My three year was playing with his five year old Indian American cousin when I heard him respond and say Arun Bhaiya you go after the bad guys (cows) and I will go after the bad bhains (buffaloes) where as the NRI bhaiya was just trying to go after the Bad Guys :)
Great post, Pallavi, and congrats for the Newsletter !
My contribution (real story): The next diplomatic event at our UN agency was a fancy Indian-style buffet to be organized with the Indian Embassy. Discussing about preparations, the head of our outsourced catering company (a French lady in charge of food events) said to the Deputy Director General (a high-level Indian official) that he would surely enjoy because, although Geneva had many Indian TRAITORS operating, the most famous one would take care of our event (of course, she meant “caterer” but got mixed up with the French word “traiteur”). A heavy silence followed before I managed to decipher what she really meant (the French lady smiling most happy with her statement, and the Indian DDG not speaking a word of French). No big deal, but we still wonder who the best Indian traitor in Geneva is …
Pallavi, you've certainly demonstrated your mastery and power with the English language, although I also enjoy the downfall of such hubris when in non-English speaking countries. I agree with everything you've written in such a witty essay, which leads me to confess that I always weakened when it came to complex French and revert to "Comme on dit en anglais..."!!!
"Language learning leads to the epiphany that making a mistake is an act of bravery, and the people making them should be patted on the back, not sniggered at." So true, and so well written! My Spanish learning experience, which also involved a "faux ami" with French, was that I spent my first months in Spain meeting people and telling them that I was "encanto" (enchanté). Which in Spanish can mean "you're a delight!," rather than "my pleasure." Nobody corrected me... until one (clearly very macho) guy answered back with a stern warning, saying "You can tell that to another kind of bloke, but for sure not me! I was shocked.... but I learned
In Brussels I told my child's nursery teacher that I was going to undress, by mixing and mangling 'demenager' (move house) and 'habiter' (to live at) and turning it into deshabiller. I was deeply impressed by her deadpan 'et pourquoi?'
OMG! That is hilarious. One of my favorites in Brussels was being told by the secretary of an official I had an appointment with that he was retarded. She meant, late 😂
I had to work with this guy named Lund. As a Hindi-knowing Indian, do I need to say that I only got his attention by hey-ing, hi-ing, and hello-ing :D
Hilarious!
Enjoyed your article in TOI
Thank you :-)
My three year was playing with his five year old Indian American cousin when I heard him respond and say Arun Bhaiya you go after the bad guys (cows) and I will go after the bad bhains (buffaloes) where as the NRI bhaiya was just trying to go after the Bad Guys :)
Hilarious!
Thank you very much for sharing. I really loved it! Looking forward for the following ones.
Lovely to know that you enjoyed it!
Great post, Pallavi, and congrats for the Newsletter !
My contribution (real story): The next diplomatic event at our UN agency was a fancy Indian-style buffet to be organized with the Indian Embassy. Discussing about preparations, the head of our outsourced catering company (a French lady in charge of food events) said to the Deputy Director General (a high-level Indian official) that he would surely enjoy because, although Geneva had many Indian TRAITORS operating, the most famous one would take care of our event (of course, she meant “caterer” but got mixed up with the French word “traiteur”). A heavy silence followed before I managed to decipher what she really meant (the French lady smiling most happy with her statement, and the Indian DDG not speaking a word of French). No big deal, but we still wonder who the best Indian traitor in Geneva is …
Love it!
You hooked me with the title! I thoroughly enjoyed your avocado or artículo! I still get them confused!
You hooked me with the title! I thoroughly enjoyed your avocado er artículo!
Ja! Ja! Truth be told my smashed avocados on toast are every bit as good as good as my articulos :-)
Pallavi, you've certainly demonstrated your mastery and power with the English language, although I also enjoy the downfall of such hubris when in non-English speaking countries. I agree with everything you've written in such a witty essay, which leads me to confess that I always weakened when it came to complex French and revert to "Comme on dit en anglais..."!!!
Complex French must be torturous!
With all due respect to avocados and contrary to what you say, I would argue that avocados and lawyers are taxonomically related.
:-)
"Language learning leads to the epiphany that making a mistake is an act of bravery, and the people making them should be patted on the back, not sniggered at." So true, and so well written! My Spanish learning experience, which also involved a "faux ami" with French, was that I spent my first months in Spain meeting people and telling them that I was "encanto" (enchanté). Which in Spanish can mean "you're a delight!," rather than "my pleasure." Nobody corrected me... until one (clearly very macho) guy answered back with a stern warning, saying "You can tell that to another kind of bloke, but for sure not me! I was shocked.... but I learned
Ha! Ha! Or more precisely, Ja! Ja! :-)
What a wonderful read. Can wait to hear more
SO glad you think so :-)
I am already looking forward to reading your posts, with a hugely whetted appetite. Almost salivating, in fact ...
So glad to hear that :-)
Delightful reading, but more so the inherent thought! Love this piece. Kudos!!!
Many many more pieces to come :-)
I am so envious of your language skills! Bravo for being so brave!
Thin line between brave and foolhardy sometimes ;-)
A big gaffe in Spain:
Wishing someone, who had just had rectal surgery, feliz ano nuevo instead of feliz año nuevo.
That ñ can be a gamechanger!!
In Brussels I told my child's nursery teacher that I was going to undress, by mixing and mangling 'demenager' (move house) and 'habiter' (to live at) and turning it into deshabiller. I was deeply impressed by her deadpan 'et pourquoi?'
OMG! That is hilarious. One of my favorites in Brussels was being told by the secretary of an official I had an appointment with that he was retarded. She meant, late 😂