With my West Virginia accent, people
sometimes listen to how I say something and not have a clue what I just said.
It is probably like trying to communicate in a non-native language. These signs
and notices are written in English, but have a different meaning than intended:
- In a Bucharest, Romania, hotel lobby: “The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.”
- In a Paris hotel elevator: “Please leave your values at the front desk.”
- On the menu at a Swiss restaurant: “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.”
- Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: “Ladies may have a fit upstairs.”
- In a Copenhagen, Denmark, airline ticket office: “We take your bags and send them in all directions.”
- In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: “Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.”
- In a Tokyo shop: “Our nylons cost more than common, but you’ll find they are best in the long run.”
- Sign in Germany’s Black Forest: “It is strictly forbidden on our Black Forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each for that purpose.”
- In an ad by a Hong Kong dentist: “Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.”
- In a Rome laundry: “Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.”
I found these in my
newspaper-clipping file as I was preparing for my speech, Build It and They Will Stay: Secrets to Employee Engagement and
Retention. I will present it to the Society of Human Resource Management
next week.
Today’s gift was to send out 20
emails inviting colleagues to my presentation. They will be admitted for free
as my guests. I’ll be speaking in English—albeit with a West Virginia twang—so
I hope the meaning doesn’t get lost in the translation.
In Giving,
Robin
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