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You know you’re a language nerd when...

  Tags: Language Geek
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
3737 messages over 468 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 225 ... 467 468 Next >>
patuco
Diglot
Moderator
Gibraltar
Joined 6765 days ago

3795 posts - 4268 votes 
Speaks: Spanish, English*
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 Message 1793 of 3737
05 July 2011 at 5:48pm | IP Logged 
Juan wrote:
when you click on the links and the full-sized images turn out to be so damn small that you can't make out the individual texts.

They're fine on my screen, although I can't actually read most of them since I don't know what they're saying.



Teango wrote:
When you receive yet another boring utilities pamphlet through your door telling you they're going to raise their rates again, entitled "Important legal changes to the ownership of your sewers", and are about to throw it in the bin when you happen to notice the back pages...

The English explanation states that, if English is not your first language and you require more information, you can call the given number and they'll "call you back immediately with a translator."

Two things struck me when reading this:

1. Presumably the operators don't speak those languages (hence the need for a translator) so they're obviously expecting you to know enough English to ask for your own language. Otherwise, how would they know which language you'd be talking in when you phoned?

2. Who is the translator (or, more likely, group of translators) who is willing to drop everything and immediately attend to Thames Water's translation requests?



I never realised that sewer ownership could be so interesting!

Edited by patuco on 05 July 2011 at 5:55pm

1 person has voted this message useful





meramarina
Diglot
Moderator
United States
Joined 5717 days ago

1341 posts - 2303 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish
Studies: German, Italian, French
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 Message 1794 of 3737
05 July 2011 at 6:05pm | IP Logged 
This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Get your mind out of the gutter!"

You are a Language Nerd when you want to call that number just for fun! And any self-respecting language nerd would, of course, carefully place that beautiful pamphlet in a sturdy frame, under bulletproof glass, and display it on the wall to be contemplated at all times as a little shrine to Polyglot Plumbing!

Edited by meramarina on 05 July 2011 at 6:06pm

3 persons have voted this message useful



Teango
Triglot
Winner TAC 2010 & 2012
Senior Member
United States
teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5306 days ago

2210 posts - 3734 votes 
Speaks: English*, German, Russian
Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona

 
 Message 1795 of 3737
05 July 2011 at 6:09pm | IP Logged 
@Juan
I feel your pain over an otherwise wasted opportunity, and have therefore swapped the links with extra large originals. Enjoy!
6 persons have voted this message useful



LebensForm
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 4800 days ago

212 posts - 264 votes 
Studies: German

 
 Message 1796 of 3737
06 July 2011 at 4:20am | IP Logged 
You know you are a language nerd when you go to a bar and order a dark German beer, pronouncing it the correct German way (W said like a v etc) and you become annoyed when she keeps pronoucing the W like a W, and then after about 6, you finally lose enough sense or ability to bite your tongue and you tell the poor Black waitress the correct pronunciation... apparently going on German language and grammar tangents in public means I'm cut off...

Edited by LebensForm on 06 July 2011 at 4:22am

2 persons have voted this message useful





Iversen
Super Polyglot
Moderator
Denmark
berejst.dk
Joined 6453 days ago

9078 posts - 16473 votes 
Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan
Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian
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 Message 1797 of 3737
06 July 2011 at 9:02am | IP Logged 
So basically that waitress cut you off from your supply of dark German beer when you corrected her pronunciation? What a mess ... people have no respect for knowledge.
2 persons have voted this message useful



LebensForm
Senior Member
Austria
Joined 4800 days ago

212 posts - 264 votes 
Studies: German

 
 Message 1798 of 3737
06 July 2011 at 4:03pm | IP Logged 
No my friend did... lol. But I don't think the waitress really appreciated me correcting her. What an interesting night...
1 person has voted this message useful



Levi
Pentaglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5317 days ago

2268 posts - 3328 votes 
Speaks: English*, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish
Studies: Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian

 
 Message 1799 of 3737
10 July 2011 at 4:23am | IP Logged 
...when you take delight in the fact that the past participle of the English loanword "upload" in German is "upgeloadet".
3 persons have voted this message useful



WentworthsGal
Senior Member
United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 4638 days ago

191 posts - 246 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Swedish, Spanish

 
 Message 1800 of 3737
10 July 2011 at 3:08pm | IP Logged 
J-Learner wrote:
You listen to foreign pop music even though you absolutely hate it in English.

(yes...I love Turkish pop music :D Ok? I said it!)


Lol, I love Turkish pop music too :-p Yey for Tarkan!! :oD x


1 person has voted this message useful



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