Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Please Translate!


First of all, I'm here at the Hannover apartment safe-n-sound and with a bit of serendipity to share: my plane from Atlanta to Paris yesterday was scheduled to leave 3-1/2 hours after Donica's. No problem. I'd simply read and relax in the business lounge. But when we checked in, the lady noticed the discrepancy in our flight times (mine was with miles) and said she thought she could do something about it. And she did! We both flew on the same plane and, once arriving in Paris, I got to rest in Donica's hotel room (in the airport--she had business meetings in Paris today) till my flight to Hannover 4 hours later. A friend of mine used to say, "That's just like God!"

Anyway, please look at this sign and translate it for me!



Dear sister Ruth sent me a link last week with a whole bunch of these wordless signs that you have to interpret or translate **. They were hysterical! Two days later I was eating lunch with a friend at a little German restaurant near our Atlanta house and saw this sign in the unisex restroom.

Pray tell...what exactly is it saying??!! (The best translation wins a Gold Star!)

[** I can't find the link and have asked her to resend it so that I can include it here. LATER: Ruth sent me a pdf file. Does anyone know how to add it as a link if I don't have my own website?]

Thanks to James in Amsterdam, here's the link. YAAAAY! Have a good laugh on the house. :)

24 comments:

  1. LOL - the obvious translation is don't aim so low, and when you do, make sure you don't wear a hat!

    That is so cool you guys got the same flight! Way cool!!! How much fun!

    I'm still laughing at the sign...

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  2. LOL! I love these signs. They're just too funny.

    I think it means that men should not stand to pee, or in other words (for unisex restrooms) "Women, stand up for your rights. Men, sit down to pee."

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  3. A new one - if you don't see a toilet seat, you must sit down...

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  4. ET: HA! You're definitely on the right track. :)

    CS: Indeed! :) (Oh, this could get really fun.)

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  5. Thanks for the updates on your trip - glad to hear you are fine and wish you still great stay!

    Since the best translation is taken, how about: 'You might not be as good a shot as you think?'

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  6. Ginnie, I know a way now to upload a file and then get an actual website address for it. If you belong to Yahoo Groups you can upload the file there and then get an actual address for the PDF. If you want to email me the PDF I can then upload it to one of my groups and then email you the actual web address for the file.
    I AM GLAD you two were able to be on the same flight!!!!!!!!!
    Take care. James

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  7. Translation: "We aim to please, so you aim too, please!" :-)

    Yes, it's asking men to sit down to pee. This is really common in Germany and many women "train" their men to do it. There's even a name for it - "Sitzpinkler".

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  8. This sign has only one meaning:
    If you are too short, you are not allowed to pi here.

    That little guy on the sign would need a ladder to sit down on top - and there are noe signs to the ladder.

    Good to here you got good company on the plane and everything is fine.

    PS. Using my new computer, got it delivered this evening.

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  9. I take this to indicate that 'Free-form urinating is not allowed, it must be held and aimed correctly!' :)

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  10. Don't try this at home!! :) I love those signs!
    Stacey (safely in Costa Rica)

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  11. It means stand closer to the loo and if you're short, stand on tippy toes!
    Look at the size of the man's bum compared to the size of the loo, if he tried to sit down, he'd fall in!

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  12. Hey, wait a minute! It just occurred to me that that's not a man at all, it's a little boy wearing a baseball cap. Look at the size of him in relation to the toilet. That means that little boys are supposed to sit down to pee.

    But aren't all men little boys at heart? :-)

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  13. Renny: Thanks, as always, for your travel wishes.

    You're not as good a shot as you think SO DON'T PLAY AROUND! :)

    James: As you know by now, we're working on it! You're such a sweetheart! Thank you.

    Christina: HA. It's all about aiming and that's what we tell the boys at the git-go, right?!

    Now that I know it's common in Germany, I'm guessing this really IS a German sign that they got somewhere or brought over. It was my first time to ever see it in my 61 years. :)

    Tor: HA! Makes sense to me. And congrats on your new computer. You must be in high heaven. :)

    DW: Exactly!!! :)

    RRD: Yes, I'd kill him if he tried this in my house!

    Yeah! You're in Costa Rica now and on the Internet. I'm very impressed. Safe cruising to you, Stacey.

    Ex-S: HA. I'm guessing all little kids, girls and boys alike, feel like they're gonna fall in!

    Christina: Yes, I do believe that's a little boy and I'm guessing that's what it means. Little boys aren't allowed to do it like Daddy! And some daddies shouldn't do it either!)

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  14. Peeing in front of a giant toilet while wearing your hard hat will cause you to miss. :)

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  15. I couldn't think of anything nearly as clever as what everyone else had already written. Very funny!

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  16. Lisa: Exactly. How else could you interpret that!

    Mad: Me neither. That's why I left it to them. :)

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  17. lol - that was my last thought, the same as lisa's... Haha - we could come up with many more!

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  18. I pointed and asked Swede, and this was his simple zen-like response:)

    "Pee in the toilet."

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  19. ET: Oh yes, I'm sure. :)

    Rachel: HA! "And NOT on the floor!!" :)

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  20. Hey, you guys are pretty good!

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  21. Ha ha! All those hilarious toilet signs! Love it!

    The sign defintely says:

    "Come closer, your hum-hum isn't as big as you think it is..."

    Actually it's not me that has come up with that text from the beginning, we had two older cleaners (women) at work once and they did put up a sign like that on our toilet at work because they were tired of all the pee that was at the floor...

    Oh my, how popular that was with the guys.... *giggles*

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  22. LC: HAHAHA! If we can't take a joke! Thanks. :)

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  23. Ha Ha... very funny!
    I think I'll paste it on my bath door. :)

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  24. Nisha HA! I love it. I know what you mean. Thanks for stopping by and commenting here.

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