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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏

@linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

12 followers 2 following 76 posts

PhD linguist, serial migrant and curious mind ✨ Currently docked in Bärlin 🐻 I doodle big-headed cartoons in my spare time and toot mostly in EN, ES […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://mastodon.social/@linguistgoneforeign, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 6h

When the machine translator turns your wakame soup plans into a thriller movie.

#japanese
#日本語
#language

A screenshot from Google Lens showing the same package of miso soup ingredients, with English translations overlaid. The translation humorously reads “Lots of strange things” next to “miso soup ingredients.” Other translated text includes “For miso soup. Just put it in,” and “Economy size Miso soup.” The image highlights a mistranslation of the Japanese phrase meaning “lots of wakame.”

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 1d

Off to the next chapter.
いきましょう! 💕

A close-up photo of a travel scene showing a boarding pass and a passport. The boarding pass indicates a flight from Helsinki to Tokyo. Beneath it, a passport cover decorated with vintage-style travel labels featuring destinations like Sydney and JFK (New York) is visible.

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 6d

Some rainbowrific motivation to everyone who needs it. 🌈

#comics
#cartoons
#throwbackthursday

Cartoon depicting several characters in four panels: a potato, a bottle of vodka, a cartoonized person, and the same person wearing a pirate outfit and riding a duck. The four panels display the phrase "if a potato can turn into vodka, you can become anything you want". Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 7d

It so happens that, whenever I’m in Germany for more than six months straight, I start sinking into the tar pit of collective joylessness and the dead-eyed routine that somehow is accepted as normalcy.

Something inside me starts clawing for an escape hatch, something in dire need of oxygen for […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 7d

This is the first thing I see every time I start my computer.

I have been dreading this day for years. Rest in peace, Jane. Thank you for giving so much to the world. 💕

The image contains a quote framed by green leafy branches. The quote is from Jane Goodall and reads:

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

At the bottom, it attributes the quote to Jane Goodall.

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13d

Kein Bock mehr auf Silvester voller Lärm, Verletzungen, Tierleid, Feinstaub, Umweltbelastung und retraumatisierte Kriegsüberlebende?

Dann unterschreibe jetzt für ein bundesweites Böllerverbot:

https://innn.it/boellerverbot

#deutschland
#silvester
#petition

Petition · Bundesweites Böllerverbot, jetzt! · innn.it

Jetzt innn.it-Petition unterschreiben & Gewerkschaft der Polizei Berlin unterstützen!

innn.it

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13d

Customer Service: Germany vs. USA 🤯

Customer service in Europe is not exactly winning any medals, especially in Germany, where people skills and willingness to help are pretty much foreign concepts.

On the other hand, the over-friendliness found in the […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Illustration with two panels and the caption "Customer Service: Germany vs. USA". Both panels show Linguist in a store.

In the first panel, Linguist asks an employee: "Excuse me, where can I find the soap?". The employee replies angrily: "In the bathroom section, duh!!".

In the second panel, Linguist is walking in the store and an employee jumps at her happily shouting: "Hello, Ma'am! How can I help you?!".

Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16d

Today in #linguistgoneforeign:
The Gender-Revealing Obsession 🧐

Did you know what new strips are published on the blog before they make it to social media? Subscribe and don't miss any comics! 💌

#comics
#gender
#worldobservations

Illustration with two panels. At the top, the word “SOCIETY:” is written. Below, a cartoon character with a white lab coat points at a presentation board showing two naked figures whose genitals are pixelated. The speech bubble says: “You must cover your genitals at all times because we shouldn’t be thinking about other people’s genitals.” In the next panel, the heading says “ALSO SOCIETY:”. The same character is shown again, snapping their fingers with a “SNAP” sound effect, now pointing to a presentation board showing two clothed figures: one in blue, one in pink with a bow. The speech bubble says: “But cover them with clothes that represent your genitals because I get very uncomfortable when I can’t tell what genitals people have.” Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign©.

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17d

My partner has been learning Spanish for a while and he just used the word "fachaleco" in a sentence. I'm so proud of him. :owi:

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 20d

Last year I picked up learning #japanese again. The journey began by brushing up the #hiragana syllabary, and it gave my Western brain a bit of trouble.

#comics
#languages
#throwbackthursday

Illustration with caption "What the Japanese teacher says". She's pointing at a board with hiragana syllables (u, chi and ra). Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

Illustration of Linguist with the caption "What my Western brain sees". She has the shape of number five in her eyes.
Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27d

Do you fancy some chocolate?
How about spicing it up with some chili? 🔥

Here's a collection of Nahuatl loan words that you use every day.

See full article and additional illustrations here:

https://bit.ly/LGFNahuatl ✨

#language
#comic
#throwbackthursday

A cartoon drawing of a smiling chocolate bar with a blue wrapper. The word "xocoatl" is written above it, with "chocolate" in parentheses underneath. Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign.

A cartoon drawing of a red chili pepper with a green stem, wide eyes, and a big smile. Yellow flames are drawn behind it. The word "xilli" is written above, with "chili" in parentheses underneath. Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign.

