Lost in Translation

What I was trying to order: “Watermelon juice”

What I really ordered: “Western few juice.”

What they were trying to tell me: “You owe 5NT”  (NT is the currency in Taiwan)

What I responded:  “No thank you, I don’t want a bag.”

What my teacher asked me: “Where do you often go to buy things?”

What I answered: “I eat often.”

After this last doozy my teacher taught me this useful phrase.

Characters:

Pīn​yīn:

                         jī​tóng​yā​jiǎng

Meaning:

                   This means “the chicken talks to the duck.”  In other words – I have no idea what you said because I’m not a duck and you certainly sound like a chicken.  It’s a phrase used when people can’t communicate with each other.

So, I’m obviously still learning the local language.