| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8] > | Off topic: Things people ask you because you are (Brazilian, etc) Thread poster: Nesrin
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Päivikki Eriksson (X) 
Sweden
Local time: 08:47
Swedish to Finnish
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| Being Finnish... | Oct 11, 2010 |
... I've heard it all:
"How can you survive when it's -25 degrees all year long?"
"How was life in Finland when you were part of the Soviet Union?"
"Oh, Finland, I once went to Stockholm!"
"Aren't you afraid of polar bears when you go out?"
"So do you work for Nokia?"
etc etc etc...
| | | | Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 08:47
English to Dutch
+ ...
Wolf Kux wrote:
You live in a Paradise when
the good order is from Germany,
the food is from France,
the Police is from England, and
the savoir-vivre is From Italy;
but
you live in the Hell if
the good order is from Italy,
the savoir-vivre is from Germany,
the Police is from France, and
the food is from England.
[Editada em 2010-10-10 21:10 GMT]
I know this a little differently:
Happiness is:
An American car
A French cook
An English butler
A Japanese wife
Misery is:
A Japanese car
An English cook
A French butler
An American wife
Apologies for, not only the stereotypes, but also the sexism etc.
| | | | Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 08:47
Italian to English
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| Ahhhhh the romantic mystery of being a Celt... | Oct 11, 2010 |
Being Irish anyplace where there isn't a significant Irish population...
- "Are you in the IRA?" (Only ever asked by Americans)
- "Do you hate the English?" (Never asked by English people!)
Recently we had a dinner party at our house (my wife's Italian), and one of the invitees brought about six different kinds of obscure, artisan beers "for the Irish guy, because they're all beer experts." (Incidentally, I still have no clear idea why a beer would be "double malt... See more Being Irish anyplace where there isn't a significant Irish population...
- "Are you in the IRA?" (Only ever asked by Americans)
- "Do you hate the English?" (Never asked by English people!)
Recently we had a dinner party at our house (my wife's Italian), and one of the invitees brought about six different kinds of obscure, artisan beers "for the Irish guy, because they're all beer experts." (Incidentally, I still have no clear idea why a beer would be "double malt"). So, he made me drink all six of them(!) and asked me what I thought. By this time my tongue was a bit loosened by the alcohol and I reached into the fridge for a bottle of Heineken and I said, "You do know that they make perfectly good beer in factories, right?"
I think I broke his heart.
[Edited at 2010-10-11 07:56 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 08:47
Italian to English
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| The EU-approved version | Oct 11, 2010 |
In the ideal Europe...
the lovers would be Italian,
the mechanics would be German,
the cooks would be French,
the police would be English
and everything would be run by the Swiss.
In the Europe we actually have...
the mechanics are French,
the police are German,
the cooks are English,
the lovers are Swiss
and everything's run by the Italians!
 ... See more In the ideal Europe...
the lovers would be Italian,
the mechanics would be German,
the cooks would be French,
the police would be English
and everything would be run by the Swiss.
In the Europe we actually have...
the mechanics are French,
the police are German,
the cooks are English,
the lovers are Swiss
and everything's run by the Italians!
[Edited at 2010-10-11 08:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Being Russian | Oct 11, 2010 |
The funniest questions were:
Do you throw the glasses on the ground after drinking vodka?
If a journalist writes something against the Russian government, is he immediately sent to the GOULAG?
Did you have any "apparatchik" in the family?
How comes you are not blonde?
And, of course, when it's cold, everyone says: "You must like this weather".
| | | | Christine Schmit (X)
Luxembourg
German to French
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I am from Luxembourg:
- blank stare
- oh, so you are German!
- that's in Belgium, right?
- is that a country? Really???
- what language do you speak there? (when I say that we have 3 official languages and that almost everybody speaks at least 4 languages, people tend to be either very impressed or very incredulous)
- so you work in a bank?
- so you work for the European Union?