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 4

Somewhere in a Spanish-speaking rainforest, the mischievous fauna spends the day messing around with personal pronouns.🌴

Share your favorite language puns! 🤗

Discover more language and culture comics on the blog - link in bio! ✨

#spanish
#language
#throwbackthursday

Illustration with two toucans. The toucan on the left is wearing a cap and holding a skateboard. It has the word "tucán" written above. The toucan on the right is wearing a top hat and a monocle, and is holding a glass with an olive and a stock. It has the word "ustedcán" written above. Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 1

I spent hours today looking for an ESG ETF that isn’t secretly half Amazon, Nestle or Blackrock. No oil, no weapons, no billion dollar corps. How hard could it be?

Apparently, your money can grow OR your conscience can sleep at night, but not both.

I guess I’ll plant beans in the garden and […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 28

I deeply relish bread made in #germany, but ordering bread in #german is just le pain of my existence. 🥐

#throwbackthursday
#languages
#comics

This comic features a scene in a bakery. In the first panel, a cheerful blonde baker in an apron asks, "What can I get you, Miss?" In the second panel, a selection of German breads is shown on shelves, each with funny, exaggerated German names like "Roggenmeisterbrot," "Suppiwuppibrötchen," "Dinkeltippitoppibrot," and others. In the final panel, a nervous, dark-haired customer (the Linguist) struggles to pronounce a long, complex German word for a bread, saying, "Zwei Kürbiskornknackwurstpfk– Two of those, please." Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 28

When I take over the world, non-smokers will be legally allowed to slap people who smoke on train and subway platforms.

Allowed? Better yet... required to!

#smoking
#publicspaces

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 26

Meine Gedanken zum Thema Migration in Deutschland auf den Punkt gebracht:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KldziM7lr9Q&t=886s

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 26

Deutschland könnte mehr von diesem Aggrohumor gebrauchen.

https://youtu.be/KldziM7lr9Q?start=886&end=1028

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 26

Replaying the classics. 😊

#videogames
#lucasarts
#monkeyisland

The image shows a colorful, hand-painted style scene from a classic adventure game, depicting a nighttime harbor with tall ships docked along wooden piers, barrels scattered around, and a crooked, brightly lit tavern called the "SCUMM BAR." In front of the tavern stands a young man in pirate-like attire, presumably the protagonist, while a large cursor shaped like a pointing hand hovers over a window, suggesting interactive gameplay. The warm yellow glow from the tavern windows contrasts sharply with the cool blue tones of the night sky and ships, creating a lively yet mysterious atmosphere.

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 26

When someone from two jobs ago who hasn't spoken to you in years contacts you on Signal to request something work-related, do you ignore the message, or try to help out if you can?

I'm trying to assess whether I'm a nice person or just plain stupid.

Reposted by Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Aug 24

It's not asylum seekers who jack up rents, undermine the NHS, hold down wages and keep people insecure.
It's capital.
The role of the far right is to shift the blame for decades of economic attacks by the rich and powerful onto powerless people who have only just arrived here.

110 1.6K 4.9K

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 21

This can be the only reasonable explanation behind the so called cabin comfort. ✈

#travel
#comics
#throwbackthursday

A four-panel comic. In the first panel, a character with black hair sits in an airplane seat with an alarmed expression. Her knees are visibly jammed against the seat in front of her, making her visibly uncomfortable. With wide eyes and raised eyebrows, she exclaims, “What the flying fudge!” The background features two small airplane windows, reinforcing the setting. In the second panel, she faces forward, raising her hands in exasperation. Her expression is one of disbelief as she questions, “Who thought that this was sufficient legroom?!”. The third panel, marked as “EARLIER THAT YEAR,” shifts to a hiring scene. A person is seated behind a desk and explains to an interviewee: “Your task would be quality control to ensure the best cabin comfort.” In the final panel, a tiny character, wearing a gnome hat and traditional gnome clothes, sits comfortably in a chair that is incredibly big for his tiny size. With a confident smile, they declare, “I’ll be perfect for the job, sir".

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 14

The Meta-stasis of Hypocrisy ☠

#comics
#socialmedia
#throwbackthursday

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 11

Today we are taking a look at some fun Finnish words. Aloitetaan! 🇫🇮

See additional illustrations on the blog:
https://bit.ly/LGFFinnishFun ✨

Did you know what new strips are published on the blog before they make it to social media? Subscribe and don't […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Illustration with the caption: "lohikäärme" in bold letters at the top, followed by "dragon (lit. salmon snake)". The drawing beneath features a green, snake-like dragon with a simple cartoon face and big eyes. It's coiled around a smaller orange creature with a similar style. The two characters appear friendly and slightly goofy. Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign.

Illustration with the caption "tietokone" written in bold letters, followed by "computer (lit. knowledge machine)". Below the text, a gray cartoon robot with a wide, surprised expression holds a stack of green and white books in both arms. The robot has blue accents on its joints and head. To the left of its head, a lit yellow light bulb floats, symbolizing an idea. Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign.

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Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 7

Is it an apple? Is it a potato?
No, it’s an earth apple! 🌏

#french
#languages
#throwbackthursday

Cartoon depicting two apples. The apple on the left is red and says "Je suis une pomme". The apple on the right resembles the Earth - it has a green and blue to represent landmasses and oceans - and says "Je suis une pomme de terre". Watermark: Linguist Gone Foreign.

Linguist Gone Foreign 🌏 @linguistgoneforeign.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 4

Society: Work hard, be reliable, prove your worth, and the sky’s the limit!

Reality: Work hard, be reliable, prove your worth... and boom, you’ve just unlocked bonus content: extra tasks that aren’t yours, unpaid overtime, other people's responsibilities and a surprise burnout every fiscal year […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social