| 1) |
From
a Paris Hotel Lobby: |
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Please
leave your values at the front desk. |
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| What
they wanted to say: |
Please
leave your expensive items that you do not want stolen
at the front desk. |
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| What
they said: |
This
hotel has no rules for its occupants, so you may do whatever
you like. |
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A
native English speaker would interpret this as an invitation
to forget his or her moral values while he or she is
staying at this hotel. The English noun "values" is related
to one's ideas of right and wrong. The correct term is "valuables"
which means expensive items. |
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| 2) |
In
a Japanese Hotel: |
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You are invited to take advantage of our chambermaid. |
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| What
they wanted to say: |
Please
use the services of our maid to clean your room. |
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| What
they said: |
You
are invited to have sexual relations with our maid. |
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The
term "take advantage of" can have a sexual meaning when it is
applied directly to an individual. This is especially true when
one refers to a young woman who might be in a less important
position. |
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| 3) |
In
a Moscow Hotel: |
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You
are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet
composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.
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| What
they wanted to say: |
Please
visit the cemetery to visit the graves of Russian and
Soviet composers, artists, and writers. It is open every
day except Thursday. |
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| What
they said: |
You
can visit the cemetery to watch the burial of famous Russian
and Soviet composers, artists, and writers because they
are buried there every day except Thursday. |
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The
placement of the phrase "daily except Thursday" after the word
"buried" indicates that the action of burial occurs every day
except for Thursday. Thus, the reader might think that they
can watch the burial of famous people almost every day of the
week. |
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This
sign should say, "You are invited to visit the cemetery where
famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are
buried. It is open every day except for Thursday." |
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| 4) |
From
a Hong Kong Tailor Shop: |
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Ladies
may have a fit upstairs. |
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| What
they wanted to say: |
Ladies
may go upstairs to try on their clothes so that they can
be adjusted to fit better. |
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| What
they said: |
Ladies
may go upstairs to get very angry and emotional. |
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The
phrase "have a fit" means that someone has become very angry
and has shown their anger in a very emotional way. "Having a
fit" might mean jumping up and down while screaming very loudly. |