- lucky you, you don't pay any taxes (I wish)
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 23:47
English to German
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In memoriam | A German in the US | Oct 11, 2010 |
Of all the weird questions that I have been asked, the following gems take the cake:
"Do Germans have indoor plumbing?"
"Do you know the Beatles in Germany?"
"Is it true that Germans change their underwear only once a week?"
"Are you a Nazi?"
"Do you speak English?" (after several minutes of conversation. I kid you not.)
| | | | Alessandra Martelli (X)
Italy
Local time: 08:47
English to Italian
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| Being Italian... | Oct 11, 2010 |
... living in Italy can be tough sometimes
Some of the most frequent stereotypes/questions:
"Oh, you're Italian. So you can speak Spanish, don't you?"
(Or: "Sure you can speak Spanish, you're Italian"!)
"You must be very passionate"
"Oh, you're Italian! Pizza, spaghetti and mafia!" (actually occured 4 or 5 times ..)
"So you did vote for Berlusconi, right?" (mo... See more ... living in Italy can be tough sometimes
Some of the most frequent stereotypes/questions:
"Oh, you're Italian. So you can speak Spanish, don't you?"
(Or: "Sure you can speak Spanish, you're Italian"!)
"You must be very passionate"
"Oh, you're Italian! Pizza, spaghetti and mafia!" (actually occured 4 or 5 times ..)
"So you did vote for Berlusconi, right?" (more than 4 or 5 times...)
"You must be very keen on wine, uh?"
And so on... ▲ Collapse
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Pia Maljanen
Finland
Local time: 09:47
Finnish to English
+ ...
| More questions for Finns | Oct 11, 2010 |
A few more questions for Finns:
Is it true that you have mixed naked sauna with strangers? (no, I have never been to a sauna with a man I don't know)
Does the snow ever melt? (Yes we actually have four seasons and snow only during winter)
So you speak Russian right? (No not really, did study the basics once)
Are you scared to be so close to Russia? (No it has never bothered me)
Do you have Internet, TVs, cars, microwaves [insert any relatively modern or technical co... See more A few more questions for Finns:
Is it true that you have mixed naked sauna with strangers? (no, I have never been to a sauna with a man I don't know)
Does the snow ever melt? (Yes we actually have four seasons and snow only during winter)
So you speak Russian right? (No not really, did study the basics once)
Are you scared to be so close to Russia? (No it has never bothered me)
Do you have Internet, TVs, cars, microwaves [insert any relatively modern or technical contraption that comes to mind]? (Yes we do)
Why don't you have blond hair and blue eyes? (Actually a lot of Finns don't) ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Apparently... | Oct 11, 2010 |
I've been running our (the town's) local Italian restaurant for the last 5 years...
[Edited at 2010-10-11 11:51 GMT]
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:47
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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| Some for Bosnia | Oct 11, 2010 |
I have been asked the following by some Brits and Americans:
Do all Balkan women dream of having British passport?
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Bosnia.
- Oh, Boston.
- No, Bosnia.
- Oh, I see, Boston. Why are you pronouncing Boston in such a weird way?
Do Bosnian people have roofed houses?
Oh, Bosnia. Is that somewhere in the middle East?
You are from Bosnia, so you can speak Russian, right?
... See more I have been asked the following by some Brits and Americans:
Do all Balkan women dream of having British passport?
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Bosnia.
- Oh, Boston.
- No, Bosnia.
- Oh, I see, Boston. Why are you pronouncing Boston in such a weird way?
Do Bosnian people have roofed houses?
Oh, Bosnia. Is that somewhere in the middle East?
You are from Bosnia, so you can speak Russian, right?
Is Bosnia the capitol of Poland? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 23:47
English to German
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In memoriam | Heheeeee!!!!! | Oct 11, 2010 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
I have been asked the following by some Brits and Americans:
Do all Balkan women dream of having British passport?
Similar question, asked by Americans on several occasions:
"Oh, you are married to an American! So, you have met online?"
