one language is called an American. :D

[Julian Gerhart]

reminds me of that old Python sketch. the one where the hungarian man goes into the tobacco store and asks the shop keeper to fondle his buttocks. ahhh good times

[n2shotokai]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
No, someone who speaks only one language is called an American. :D
Calla te pendejo! :D

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by n2shotokai
Calla te pendejo! :D
Caramba! No me gusta hablar en español, idiota! :D :cool:

[n2shotokai]

Y su hermana tiene una carra de tortuga.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by n2shotokai
Y su hermana tiene una carra de tortuga.
You leave my sister out of this. Insult me all you like, but not her.

[jnakazawa]

No se dice calla te, se dice callate.

Y debes decir cara en lugar de carra.


:D

[Kimpatsu]

So his post was riddled with errors, Jorge. Now answer me this: If Jesus was a Jew, how come he had a Mexican name? :D

[n2shotokai]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
So his post was riddled with errors, Jorge. Now answer me this: If Jesus was a Jew, how come he had a Mexican name? :D
I worked in Mexico for a few years. It was a border town (Tijuana). I learned mostly words that cannot be used here. And my formal Spanish stinks big time, but most people understand me and I get a lot of laughs!

To answer Tony's question. In Mexico I believe more people are named Guadalupe. Here's a hint "Mary" or shall I say Maria.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by n2shotokai
To answer Tony's question. In Mexico I believe more people are named Guadalupe. Here's a hint "Mary" or shall I say Maria.
On that basis, even more of them should be called Burrito.

[n2shotokai]

Tony, that is suppose to read Biblical historical figures, not hysterical. Or were you thinking of a burro as in donkey?

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by n2shotokai
Tony, that is suppose to read Biblical historical figures, not hysterical. Or were you thinking of a burro as in donkey?
"Biblical historical"? That's an oxymoron.
Glad you think the Bible is dumb as a donkey, though.

[n2shotokai]

More like the jawbone of an !!!! :D Just KIDDING!:eek:

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by n2shotokai
More like the jawbone of an !!!! :D Just KIDDING!:eek:
No, kids are baby goats. A baby a$s is called a young Christian. :cool: