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Rudeness as perceived in different languages and cultures

Started by xSilverPhinx, March 28, 2019, 01:16:10 AM

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xSilverPhinx

Today I heard a story about a Brazilian man who went on holiday to the US and there he told his host, "I want an extra pillow please" when asked if he needed anything.

The host, this traveller mentioned, seemed a little taken aback and put off at the request. The man wondered, did I say it correctly? That was an odd reaction, I said it exactly the way it was taught to me.

He is generally thought of as a polite man, so what's wrong with this picture?

What's probably the problem here is that he translated verbatim from the normal way such requests are made in Brazil (I don't know about our cousins the Portuguese). "Quero isso" ("I want this or that..."). In Brazil there's nothing wrong with that picture.

However, in other countries it can easily be misconstrued as rudeness. "Try, 'I would like' or 'could I have' instead of 'I want' next time", was the suggestion.

I guess the point of this story was to say: be a patient with non-native English speakers if you ever find yourself in a situation like this. Not everything is meant the way it is perceived.   ;)

I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Sandra Craft

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2019, 01:16:10 AM
I guess the point of this story was to say: be a patient with non-native English speakers if you ever find yourself in a situation like this. Not everything is meant the way it is perceived.   ;)

An excellent reminder, tho I can't see anything wrong with the way he originally said it.  I'm inclined to think his host was a bit tight-assed. 

Learning another language can be tremendously difficult (I've certainly never managed it) and the smallest things can trip people up.  There was an Asian clerk in a store I used to go to who had the hardest time keeping "from" and "for" straight -- and granted to look at there's not much difference, but mix them up in speech and it's a whole other story. 

And there was a Filipina co-worker who had the worst time with gender words, she always defaulted to the male -- "he" when she meant "she", "nephew" when she meant "niece", that sort of thing.  Language can be a minefield.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Sandra Craft on March 28, 2019, 06:50:30 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2019, 01:16:10 AM
I guess the point of this story was to say: be a patient with non-native English speakers if you ever find yourself in a situation like this. Not everything is meant the way it is perceived.   ;)
Language can be a minefield.

Indeed it can! :smilenod:

It's one thing when regular people commit mistakes in the target language, but another altogether when they're made by huge companies which should have a little spare money to hire a consultant before launching their product in a country that speaks another language?

I'm reminded of a case of a brand name oversight that happened in Brazil last century:



'Pinto' is slang for penis in Brazil. it's also the word for 'I paint' and 'chick' (bird), but who thinks of those? ::)

Knowing this, what do you think of this image now? :lol:



Needless to say the car wasn't very popular here.


I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Sandra Craft

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 30, 2019, 06:47:44 PM

'Pinto' is slang for penis in Brazil. it's also the word for 'I paint' and 'chick' (bird), but who thinks of those? ::)

Knowing this, what do you think of this image now? :lol:



Needless to say the car wasn't very popular here.

:rofl:  Not sure I'd ever stop laughing.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

hermes2015

"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Bluenose

Even when we allegedly speak the same language you can be tripped up in another country.  Aussies find it incredibly funny when Americans say that they root for a particular team in, say football.  Apart from the part of a plant and other similar meanings, in Aussie English root has an altogether more fundamentally biological meaning.  In essence it means to copulate.  Not something we would normally consider doing for our team...  LOL
+++ Divide by cucumber error: please reinstall universe and reboot.  +++

GNU Terry Pratchett


xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Sandra Craft on March 31, 2019, 05:08:59 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 30, 2019, 06:47:44 PM

'Pinto' is slang for penis in Brazil. it's also the word for 'I paint' and 'chick' (bird), but who thinks of those? ::)

Knowing this, what do you think of this image now? :lol:



Needless to say the car wasn't very popular here.

:rofl:  Not sure I'd ever stop laughing.

:snicker:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


xSilverPhinx

Quote from: hermes2015 on March 31, 2019, 05:21:32 AM
Sometimes a Pinto is just a car (Sigmund Freud).

:snicker:

But wouldn't it be a sign of virility most men aspire to? (Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew)
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Bluenose on March 31, 2019, 11:35:02 AM
Even when we allegedly speak the same language you can be tripped up in another country.  Aussies find it incredibly funny when Americans say that they root for a particular team in, say football.  Apart from the part of a plant and other similar meanings, in Aussie English root has an altogether more fundamentally biological meaning.  In essence it means to copulate.  Not something we would normally consider doing for our team...  LOL

:lol:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


hermes2015

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 31, 2019, 06:03:55 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on March 31, 2019, 05:21:32 AM
Sometimes a Pinto is just a car (Sigmund Freud).

:snicker:

But wouldn't it be a sign of virility most men aspire to? (Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew)

Didn't Bernays invent that tasty sauce? No wait, that was Béarnaise.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: hermes2015 on April 01, 2019, 04:44:13 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 31, 2019, 06:03:55 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on March 31, 2019, 05:21:32 AM
Sometimes a Pinto is just a car (Sigmund Freud).

:snicker:

But wouldn't it be a sign of virility most men aspire to? (Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew)

Didn't Bernays invent that tasty sauce? No wait, that was Béarnaise.

I wouldn't know really. The only 'aise' I'm acquainted with is mayonnaise. :grin:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


hermes2015

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 01, 2019, 05:40:41 AM
Quote from: hermes2015 on April 01, 2019, 04:44:13 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 31, 2019, 06:03:55 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on March 31, 2019, 05:21:32 AM
Sometimes a Pinto is just a car (Sigmund Freud).

:snicker:

But wouldn't it be a sign of virility most men aspire to? (Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew)

Didn't Bernays invent that tasty sauce? No wait, that was Béarnaise.

I wouldn't know really. The only 'aise' I'm acquainted with is mayonnaise. :grin:

Mayonnaise and béarnaise are cousins in the world of French cuisine.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Tank

'I want an extra pillow (or blanket) please.' Is a euphemism for 'Can you arrange a prostitute for me please?'
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Bad Penny II

Quote from: Tank on April 01, 2019, 08:01:46 AM
'I want an extra pillow (or blanket) please.' Is a euphemism for 'Can you arrange a prostitute for me please?'

This isn't good.  Unless prostitutes bring their own pillows I foresee a serious feedback problem, a self perpetuating, increasing demand for pillows.  Worldwide ramifications could be worse than permafrost thawing, I know I'll be stocking up.
Take my advice, don't listen to me.

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: hermes2015 on April 01, 2019, 06:09:43 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 01, 2019, 05:40:41 AM
Quote from: hermes2015 on April 01, 2019, 04:44:13 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 31, 2019, 06:03:55 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on March 31, 2019, 05:21:32 AM
Sometimes a Pinto is just a car (Sigmund Freud).

:snicker:

But wouldn't it be a sign of virility most men aspire to? (Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew)

Didn't Bernays invent that tasty sauce? No wait, that was Béarnaise.

I wouldn't know really. The only 'aise' I'm acquainted with is mayonnaise. :grin:

Mayonnaise and béarnaise are cousins in the world of French cuisine.

Those French know how to make good stuff...even if the ingredients that go into them are totally disgusting!
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey