When we first arrived in Morocco years ago, our boys (only two at the time!) were 5 and 3. We were just beginning to learn Arabic.
We had a wonderful woman, Fatima, who had just started helping us with childcare.
My husband and I needed to go to the grocery store, and we wanted to explain to the babysitter that we would be gone for about two hours.
Hard Work and Courage
I worked hard to formulate and practice my sentence in my new language. It took me even more time to muster up enough courage to approach Fatima, open my mouth, and try to pronounce it correctly.
“Fatima, we are going to the grocery store, and we are leaving the two boys with you. We will only be gone for two YEARS.”
I saw the look of surprise and horror on her face, and I knew immediately that I had said something wrong. Fatima then began chuckling, and I had no idea why. I just knew that whatever I had said was very funny.
“Two years?!” she said in between timid giggles.
Laughing at Myself
As soon as I realized what I had said, I began laughing too.
The Arabic word for “two years” is similar to the word for “two hours,” or at least similar enough for a new Arabic language learner to mix up.
Fatima was very relieved to know that we were not going to abandon our two boys with her for two years—after just arriving in a new country!
My limited Arabic obviously didn’t allow me to give her any more instructions for the kids. Thankfully, Fatima was amazing and could interpret my gestures, drawings, facial expressions, etc.
She knew that she would be fine with our boys for just “two hours”!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Avoid language bloopers! If you want to start learning a foreign language and work on your pronunciation before hitting the ground, try Rosetta Stone—in Arabic and many other languages.
Before arriving in Morocco, our family—even our kids— used this highly recommended language learning program to learn Arabic. We loved it! It didn’t spare us from ALL language mistakes and bloopers, but it certainly helped!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
What language and cultural bloopers have you made? Tell us your funny (and “not so funny”) stories.
How do you keep a humble attitude while learning a new language and culture? How do you respond when people laugh at you when you are learning a foreign language?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
