Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,150,297 members, 7,808,010 topics. Date: Thursday, 25 April 2024 at 03:00 AM

Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries - Travel - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Travel / Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries (1918 Views)

20 English Words To Avoid When In Other Countries / 20 English Word You Must Avoid When In Other Countries / Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply) (Go Down)

Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by braintext(m): 2:55pm On May 04, 2015
Avoid These 20 English Words When in Other Countries

If you travel abroad frequently for work, or if you have an e-commerce store with customers from all over the world, it’s worth noting that there are a number of English words that, phonetically, don’t work in other countries and can lead to double entendre or unintended offence territory. Here are 20 of them to help you ensure that your communication isn’t lost in translation.



France
Preservative.
Avoid asking about preservatives in France; you’ll probably be met with strange looks. It means ‘condom’ in France.

Norway
Pick.
If you’re visiting Norway, don’t use the word ‘pick’. Your Norwegian colleague is unlikely to be impressed - it means ‘dick’ over there.

Fitter. Does your business specialise in fitness products? Be mindful that in Norway, the word ‘fitte’ refers to a woman’s genitals.

Turkey
Peach.
Going to Turkey? Avoid asking for a peach in the supermarket or anywhere else for that matter. It means ‘bastard’ in Turkish.

Germany
Gift.
‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’, we’re told; perhaps more so in Germany where the word means ‘poison’.

Latte. In Germany, latte doesn’t mean the frothy, milky concoction you get from your local Starbucks. It means ‘erect penis’ in some German quarters.

Korea
Salsa.
Out for a Mexican in Korea? It’s probably best not to ask for salsa: it means ‘diarrhoea’ in Korean.

Sweden
Speed.
Try not to talk about speed when in the company of others in Sweden. It means ‘fart’.

Bump. If you’ve had the misfortune of a bump on your car, note that the word ‘bump’ in Swedish means ‘dump’.

Speed bump. Put the above two words together and you have the phrase ‘speed bump’, which in Swedish means fart dump.

Kiss. If you ask your Swedish host or hostess for a kiss, they might very well direct you to the toilets. In Swedish, the word means ‘pee’.

Portugal
Pay Day.
If you’re in Portugal, refrain from singing with happiness that it’s ‘pay day’. No one will be impressed. In Portuguese it means “I farted”.

Exquisite. Extend a compliment to your Portuguese host by describing something belonging to them as ‘exquisite’ and you might be met with askance looks: ‘esquisito’ in Portuguese means ‘weird’.

Hungary
Cookie.
If you’re visiting Hungary, whether on business or for pleasure, avoid asking for a cookie. It means ‘small penis’ in Hungarian.

[size=13pt]Japan[/size]
Jerry.
It’s perhaps a little late for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but if you’re in Japan, avoid using the word – it means ‘diarrhoea’ over there.

France
Bra.
Do you sell luxury underwear? Whilst you and I might initially understand the word to mean a garment that covers the breasts, if you’re in France your French colleagues might think you’re selling arms. Literally.

Italy
Tremendous.
Refrain from boasting about the tremendous prices you offer your clients. In this country, ‘tremendo’ is the word for ‘terrible’.

Netherlands
Bill.
Asking for the bill might raise a few guffaws in the Netherlands: ‘bil’ means ‘buttocks’ there.

Lager. It might confuse your Dutch colleagues if you were to ask for a ‘lager’ when having a few drinks with them after work. Lager means ‘storage’ in Dutch.

Spain
Cool.
The word cool is too close for comfort to the Spanish word 'culo'; a crude term for 'bum'. Best avoided.


SOURCE

Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by ifex370(m): 3:05pm On May 04, 2015
plantain
In Nigeria it means... cheesy
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by saxwizard(m): 3:27pm On May 04, 2015
coughs
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by Patangela: 3:32pm On May 04, 2015
Ok nw
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by braintext(m): 6:59pm On May 04, 2015
saxwizard:
coughs


#Gives him a glass of water
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by Nobody: 8:01pm On May 04, 2015
Fp pls
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by Houseofglam7(f): 9:17pm On May 04, 2015
Now, this is front page worthy!!!
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by Obinnio: 11:59pm On May 04, 2015
ifex370:
plantain

In Nigeria it means... cheesy
Bole, Dodo, Aprika. Which one are you refering to
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by Nobody: 11:19am On May 08, 2015
That means na hmmming we go dae hmmm for those places na.. Hmmmm wahmmmm tahmmm nahmmmmm
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by braintext(m): 3:10pm On May 09, 2015
fighal:
That means na hmmming we go dae hmmm for those places na.. Hmmmm wahmmmm tahmmm nahmmmmm


Hehehhe you dey sure say hmmm mean somthing bad for another language?
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by bloglover(m): 9:09pm On May 09, 2015
CHINA- Ben(笨)
for those of you bearing d name "BEN" am sorry to tell u that it means “stupid” in Chinese language
Re: Avoid These 20 English Words When In Other Countries by braintext(m): 12:12am On Dec 27, 2015
How far una travel wink

(1) (Reply)

Dana Airline Gives Corp Members And Students Flight Discounts / My Trip To Lekki Conservation Centre (photos) / Over 77 Years Old Crocodile Living With A Family In Ibadan Uncovered (photos)

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 16
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.