Monday, September 17, 2007

Strange Translation

So in language class today I learned some interesting things. We were learning the names of household objects. The two that I found interesting. Gluhbirne - means lightbulb. Literally, it is the combination of two words...Gluhen means to glow, and birne means pear. So literally it means "glowing pear," because of the shape. The other one is Wasserhahn - which means faucet or the tap. Wasser means water, and hahn means rooster. So wasserhahn literally means water rooster, again because of the shape (the faucets here have the long necks). The funny thing is that in a restaurant you have to specify if you want tap water or bottled water. So when you order Hahnwasser (tapwater) you literally order "rooster water." I just found it funny...hope you all get a good laugh.

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