I figured it might be fun to share some more lighthearted stories of language problems:
When my wife was just my friend, pre-girl friend actually, we worked at a Hess. One evening I finished class before her and went home. On the street I saw her scooter and left a note which read, “See you later” meaning…“I see you soon, as in tomorrow.”
She waited for me for 45 minutes. She was so embarrassed she didn’t talk to me for a week! lol
Oooops
In the US, my wife (Taiwanese) once told her co-workers that another co-worker (female) bought a condom, and how she admired that. I guess eventually they figured out that she meant “condo”!
for some reason my wife also constantly mis-speaks “deoderant” and “dildo” lol
I made a lunch date with a very attractive Korean girl way back when. Her English was very good, so I figured no problem on the day/time for lunch.
So I tell her let’s meet for lunch tomorrow at noon, okay? She says okay, great!
I’m really looking foward to this: My first chance to get this girl alone, sort of. Anyway, I run into her the day we were supposed to have lunch and she tells me that she has waited almost an hour for me the day before. 
I couldn’t believe it!!! I said, why didn’t you call me on your cell-phone? She said she thought that would be rude.
Boy did I feel like a bone-head.
[quote=“wonder”]I made a lunch date with a very attractive Korean girl way back when.
…
I couldn’t believe it!!! I said, why didn’t you call me on your cell-phone?[/quote]
I didn’t know there were cell phones “way back when”!
Chris, don’t knock this thread…it needs all the help it can get! 
I seem to remember all the Koreans said handphone. It’s likely she didn’t know what a cellphone was.
I’ve found a lot of times the Chinese say “see you later” when “see you soon” would be more appropriate.
Just remembered this:
a few years ago I was teaching in a kindy. The Chinese teacher in the room nextdoor was teaching the Three Little Pigs. Apparently she was telling the story from memory and not reading it because every time the wolf got to a door, she’d YELL at the top of her voice:
“I’ll huff and puff and I’ll BLOW you!”
She asked me after class what I was doing that was so funny. She’d heard me laughing all through her story.
[quote=“jdsmith”]every time the wolf got to a door, she’d YELL at the top of her voice:
“I’ll huff and puff and I’ll BLOW you!”[/quote]
I’d been wondering why they call them ‘se lang’…
[quote=“jdsmith”]“I’ll huff and puff and I’ll BLOW you!”
She asked me after class what I was doing that was so funny. She’d heard me laughing all through her story. [/quote]
So, did you explain it to her?
[quote=“Chris”][quote=“jdsmith”]“I’ll huff and puff and I’ll BLOW you!”
She asked me after class what I was doing that was so funny. She’d heard me laughing all through her story. [/quote]
So, did you explain it to her? [/quote]
Yup. 
Once, when I pulled “it” out before “doing it”, I mistook her gasp of “se lang!” as “so long!” 
No, really, true story. She didn’t speak English so I wondered about how she knew the words for “so long”.
[quote=“RubiconBojador”]Once, when I pulled “it” out before “doing it”, I mistook her gasp of “se lang!” as “so long!”
No, really, true story. She didn’t speak English so I wondered about how she knew the words for “so long”.[/quote]
And this was surprising to you because it was the first time you ever heard that? lol
This morning was a classic, listening to the radio, Mr.s Hill pipes up:
Oh, the Queen is going to make Bill Gates a [color=red]knife[/color]
Nice one Mrs…
Ach…here I go again asking questions…what does “se lang” mean?
It means “color wolf.” “Color” often refers to sexual things in Chinese. “Wolf” is about the same as the English.