When I first saw this commercial it really made me laugh, but now that I am trying every single day to be understood in Arabic…well, it's taken on a whole new kind of funny.
I was talking with a woman who had zero English. This (as others tell me) is a great thing because it forces me to use any and all Arabic words that I have pulled into my proverbial "iceberg" of vocabulary knowledge. Great theory.
She and I were discussing what day she would be free to come to my house. I was trying to ask what days she worked, where she lived, etc. We continued back and forth with our best efforts, however I just couldn't understand a portion of what was being said.
She kept saying that she "had" something, but I couldn't figure out what. Time? Issues? A cold? Extreme dislike for non-Arabic speakers?
Finally I asked her, "Exactly what do you have? I don't understand."
She looked at me puzzled. I returned the expression.
Finally she smiled. Not "andee" as in ("I have"), but "Andy" as in one of our mutual friends. She suggested that we talk with "Andy" who could do a bit of translation for us.
When we finally figured out the whole "Who's On First?" routine that had just taken place, we laughed and laughed.
Ah, language. You gotta have it, but I definitely need more of it. And that's what I'm sinking about today...
No comments:
Post a Comment