Thursday, April 30, 2009

Ambiguity On a Global Scale

On twitter a few minutes ago, I read the following post:


Car crash into Dutch Queen parade
When you read this headline, what picture or thought comes to your mind?

I live in Houston. People from all over the world live here. And we have some interestng and colorful parades. My first thought did not involve a crowned female or a royal family. Did yours?

When you write, do you think about how your words might be interpretted in different parts of the world?

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4 comments:

Denise said...

HI Charlotte,

I honestly have never thought about how the words are interpreted elsewhere. But that's a good point.

Charlotte Phillips said...

It made me think about all those interesting instructions we receive in products from other countries. Of course, those are translations with creative use of language.

Helen Ginger said...

The editor in me immediately added an "es" to crash so it read: Car crashes into Dutch Queen Parade. And Dutch Queen Parade could be interpreted in at least three ways.

Helen
http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com

Connie Arnold said...

Good point, Charlotte! It certainly could be interpreted in different ways.