Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Year of the Banana

Are you non-Asian? Want to impress your Asian (American) friends? Then try wishing them a “Happy New Year” in their ethnic tongue. I know my British friends are impressed when I wish them a “Happy New Year” in their native language. And to make things even more interesting, I’ve planted a rogue translation that really means “son of a bitch” in English.* I like to think of it as verbal Russian Roulette. To help you out, here’s a clue as to which one is the naughty phrase: Mash. Thanks for playing and enjoy!

CHINESE: Xin Nian Kuai Le

CANTONESE (Hong Kong): Sun Leen Fai Lok

JAPANESE: Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu

KOREAN: Keh Shipp Sekkya

FILIPINO: Manigong Bagong Taon

THAI: Sawadee Pee Mai

VIETNAMESE: Chuc Mung Tan Nien

*The real translation for the mystery “Happy New Year” is “Saehae Bock Mani Ba Deu Sei Yo”. No, really, it is.

No comments:

Post a Comment