Lost In Translation

Reason #4852 to teach your kids a foreign language... so this doesn't happen to them.

So there I am, in Bremen, Germany, enjoying a lovely evening with my German family. It should be noted that my German family does not speak a whole heck of a lot of English... and I do not speak ONE WORD of German (gee thanks, Dad.)

Well, my cousin, Andrea, put together the most amazing BBQ for everyone - really, everything was delicious... and I wanted to tell her - in German of course, so she could actually understand me. So I flip through my handy dandy German phrase book looking for the perfect phrase to express just how happy and satisfied I am with the entire meal.

I find the phrase... I get my entire family's attention (I want them to witness just how fabulously my German is coming along)... and I throw on my most convincing German accent.

And then, in PERFECT German, in front of my entire family, I say:

"Andrea, this food was inedible!"

Oh the look of horror and shock on Andrea's face! My aunt gasped. My cousin Sven was caught so off guard that he spit coca cola everywhere. And my uncle Harold, who had been absolutely SILENT up until this point, burst out laughing.

What'd I say, What'd I say!!!??? I thought to myself as I flipped madly through the phrase book.

Oh no!!!

See inedible and incredible are right next to each other in that stupid little book. An honest mistake, really, but I could not have been more embarrassed.

My family teased me about it for the rest of the trip... in fact, I'm sure I'll never live it down.

Ugh.