Funny story of how things can get lost in translation. One morning:
Co-teacher: Hello Alex, today we are going to end each class 5 minutes early so we can disinfect the school.
Alex: Oo ok.
[A whole day later at 4:00pm, she walks into my office which is separated from the rest of the teachers, a floor up]
Co-teacher: Hello Alex, I want to show you some paperwork work…lalala here sign this, look at this. Ok see you later.
Alex:Hmm let me work for a few more mintues.
[20 minutes later]
Alex: Ok time to go home. Open my little office door into bigger English Zone classroom. Lalala…waaaaiiit a minute. Umm why is there white smoke coming from under the door???
[Naive foreigner opens door, and cant see a thing. The hallway that was once there is covered in a wall of white smoke. That smells like poisonous printer ink fumes]
Alex: [closes door immediately] What the heck!?!?!
[Runs to window, opens it, sticks head out to breathe and notices the innocent children outside playing with a ball]
Alex: ::tear:: Will they notice if I start climbing out window?
[begins to devise a plan to climb out the third story and make it out alive]
Alex: Well ….20 minutes have passed…and I can kinda see the hallway. So let’s do this!
[Grabs a small bag that had that morning’s muffin, uses it to breathe into. Runs out, chokes on smoke as it becomes difficult to lock the door]
[5 minutes later, outside]
Alex: I’m alive!! ::cough cough::
Random teacher: Bye Alex! 😀
Alex: …..Bye! [smiles weakly]
——-
[Next day]
Alex: Good morning Co-teacher, hey so……in American lingo, what happened yesterday can be best described as FUMIGATION. Disinfection does not really get the message across.
Co-teacher: Oh really? I picked the first word from the translation dictionary online. Ok I will remember that word for next time. I’m sorry.
Could have been helpful:
Or maybe miming “choking to death”
From Korea With Love 