press round-up

Since I don't want to bore you all with constant press updates, I've added a sidebar link over there on the left if you feel like reading various mentions about ye olde Tadpole in the press. New additions today include round-up reviews from the Newark Star-Ledger and the Boston Globe.

The book also got a (slightly misleading but welcome all the same) mention in a delightful column by Ontario writer Ian Gillespie - which, my Canadian representative (read: my dad) informs me, ran in all of Rupert Murdoch's Canadian papers. Media conglomeration: working for me!

Anyway, the best part of the column is this:

The BBC reported that things recently went wobbly at Wembley Stadium when British opera singer Tony Henry belted out a somewhat distorted version of the Croatian national anthem.

Henry was performing the anthem Lijepa Nasa Domovino (Our Beautiful Homeland) before the start of a European Championship qualifying soccer game between England and Croatia.

Unfortunately, Henry erred on the last line of the second verse. He should have sung, "Mila kuda si planina," which roughly means, "You know, my dear, how we love your mountains."

Instead he sang, "Mila kura si planina," which translates into, "My dear, my penis is a mountain."

Oops.

"If I have offended any Croatians, then they have my deepest apologies," Henry said later. "The last thing I would do is brag about my (private) parts like that."

Read the full column here.

This reminds me of a time my senior year when our Headmaster was observing my AP French class. We were spending the class working on our conversational skills, and my friend Kelly was telling some story that - for what reason I cannot possibly remember - involved talking about how much she yawns. "I yawn," in French, is je bâille. Unfortunately, Kelly confused bâiller with another word, baiser. Which she repeated again and again and again: "Je baise, je baise, je baise."

I fuck, I fuck, I fuck.

My teacher nearly hyperventilated she was laughing so hard. When the headmaster asked what was so funny, she just waved her hands and said "Oh, it doesn't really translate."

Sometimes, lost in translation isn't always a bad thing. (More)

pop candy

Many thanks to Whitney Matheson, who had some very nice things to say about Biting the Wax Tadpole over at her USA Today blog, Pop Candy:

"This is a fun book for grammar and pop-culture lovers alike (and yes, it's possible to love both!). Little provides grammar basics and little-known facts by incorporating stories of her travels, Star Wars, Dr. Seuss and other familiar icons. It's both a breezy read and a useful resource that informed me a lot about languages around the world."

See the full post here!

(Note also that Whitney's outfit in her photo is exactly what I am wearing right now. Except one of my black socks is longer than the other. Because that's how I roll. By which I mean today is laundry day.) (More)