Japanese awkwardness, plus: white elephants, and more!

[aadroma]

A coworker's boyfriend is half-Japanese and asked me to translate something that he always tells her, thinking it was perhaps a term of endearment. It, unfortunately, meant "Shut up, fatty". Yeah, that wasn't awkward, not at ALL..

9_9

Last night reevis5 took me to his work's Christmas party as a "husband stand-in" since his ACTUAL hubby couldn't make

Comments

[bitterlawngnome]

uh ... that's the moment you say "I'm sorry, I just don't know what that term means!"

[aadroma]

I wish I had done that, in hindsight ... ^^;;;

Re: Words of the prophet Bruno, seer of the obvious

[aadroma]

She was frighteningly okay about it. "Oh he's such an asshole! :: giggle ::"

Every other woman here said, "... wow, if that were my boyfriend I'd rip his balls off."

[zurcherart]

And did you translate it? Accurately?

[aadroma]

I did. She had the right to know, ne? I'm not going to lie to her or feign ignorance~

[zurcherart]

What'd she say? How'd she respond?

[aadroma]

She was eerily fine with it. "Oh he's always such an ass!!" Apparently he insults her all the time so this is par for the course.

I think she needs a new boyfriend, personally.

[aadroma]

The worst part? She started this conversation off by asking me how to tell him "I love you" in Japanese.

Yeah.

If she wants, I have all sorts of cutdowns in Japanese just WAITING for a target ^_-

[bitterlawngnome]

Is there a way to say "I love you" that is reserved for dogs or foreigners?

[aadroma]

Not to my knowledge. There's a less natural way that's a direct translation of the English, but most Japanese would prefer "大好き", "really like", finding themselves to reserve "love" for much more serious occasions.

[paterson_si]

So he always tells her that and why, all of a sudden, we wanted to know what it really meant? :)

[aadroma]

Excellent question -- Her realizing, "Oh hey, YOU speak Japanese!!" is the only explanation I can think of. But beyond that? :: shrug ::

[paterson_si]

People.......