and it got me thinking - about the unfortunate names or even unfortunate translations you come across.
My job back in 2001 was to project manage an Asian Pacific payroll implementation. I saw many unfortunate translations but one in particular always will give me a giggle.
In Korea, most people actually initialise their names - like Kyung-Sup would be called KS for example then followed by the surname. One such colleague of mine who was the I.T representative in South Korea - name was 'S.H'.
Whenever he used to come aboard our weekly teleconfererences or just call you he would announce himself as 'S.H., I.T'. You would hear muffled giggles from around the globe. He had no idea. Then when I visited I think my second trip, I let him in on the 'secret'. He had embarrassed giggles and took it rather well, and even thanked me... from then on he was 'S.H, Information Technology' which by that time, those who expected the 'I.T' giggled even louder, realising he knew.
He was such a nice man.
I also went to school with a Poppy Meadows, had an industrial arts teacher called Mr Plant and a home economics teacher called Mrs Cook...
What about you?
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2 lovely comments:
Our German teacher was called Mrs Fish and her husband was, of course, a marine biologist.
Travelling in India is the funniest thing - a tailor would make "suitings and shirtings" and we often saw mined meat on the menu. We didn't eat any but I assume it would have been minced if we had. The newspapers were great - anyone who died a violent death "succumbed" to their injuries. I still have a copy of the Times of India almost 20 years later.
Friends had Bugg as their surname... Daughter's name started with an A. She got to high school and started writing not just her first name, but her first initial and surname - A.Bugg...... They very soon after changed the name for the whole family by deed poll.
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