Thread: Ten Things Americans Don't Know About America

10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America | Thought Catalog

Интересная статья!

Спасибо!

Но что значит "We’re entitled"?

Originally Posted by maxmixiv

Спасибо!

Но что значит "We’re entitled"?

Это значит, что ты думаешь что все тебе должны, как будто ты важнее чем другие. Понятно?

Originally Posted by Deborski

Это значит, что ты думаешь что все тебе должен, как если ты важнее чем другие. Понятно?

Ага...Из словаря я этого не мог понять. Тогда "пуп земли", наверное, подойдёт. Про одного конкретного человека, который много о себе мнит, мы говорим: "он думает, что он - пуп земли".
Также можно назвать его и д'Артаньяном из ставшего популярным "неприличного" анекдота
Ох, лол! — В гостях у Бароши.
У нас тут, кстати, много россиян-д'Артаньянов на форуме.

Маленько надо исправить:
все тебе должны, как будто ты важнее чем другие (или: важнее других/остальных)

Originally Posted by maxmixiv

Спасибо!

Но что значит "We’re entitled"?

Просто значит "Иметь права".
Но верно есть увиливание или уклончивость. Политический язык как выше.

"1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US"

By the way, Deborah, that American guy we met in Cyprus didn't know what a water pipe (hookah) is. He's about 50 years old American man (game designer, so his profession implies some intellectual level), but this adult guy didn't know an elementary thing (even if you don't know what it exactly is, you could see it on the pictures etc).

So, me and my friends were very "impressed by US", honestly. If you want to get a cultural shock, meet an American.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

"1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US"

By the way, Deborah, that American guy we met in Cyprus didn't know what a water pipe (hookah) is. He's about 50 years old American man (game designer, so his profession implies some intellectual level), but this adult guy didn't know an elementary thing (even if you don't know what it exactly is, you could see it on the pictures etc).

So, me and my friends were very "impressed by US", honestly. If you want to get a cultural shock, meet an American.

Guess what Paul, the level of intellect, or IQ, means your ability to operate with the static knowledge you have, to process it effectively... It doesn't mean the amount of static knowledge you have; you know how a genius is different to a moron? They may just know the same sets of facts, but a moron won't be able to use them for anything while the genius will use them to generate some brilliant ideas or make some genius discoveries.

As for that guy, him not knowing what that thing is does not demean his intellectual abilities in any way, and besides, given his profession, one would doubt he needs that particular knowledge in the first place.

Originally Posted by Eric C.

Guess what Paul, the level of intellect, or IQ, means your ability to operate with the static knowledge you have, to process it effectively...

That's amazing. Eric, don't you know that I'm not a native English speaker? Did it surprise you? In Russian we have different words for that. "Intellectual" includes both terms: static knowledge and abilities.
As you couldn't guess, it explains everything. Also your ability to operate with that.

Originally Posted by Eric C.

As for that guy, him not knowing what that thing is does not demean his intellectual abilities in any way, and besides, given his profession, one would doubt he needs that particular knowledge in the first place.

That's a typical point of the ignorant American person, who wants to justify his ignorance. If you can't find Europe on the map or don't know what a water pipe is, it just means that you're an ignorant person, that's all. It has nothing to do with "particular knowledge", because it is NOT particular. It's just knowledge which everyone must know.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

That's amazing. Eric, don't you know that I'm not a native English speaker? Did it surprise you? In Russian we have different words for that. "Intellectual" includes both terms: static knowledge and abilities.
As you couldn't guess, it explains everything. Also your ability to operate with that.

Numbers of Russians would disagree with you, Paul. They call static knowledge "фактические знания", and the level of intellect "интеллект" or "уровень интеллекта", and both terms mean pretty much the same that the English ones do. Am I wrong?

Originally Posted by Eric C.

Am I wrong?

Of course, you are wrong. All depend on context. "Intellectual" means not only abilities, but rich knowledge too. In Russian you can't call "intellectual" a person, who doesn't know, for example, the history of the UK (I mean elementary facts about it) and so on. Only if you want to make fun of him. Although this person can be professional. Like a "professional plumber", for instance. Also in Russian "intellectual" often implies an "erudite person".

