For example, the other day while in a knick-knack store we enjoy, Tiffany found a stamp with a silly English phrase popular with Chinese teenagers.
We each grabbed one (she uses stamps to sign-off on the students' lesson books, and I just wanted one), and at the counter, the sales girl paused before ringing-up the stamp to ask me a question. What I heard and understood didn't make sense, so I turned to Tiffany---who'd checked out first---for her translation services.
"She wants to know if you still want the stamp, because I already bought one."
Which meant I had correctly understood the language, and had simply forgotten to interpret the culture: in Yancheng, Tiffany and I are the same person. And why on earth would one person want to buy the same stamp twice?!
in lieu of OMG; the explanation points should be after "Gaga"
We each grabbed one (she uses stamps to sign-off on the students' lesson books, and I just wanted one), and at the counter, the sales girl paused before ringing-up the stamp to ask me a question. What I heard and understood didn't make sense, so I turned to Tiffany---who'd checked out first---for her translation services.
"She wants to know if you still want the stamp, because I already bought one."
Which meant I had correctly understood the language, and had simply forgotten to interpret the culture: in Yancheng, Tiffany and I are the same person. And why on earth would one person want to buy the same stamp twice?!
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