Jaunted

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Say It Don't Spray It

Foreign languages are hard to learn and harder to use--pronunciation is often the last and most difficult step in communication. Things gets even more intimidating with Slavic tongues, which seem to be suffering from chronic vowel shortages. We're reminded of the joke about the Czech who goes to the optometrist. He begins reading the eye chart: D, F, G, R, L. "Hey!" he says, turning to the doctor, "I know that guy!"

Anyway, John Flinn at the San Francisco Chronicle confirms what we all suspected; phrasebooks are useless if you can't wrap your mouth around a foreign language in the first place. We learned that from National Lampoon's European Vacation. It's satisfying to communicate in a foreign language, but it's hard, darn it, and most Americans just never get around to practicing. Sorry, but speaking to the delivery guy in Spanish doesn't count.

The lesson here is, when in doubt, pantomime. It greatly decreases your chances of saying something offensive, and as a bonus, is more likely to entertain those standing nearby.

[Image via j9/Flickr]    

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