News from JMS
Welcome to our blog, where we plan to feature news, views and translation clues. Things like: did you know that English cats say ‘meow’, German moggies ‘miau’, French felines ‘miaou’, and Spanish Siamese ‘miau’. Pause for thought…
Unlucky four business
Number 4 is one to avoid, the pronunciation of which is the same as death. It is considered unlucky to have 4 in your address, car reg, phone number and bus (should you own one!). Whereas Westerners sometimes avoid having a 13th floor, you may well spot that the lift doesn’t stop at the fourth in China (and in Japan, Korea and Tawian). Triskaidekaphobia meets tetraphobia, West meets East. Numbers 14 and 24 are also associated with death because they are sound like the words for ‘must die’ and ‘easy to die’, so next time you are in a high-rise building in Asia, check out if the lift goes to those floors.