Originally Posted by Paul G.

"1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US"

By the way, Deborah, that American guy we met in Cyprus didn't know what a water pipe (hookah) is. He's about 50 years old American man (game designer, so his profession implies some intellectual level), but this adult guy didn't know an elementary thing (even if you don't know what it exactly is, you could see it on the pictures etc).

So, me and my friends were very "impressed by US", honestly. If you want to get a cultural shock, meet an American.

Yeah, I remember reaction of many Russian people when they see a garbage disposal for the first time. I'm sure some Americans would tell "those dumb Russians don't even know what a garbage disposal is"
Bottom line is: I wouldn't be so fond of your superiority Paul, if I were you

Originally Posted by Doomer

Bottom line is: I wouldn't be so fond of your superiority Paul, if I were you

Fortunately, you are not me and I have nothing to do with you. You deliberately mix the things up, such as a common cultural stuff and a peculiar technical thing.
Anyway, I know what a garbage disposal is, I have seen it in the movies. So you've lost again, man.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

Fortunately, you are not me and I have nothing to do with you. You deliberately mix the things up, such as a common cultural stuff and a peculiar technical thing.

I don't believe a hookah is a common cultural thing. Far less common than a garbage disposal in the US, I dare say

Originally Posted by Paul G.

Anyway, I know what a garbage disposal is, I have seen it in the movies. So you've lost again, man.

I'm sure many Americans know what the hookah is but you chose to judge others based on the person who doesn't know In this case your self-praising post seems like a double standard to me

У нас тут, кстати, много россиян-д'Артаньянов на форуме.

Тысяча чертей, да что вы говорите, сударь!

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I'd like translate this article for my blog. Not if I would really agree with the author, just for the practice.

Originally Posted by DrBaldhead

Тысяча чертей, да что вы говорите, сударь!

---
I'd like translate this article for my blog. Not if I would really agree with the author, just for the practice.

Exactly. I'm not completely agree with the author too, he just indulged and descant everything. If you see every country in this aspect, nowhere is perfect.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

"1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US"

By the way, Deborah, that American guy we met in Cyprus didn't know what a water pipe (hookah) is. He's about 50 years old American man (game designer, so his profession implies some intellectual level), but this adult guy didn't know an elementary thing (even if you don't know what it exactly is, you could see it on the pictures etc).

So, me and my friends were very "impressed by US", honestly. If you want to get a cultural shock, meet an American.

Paul i think you should not judge a "whole" nation by one particular person. It just sounds a bit prude.
Not to mention that many 'other' things could have happened for this misunderstanding. (Maybe you didn't understand eachother fully because of different accents, maybe he wanted to Joke and Etc...)

That guy is apparently not a patriot, is he Obama's voter? =))

I just wonder when he says it's not true "we are the world's leader", does he even realize that the English language is out there as international language #1 NOT because of the U.K.? As simple as that

Originally Posted by Eric C.

That guy is apparently not a patriot, is he Obama's voter? =))

I just wonder when he says it's not true "we are the world's leader", does he even realize that the English language is out there as international language #1 NOT because of the U.K.? As simple as that

English is the international language because North America was a colony of the U.K.

Originally Posted by Полуношник

English is the international language because North America was a colony of the U.K.

But it wasn't even close to the status it has now while America was an English colony; now, there are over 300 million native English speakers worldwide, and 1.8 billion people who can speak it; the number of people who can speak it is 5.5 times higher than the number of native speakers; no else language can compete with these numbers; now, do you think it was British guys who we should thank for that? =))

Originally Posted by Eric C.

no else language can compete with these numbers; now, do you think it was British guys who we should thank for that? =))

Eric, do you know what the UK is (were)?

Originally Posted by Paul G.

Eric, do you know what the UK is (were)?

A state consisting of Britain (which in turn consists of England, Scotland and Wales) & part of Ireland (which is called "Northern Ireland); used to have colonies all over the world in the past, the largest of which were part of the modern territory of the U.S. and India; (I may seem a bit arrogant, but I'm not ignorant )

So?...