Most embarrassing moments using a foreign language

[MetalPants]

Well this has nothing to do with foreign language but it does have something to do with sign language. I had a sign language class in college and we learned to sign. Well as I was doing the sign for the letter "d", I accidentally raised my middle finger instead of my index finger. Suffice to say, that was EXTREMELY embarrasing cause A)the teacher's mouth dropped thirty feet to the floor and B)the whole freaking class laughed their asses off @ me and my screw-up. So not so good memories right there.

I am lea rning sign language and have been told that the sign for grinding coffe is very similar to the sign for necking. I can see where that would lead to embarrassment.

 

[Triskelion]

How about teaching a class full of Chinese businesspeople and referring to the Chinese Ebay Tao2 Bao (Hunt Treasure) as Cao4 Bao (Fuck Treasure). Really put my foot in it!

But last week there was a woman wearing a shirt that said, proudly, JAILBAIT, Come get some! I couldn't resist telling her what it meant in front of the class, and she was shocked! (I'm only human)!

 

[Iasius]

I once dated a young lady from Denmark who was travelling the US one summer. We were saying our goodbyes when she told me that she wished I would come to Denmark and "knock her up".

It was quite a while before a mutual friend informed me that she meant "visit her at home" (knock on her door).

I think that's my favorite so far. But good stories everyone! Keep 'em coming.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Good stories, everyone.

Here's mine. I was in Inverness, Scotland, couple of years ago, and being the geek I am, I wanted to buy a kilt. Yeah, I know, that's kinda stupid when you are not a Scotsman, but what I can say, I always wanted it and that was my one opportunity. My English is not bad, but obviously I was not familiar with typically Scottish words. So after I found one my size (not an easy task when you are a 5'3" Italian guy), with a chipper smile on my face, I asked for "the little bag you keep around your tummy".
The shopkeeper, a bear of a Scotsman with a wild beard and steely gray eyes, towered on me and practically growled "You mean the sporran?" In that moment, I had this mental picture of him jumping above Hadrian's Wall with an axe shouting "Death to the Romans!!!", so, with a little sweat forming on my forehead, I replied sheepishly "Yesss, what you said, please!", paid my bill and run away from the shop in the most dignified but quick way possible.

I think that today he is still telling the story about that wee Italian lad which came an inch from having his arse handed to him for talking funny in his shoppe.

 

[Angry Angel]

Last week I was preparing dinner and I made oxpytt for the whole family. Which is a variation on pytt i panna, a typical Swedish dish containing cubed potatoe pieces, onion and meat.
Anyway, when I call out to kiddo that dinner is ready his first question is always: "what are we having?" ... so in my best Swedish I reply by summing up all the veggies, eggs and "oxpytt" ... or so I thought. I slipped up on the "pytt" part and pronounced it as "pitt" ... which resulted in an awkward moment of silence from his side, then a stupefied look and finally asking his mommy if we were really going to have "oxpitt" ... which apparently means "ox dick"

 

[Triskelion]

That's a spicy meatball!

 

[jamestyler]

I'm good with foreign languages. Being British I've mastered the art of making people understand me by talking louder.

The only thing that comes to mind was when at Oktoberfest a friend asked for a good chat up like in German and I gave him something like "I have no testicles, I have a vagina." No one corrected him.

And although not a foreign language (arguably) my sister and her boyfriend was recently in the US visiting our dad. After a drinking session she asked the step sister to give a fag (cigarette) to her boyfriend. "He likes to have a fag after a wee drink."

It wasn't until she got the flustered response "You're very liberal in Scotland" that she clicked.

 

[Sheniferous]

I was 17 and in my first week in Madrid on a year-long study abroad program. I went to McDonalds and tried to order a "coño de helado". Apparently ice cream doesn't come in vaginas out there.