A Cuban friend asked me “How do I say ‘Triathlon’ in Mandarin?”
“铁人三项”
“It literally means ‘Metal Man…three components!’” an untrained interpreter cleverly interpreted my reply into English.
Dead air.
Blank look.
My Cuban friend was clearly confused by that.
I could imagine the question marks popping up around his head, like in a comic or cartoon.
“Ironman” I quickly corrected the lady.
“Yes! Ironman, Triathlon was originated from Ironman!” the Cuban Sports Journalist grinned.
Bad interpretation kills a conversation.
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