Lost in Translation

I KNEW my year of learning high school German when I was in grade 10 was NOT a waste of my educational experience! I KNEW one day my proficiency in languages, or lack thereof quite honestly, would come in handy - even if it is 28 years later! (Oh my goodness. It can't be that long ago. Yikes!)

I agreed to house/dog/cat sit for my German friends over the holidays as they were trekking back to their motherland for Christmas. Prior to their trip, I enjoyed a lovely meal with the family to go over all the details I needed to know while they were away. These friends speak German at home to their children. So, I decided to try to have a conversation with their 4 year old son. It went something like this:

Me: " Mon -TOG, you travel to Deutschland?"
Son is staring blankly at me but grabs my hand and takes me into their kitchen to look at this:


A homemade advent calendar of sorts to track when they left for Germany.

I thought I would give it a go again...

Me: " So you leave Mon - TOG?"
Son: still staring blankly at me.
Me: "You know, Mon - TOG, Frees - TOG, etc.?"

I wish I had seen this calendar behind their door at this point in the conversation:


Me: "Mon - TOG you fly in a plane?"
Son, with a smile on his face indicating to me he understood my German, says in perfect English: "I have a dog!"

Lost in Translation! I better stick to speaking my native tongue!

I experienced a different kind of "lost in translation" adventure before Christmas with one of my grade 8 students. Our school was invited by our local Starbucks to come serenade the customers with Christmas carols. In addition, the customers had an opportunity to donate books to our school library. So we selected a small group of band and choir members to participate.

I drove my choir members to Starbucks on that snowy, wintry morning in my "Seniors" car, a 1999 custom Buick Century! I've always been a little embarrassed with my car but it is reliable and a comfortable ride. This car has an extra seat in the front so I can safely transport 5 people plus me! The students were quiet during our drive over and performed beautifully for the Starbucks crowd. The employees treated us to hot chocolate and treats after our performance, which was a lovely touch. A great time was had by all and we were pleased with all the books the customers donated for our library.



At the end of the week, one of the grade 8 choir members came up to me during morning recess and said,

"Miss W., I told my dad how AWESOME your car was to drive in. I told him you even have a COUCH in the back and front seats. But he said to me your car is really old. But I told him it was awesome anyways because I love the COUCHES!"

COUCH?! I laughed so hard after this student left! How adorable is that? Does this look like a couch to you...



...possibly! The world of teenagers, at times, is like being "lost in translation!"