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Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 08:47
Italian to English
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| "What's the situation in Northern Ireland?" | Oct 11, 2010 |
As an Irishman, I am held to be an automatic expert on politics and the armed struggle in Northern Ireland. (The reality: I have only ever been north of the border twice, on short business trips.) The question I am most often asked is simply, "Who's right, the Catholics or the Protestants?" And people are never happy with an answer that begins with "Well, it's complicated." They always want a simple answer along the lines of Catholics=the Jedi, Protestants=the Sith.
So, I was surpr... See more As an Irishman, I am held to be an automatic expert on politics and the armed struggle in Northern Ireland. (The reality: I have only ever been north of the border twice, on short business trips.) The question I am most often asked is simply, "Who's right, the Catholics or the Protestants?" And people are never happy with an answer that begins with "Well, it's complicated." They always want a simple answer along the lines of Catholics=the Jedi, Protestants=the Sith.
So, I was surprised when a Lebanese acquaintance asked me exactly this question. "Who's right in Northern Ireland, the Catholics or the Protestants?"
I just looked at him and said, "You're from the Lebanon, right? Civil war, Middle East, repeated invasions by Israel, UNIFIL mission, not a million miles away from Palestine, probably the most complicated single question in the world, etc.? You should know what I mean when I say 'It's complicated', right?"
He replied, "Yes, but who's right, the Catholics or the Protestants?"
My faith in human nature died a little on that day...
[Edit: on rereading this it might be thought that I'm partisan to the Catholics and/or the Palestinians. Don't necessarily assume that.]
[Edited at 2010-10-12 08:57 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | More on being English in Italy | Oct 11, 2010 |
You're English? Ah, I love London! (Sorry, hardly know the place...)
(alternatively) You're English? Oh, Scotland is so beautiful! (It is indeed, but what's that got to do with me, exactly?)
Do you have pasta in England?
Of course, the English can't cook at all. Wow, this lamb is wonderful! (In a Sicilian restaurant, eating a mediocre lamb chop considerably chewier and less tasty than a bog standard chop you could buy in any British supermarket...)
And on tr... See more You're English? Ah, I love London! (Sorry, hardly know the place...)
(alternatively) You're English? Oh, Scotland is so beautiful! (It is indeed, but what's that got to do with me, exactly?)
Do you have pasta in England?
Of course, the English can't cook at all. Wow, this lamb is wonderful! (In a Sicilian restaurant, eating a mediocre lamb chop considerably chewier and less tasty than a bog standard chop you could buy in any British supermarket...)
And on trips back to Rome during our three years in Luxembourg:
So, how's life in Brussels? (No idea, I've never been there...)
Actually, my (Italian) husband and I joke that we got together because when we first met, he didn't mention British cooking and I said nothing about the Mafia ▲ Collapse
| | | | Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 08:47
Italian to English
+ ...
| Really touched a nerve here, Nesrin! Thank you! | Oct 11, 2010 |
Another thing that irks me is that in mainland Europe they still have this idea of Ireland as a sort of living embodiment of the supporting cast in The Quiet Man. Peat bogs, illicit whiskey stills, the gift of the gab, and knowing the right people to pull the right strings etc. (Although that last one is actually true...)
Above all, they think that Ireland is some kind of totally "safe" place to go. I've often heard tales from Italian youths on language-learning holidays, staying wi... See more Another thing that irks me is that in mainland Europe they still have this idea of Ireland as a sort of living embodiment of the supporting cast in The Quiet Man. Peat bogs, illicit whiskey stills, the gift of the gab, and knowing the right people to pull the right strings etc. (Although that last one is actually true...)
Above all, they think that Ireland is some kind of totally "safe" place to go. I've often heard tales from Italian youths on language-learning holidays, staying with local families in poor housing estates where - listen to this! - they couldn't go out after dark! It was dangerous to walk around alone in some places! They were actually AFRAID! How amazing!
I always say to them, "Stay in Italy, where the crime is at least properly organised." ▲ Collapse
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