Come again?

Learning another language is not easy. How anyone can be a translator be multilingual is beyond me- it just blows my mind. Although I am usually the one making the mistakes and sounding silly, the tables are turned in English Club! So I thought I’d write about some of the funnies.
Talking with some students, one was saying that he liked old movies like with Audrey Hepburn, and I said that I did too. Then Eldar said we had a common tongue. Everyone looked at him inquisitively because it was a little hard to understand him, then when we understood, we kinda laughed about the phrase “common tongue”.

In grammar class we were talking about plurals- the words much, many etc. While they were practicing using these words, Azamat was telling about a time when he saw many policemen on the street, and how he had never “seen such a much policemen before”. Such a much ! Oh we laughed. It’s ok to laugh with each other in English Club, it’s a good atmosphere. So now, when we want to tell about a lot of something, we say our new English phrase “suchamuch”.

When speaking English, it’s all normal for me, it’s my native language and I don’t know all the words in the Russian language, so sometimes I come across the situation when I say something in English and everyone goes into shock. Loud gasps, followed by smirks, and giggles, and then the question “what did you say?” Then I repeat my English word, and again the shock, but then they say in Russian, that is a bad word- don’t say that. Usually people do not tell me what the word means in Russian, sometimes they hint to it or say a lesser evil word. So, seasick, pennies, pedestrian, are some of the words ok in English but sound like bad Russian words. Though there is the reverse to that too, and at first you feel uneasy saying this word because it doesn’t sound so pleasant by your own language.

Then there are the music learners. Who come to class with the new words and phrases they heard from the English songs on the radio. Oh boy! I try to let them know, so that they know what it is, it is important to know the things you are listening to and singing along with. Maybe they will choose to listen to a different song if they realize what that one is about. But it can be rather uneasy, they ask and then they see me get kinda embarrassed at trying to explain, and trying to tactfully explain. Though sometimes, I just say- it’s not good, not a good word, not a good phrase.

Then there are always the questions that catch you off guard- like, how do you spell ukulele (which I did have to look up)? What does the word Mississippi mean? Is it French? What is a superpod? And sometimes…if it is completely nothing I’ve ever heard before, I usually say “It must be British English.” That has become my favorite excuse.

Learning and teaching definitely keeps life interesting and funny!

Garbage Day….the saga continues…

Two weeks ago while standing outside waiting for the garbage truck, one of my neighbors from down the street, a woman whom I’ve never really met, started walking up the street saying, “Девочка, Девочка!” Translated as “Girl, Girl”, I assumed she was talking to me as my other close neighbors are a man and an older woman. So she starts talking to me and immediately my mind begins to panic hoping I am able to understand her fast Russian. She was telling me how I needed to pay for the garbage services once a year, and how much it was, etc. She then, what I understood was to pay someone in another neighboring home, which I thought was the home she exited from. So I ran inside to get the money, and when I returned she had gone back down to her home. Now, a little confused, I thought about asking the man across the street who exactly I’m supposed to pay, but then I say that same lady talking to the driver of the garbage truck and it appeared she gave him something, so I thought- oh I pay him. Well the truck came up, I handed the guys in the back my garbage bag and then gave the money to the driver. Done deal. Well, it seems I am prone to mistakes and misunderstandings because the next garbage day, this same lady starts calling to me from down the street, and only until she got closer could I understand. She asked me if I paid, and I said yes. She asked me when, and I said that same day she told me about it. Then she asked who I paid, and I said the guy and pointed to the man in the garbage truck. At that, all my neighbors in ear shot started laughing. I could tell the guy across the street was trying not to, but found it too humorous. So then, my heart sank, and I felt like an idiot and I knew I messed up. She told me that I was to pay the woman at the house, so now I’m thinking the drive took the money and now I have to pay the lady too. I figured it’s my own fault- I need to be brave to ask more questions to know for sure. Well, she waited next to me until the truck came and she asked the driver if I paid him, and he thankfully said YES, and I could see he was smirking at the situation too. Anyway, she continued speaking to me about the situation, I think that he was going to sign that I paid or give the lady the money, something along those lines and when she was done asked if I understood. I said yes. I was too afraid to say not really. So I went into the house feeling two inches high, like the town idiot, and wondering if our neighbors come out on garbage day just to see what the silly American girl will do this week.