#58

"Lost in translation" is an interesting phrase . But what about comedy in translation? Here are two possibilities:

"Diderot dîne sur les dents d'un dindon". This French tongue twister means "Diderot dines on the teeth of a turkey". Yum! Or was that "Diderot dîne sur le dos d'un dindon"? Diderot dines on the back of a turkey. This seems implausible as a turkey could never hold the weight of both Diderot and the dining table plus silver and glassware!! Something got lost before translation.

"Ben jo" is the Japanese word for toilet and sounds like the English word "banjo" so don't go singing "For I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee" in Tokyo unless you're into funny looks.


Language isn't the only thing that gets lost in translation. Fashion does after so many years - just think of the mullet. Actually, let's not.


Hair wasn't the only regrettable thing in the '80s. Somehow neon green, yellow, orange, and magenta replaced the warmth in the color wheel. It was as if  '60s psychedelia got horribly sick! Why did so many princesses try to discover if they were an "autumn", "spring", "summer", or "winter" when fashion upchuck was splattered everywhere?


It's definitely a good thing '80s fashion got lost, period, never mind any mention of translating it! Certain things need to be left undecipherable. Though many princesses wonder, "What were we thinking?"


So words, fashion, foreign languages, and the '80s can be oh so confusing to the best of us. It's so easy to get lost without even beginning translation!