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[MATHA531]

At least I don't have this problem with my British sim cards as English and American are very closely aligned languages

[Stu]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

At least I don't have this problem with my British sim cards as English and American are very closely aligned languages

There was a great skit five years ago or so on the US comedy show Saturday night live where they had "George Bush," "Tony Blair," and a translator. The Texan to English translation had been laughing hysterically.

The best one liner that I remember from the show was when "Tony" told "George" that he was going to go outside and "smoke" a "fag" (pulling out a cigarette and a lighter). "George" pulled out the biggest pistol I ever saw and said "I'll join you." Obviously "fag" means cigarette in British slang and homosexual (not in the kindest terms) in US slang).

Another one that I love is when I am in London and a culturally ignorant American tourist asked the British security guard whether he wanted to search her "fanny" pack ("bum-bags").

A word of warning to anyone who presents outside their native culture be very careful about using jokes or slang to bring the audience in. If you are going to do it, run them a native first. In Dubai, I had a friend who got himself in real trouble using an old American aphorism -- if you "can't bring the M'hammad to the mountain, bring the mountain to him."

[MATHA531]

Originally Posted by Stu

There was a great skit five years ago or so on the US comedy show Saturday night live where they had "George Bush," "Tony Blair," and a translator. The Texan to English translation had been laughing hysterically.

The best one liner that I remember from the show was when "Tony" told "George" that he was going to go outside and "smoke" a "fag" (pulling out a cigarette and a lighter). "George" pulled out the biggest pistol I ever saw and said "I'll join you." Obviously "fag" means cigarette in British slang and homosexual (not in the kindest terms) in US slang).

Another one that I love is when I am in London and a culturally ignorant American tourist asked the British security guard whether he wanted to search her "fanny" pack ("bum-bags").

A word of warning to anyone who presents outside their native culture be very careful about using jokes or slang to bring the audience in. If you are going to do it, run them a native first. In Dubai, I had a friend who got himself in real trouble using an old American aphorism -- if you "can't bring the M'hammad to the mountain, bring the mountain to him."

Yeah I remember the first time I used a British sim and the voice told me to enter my pin number and then press hash, I blurted out how can I press hash, I have never smoked the stuff in my life.