Travelling and volunteering abroad are incredible ways to immerse yourself in new cultures, but they often come with their fair share of hilarious miscommunications. Below are some of the funniest language mix-ups and cultural misunderstandings travellers have shared online.
1. The “Crunchy Noodles” confusion 🍝
A volunteer enjoyed the fried noodles served with soup at an Asian restaurant and asked the waitress for their name.
Misunderstanding her accented response, he believed they were called “Kwan Chi noodles.”
It was later revealed she was simply saying crunchy noodles.
2. The “Little Richard” temple 🛕👦🏻
In Hanoi, Vietnam, a tourist visited a temple and was told by the guide it was the temple of “Little Richard.” Confused, he later discovered it was actually the Temple of Literature.
Pronunciation differences can indeed lead to humorous misunderstandings.
3. The “Soap” Tofu incident 🧼
While in Japan, a volunteer was served a square piece of tofu at a restaurant. Mistaking it for hand soap, he began rubbing it on his hands, much to the amusement of the staff and other patrons.
4. The “I’m So Pregnant” mix-up 🤰🏻
A volunteer in Spain tried to express embarrassment by saying, “Soy tan embarazada,” but unintentionally ended up saying, “I’m so pregnant,” instead of “I’m so embarrassed.” The word embarazado is a classic example of a “false friend” — a word that sounds similar in two languages but has different meanings. In Spanish, embarazado means “pregnant,” not “embarrassed.” This common mistake often leads to both laughter and confusion.
5. The “Fisting” fitness club ✊🏻
A Chinese volunteer proudly announced joining a “fisting” club, intending to say “fitness” but mispronouncing it.
After looking up the term, he quickly corrected his mistake, much to everyone’s amusement.
7. The ‘Borrachos’ incident 😵💫🍾
A tourist in Spain wanted to order pastries labelled “borrachos” (which means “drunks” in Spanish) and confidently asked the waiter for “dos borrachos, por favor.” The waiter, taken aback, asked for clarification, leading to laughter from nearby patrons.
8. The ‘Pão Duro’ blunder 😜
A Canadian visiting his Brazilian fiancée’s family wanted to say he was frugal by using the phrase “Eu sou pão duro” (I am hard bread).
Unfortunately, he mispronounced it as “Eu sou pao duro,” which translates to “I am hard c—,” causing quite a stir at the dinner table.
9. The ‘Ped Xing’ confusion 🤔
A newcomer to the U.S. kept seeing “Ped Xing” on street signs and wondered who this famous Chinese person was, only to later realize it stood for “Pedestrian Crossing”.
10. The ‘Fried Enema’ menu 🍟
In China, a menu offered “Fried Enema,” a mistranslation of a local sausage dish called “zhá guàn cháng.”
The literal translation led to some raised eyebrows among English-speaking diners.
11. ‘No’ Means ‘Yes’ in Greece 🙅🏼♂️
Travellers in Greece often get confused because the Greek word for “yes” sounds like “no” in English.
This leads to amusing situations where tourists think they’re being refused when, in fact, they’re being agreed with.
12. The ‘Special Cocktails with nuts’ sign 🍸
A bar in Tokyo advertised “Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts,” intending to offer nut-flavoured drinks for women, but the phrasing led to some chuckles from English-speaking patrons.
13. The ‘Braised Enterovirus’ dish 🦠
Following an enterovirus outbreak, a Chinese restaurant listed “Braised Enterovirus in Clay Pot” on its menu, a mistranslation of a traditional dish, causing diners to question the safety of their meal.
14. The ‘Methodist’ dentist 🦷🪥
An advertisement in Hong Kong promoted a dentist as a “Methodist,” a mistranslation of “method specialist,” leading to confusion about the dentist’s religious affiliations.
15. The ‘Kinki Nippon tourist company’ 🗾
Japan’s second-largest tourist agency, Kinki Nippon Tourist Company, faced challenges when entering English-speaking markets due to its name’s unintended connotations, prompting a rebranding effort. 😄
17. The ‘Choo-Choo’ station 🫨🚂
In a small French town, a traveler, panicking to catch a train, approached locals and asked, “Où est le choo-choo?” while mimicking a train whistle. The amused locals directed them to the station.
18. The ‘High-Five’ misunderstanding 🖐🏼
In Japan, a tourist used the 🙏 emoji, thinking it represented a high-five, only to learn it signifies prayer or gratitude in Japanese culture.
19. The ‘Fish Tea’ order 🍵🫖
A traveller in Italy, intending to order peach tea (“tè alla pesca”), mistakenly asked for “tè alla pesce,” which translates to fish tea, much to the amusement of the café staff.
20. The ‘Delicious’ Baby 👶🏼
An Italian gentleman, upon meeting a colleague’s baby, exclaimed that she was “delicious,” intending to compliment her cuteness.
The cultural difference in expressions led to a humorous moment.
Did you have a funny moment or miscommunication while travelling? We’d love to hear your stories! Share your most amusing language blunders or cultural mishaps in the comments below and join the laughter! 👇🏼
Sources
- https://www.roughmaps.com/travel/people-from-around-the-world-share-their-funniest-cultural-misunderstandings/
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/funny-travel-blunders
- Wikipedia
- https://www.demilked.com/funny-language-barriers/
- https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-travel-miscommunications/