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:
Pīnyīn:
jītóngyājiǎng
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.
Love it! “The chicken talks to the duck.” This is just like all of my conversations with my six-year-old. I’m using this all the time. Can you add an audio file of you pronouncing this?
Love from Lopes