Many people will have seen the video advert for a well-known language school that features a supposedly German coastguard responding to a Mayday message where a ship’s captain says: ‘We are sinking’ and the coastguard responds by saying ‘What are you sinking about?’ (Mojo Yachting Club, 2025). The problem is that this is just another demonstration of why what causes misunderstandings is, well . . . misunderstood. Just think for a minute, surely the context makes the message clear. Are we really to believe that the coastguard is so stupid he doesn’t understand what the captain of the ship is . . .
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