Language Is A Foreign Country...

From the BBC tonight:

"Croatia rose to the occasion in their crucial Euro 2008 defeat of England - after an apparent X-rated gaffe by an English opera singer at Wembley. Tony Henry belted out a version of the Croat anthem before the 80,000 crowd, but made a blunder at the end.

He should have sung 'Mila kuda si planina' (which roughly means 'You know my dear how we love your mountains'). But he instead sang 'Mila kura si planina' which can be interpreted as 'My dear, my penis is a mountain'."

Magnificent! And now it seems Mr Henry is a national hero in Croatia. He has apologised if he caused offence, but on the contrary it seems his wondrously unintended masculine boast completely cracked up the Croatian team with laughter making them so relaxed they could not but win the game!

I cannot claim to have come close in the wrong word contest - certainly in never so public an arena - but I have had my moment.

Many years ago I travelled the length and breadth of Greece with a dear companion of the times, asking - as I thought - for 'two of this' and 'two of that' in halting but determined Greek. As one would. Two tickets for the Acropolis or two beers with the meal. And so forth.

It was only many weeks into the journey that a kindly bi-lingual Greek revealed to me that my accenting of the word 'theo' had caused it to slide from the intended 'two' to the completely unexpected and utterly nonsensical 'Uncle'.

So there I had been asking for 'Uncle Souvlaki' and not a pair of national dishes as intended.

No wonder then we Brits stick to talking loud and slow in our own tongue when abroad. So much safer than risking a little local patois!

"My penis is as a mountain, tall and strong." Wonder what that is in Romanian!