#41

It means mummy in Estonian. It was really weird hearing little kids wail “Emma, Emma” there. Apart from that, no, it’s pretty universally used/known in most European languages even if it’s not a name currently in fashion/common use, and easy to pronounce for other people.

Japanese people told me about these, but those are a pretty benign/favourable meaning.

#42

Spanish people can’t pronounce Sarah the English way, they say it more like how you usually pronounce Sara.

Germans say it like Zara.

#43

At least I’m the no 1 name in lots of countries right now. Good for the ego. (Kind of weird it was a 70s/80s name in the UK, but a current one elsewhere)

http://www.behindthename.com/name/emma

#44

One of my closest friends is Finnish. She has a name that everyone in the UK mangles so horribly she just goes by her more easily pronounced nickname in English and never even mentions her real name. People are always surprised to find out it’s not her actual name.

#45

http://www.behindthename.com/name/ema also a world ranker with the other spelling. I’m clearly a winner.

I just realised you asked about my surname. No. It pretty much translates neatly into any language spoken in a country with falcons. falconer - Wiktionary . A chinese student of mine showed me how to write it in hanzi, and it translated as “bird controller” :grinning:

#46

Ah yeah I’ve seen these, TBF that’s a pretty nice association. Having checked pretty thoroughly my first name has no meaning whatsoever in Japanese so that’s a plus. The only anecdotal story I was told about Western names getting laughed at in Japan were certain pronunciations on Gary, 'cause if it sounds like “geri” then that’s diarrhoea.

#47

Awesome

2 Likes
#48

At least you’re not trying to deal with Chinese names, where if you use the wrong tone of voice you’re saying a different word and possibly insulting people’s names. No wonder so many Chinese people just pick a new name to use in English.

#49

badass: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26969150

#50

I would love to go to Mongolia. All the Mongolian people I’ve taught English to were great.

#51

That’s true, although I’ve come up against the pitch accent thing in Japanese. Like, the same word means both “right now” and “living room”. Depends whether you pitch up or down on the second syllable. I’m looking forward to all the outrageous hi-jinks I might get in to because of this.

#52

I used to work with another teacher who had been out in China for a while, and spoke pretty good Mandarin by the end of it. When he was first starting out and learning though, he went on a date with a Chinese woman (who spoke good English). He was trying his best to practice with his Mandarin in the restaurant, and asked the waiter for an extra plate. The waiter and his date both looked like they were trying hard not to laugh, but the waiter said “no problem, I’ll just bring it to you”.

He then thought “oh god, what did I actually ask for”, but his date laughed and refused to tell him, and said, wait and see.

The waiter than came back and presented a giant of a chef with a big grin on his face to him, and said “here he is”. Turned out he had asked for an “extra fat man”.

1 Like
#53

your accent isn’t actually too bad man. the only advice I’d give is to practice your v/b consonants. You kind of have to create a new sound comprising v and b for vs, which I find tricky sometimes.

I’ll put myself up l8r.

#54

@sarahispi
Are you familiar with the IPA? The b/v sound in Spanish is inbetween the b and v of English

Same with g is between g and y for English speakers- it’s kind of a gloopy soft throat noise (as opposed to say the Dutch g)

#55

I want to brew a kind of India Pale Ale where the label’s written in IPA.

1 Like
#56

ɪndiə peił eił ɪz veri: dəliʃəz

#57

mmm IPA. but no, my advice was purely anecdotal.

#58

correct, however.

1 Like
#59

What did you actually say? I picked up something like, which is clearly not it:

Promiňte - mě pive (sparu??) dolu. (protirje) c kurveny (meži kovňe??). (detirje??) mě prosím

#60

should be an s, not a c there, Russian brain interfering.