The building where I work houses a variety of different ethnic groups and we constantly hear a billion languages being spoken at once. This is particularly true on the floor my office is on as there is another business there that is quite large and employs a good number of people. We will hear them in the hall on their quick 5 minute breaks speaking Chinese, Spanish, Russian and some other ones I probably could not identify.
So when I was in the bathroom yesterday, I was not surprised to hear two women speaking to each other in Russian. However, I did not expect a voice from the stall next to me to demand from her stall that they entertain her by providing Russian words:
Russian ladies: {speaking Russian I do not understand}
Stall lady: Say "Goodbye" in Russian!
Russian ladies: {more Russian}
Stall lady: SAY "GOODBYE" IN RUSSIAN
Russian ladies: Poka
Stall lady: GOODBYE, say it in Russian
Russian ladies: POKA
Stall lady: What?
Russian Ladies: POKA
Stall lady: Huh?
Russian Ladies: It is easy, poka, P-O-K-A
Stall lady; Poka?
Russian Ladies: Yes
Stall lady: Well then POKA
Russian Ladies: Poka to you
Poka indeed. I am pretty sure their next word the said as going out the door was Russian for fool.*
*That's "durak" people. Spelled phonetically of course.
**The More you Know...
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2 important things being said:
I used to work with a girl from India. She spoke several different languages fluently. Sometimes I would sit with her at lunch and she'd take a call on her cell phone. She'd speak a few sentences in one of the many languages she was fluent in, then speak English for a few sentences and then speak some third language for a few sentences. This would go on for the entire conversation. I always wondered how she did that. I would think one would be confused changing over to so many languages so quickly. I guess if you're fluent though, it's no big deal.
sprinkles - I never understood the switching between languages myself. Although I guess if it comes to you quicker in one language you would just switch to that one?
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