Accident or intentional? Interrogatives

One of the common mistakes seen in Japanese English learners is the confusion of the interrogatives "How...?" and "Why...?" Of course we know that HOW is asking in what way or manner, and WHY is asking the reason or the purpose, but the confusion pops up when we try to form questions because both words can be translated into Japanese as "どうして？　(DO-SHITE?)"

The mistake is often seen when a Japanese English learner tries to form a sentence in Japanese in his or her head and then tries to translate and say it in English. I once made this mistake so I will never forget it. I was talking to an English friend who told me he had broken his arm some months ago. I asked him,

"Why did you break your arm? "

My friend stared at me in amazement for a while and then said,

"Well, it was such a lovely day, a perfect day for breaking an arm so I thought I'd have a go.... WHY? WHAT are you thinking? I tripped over and broke it, it wasn't intentional!"

Only after his answer did I realize the mistake I had made. I should have asked HOW? and not WHY?, but I think my mind at the time was working in Japanese mode (my mind has two channels, Japanese and English mode).　I was translating

"どうして腕折ったの？"　(DO-SHITE break your arm?)

into English, and made the mistake.

A slip of an interrogative this time makes an accident  an intentional injury by a masochist.

Polyandry? Lost in Translation 02

Another Lost in Translation series.

In the summer of 2000, I was travelling round England, and I found a tabloid "Evening Standard" left on the seat in front of me. I have kept it like a treasure because of this small article I found inside:

It clearly and hilariously shows how we Japanese are poor in English conversation although most people receive at least 6 years of English education in junior and senior high school. Our former leader was a fine example of the result of our "nearly good-for-nothing school English education".

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Lost in translation (Evening Standard  Monday 24th July 2000)

As the G8 leaders convened in Japan over the weekend, I year of a yarn that is too good to be true concerning Bill Clinton and Japanese PC Yoshiro Mori.

Before Mori's first visit to the US, he was lectured by an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how to greet the American President. The official advised him to follow the following verbal procedure: "How are you Mr. Clinton?" to which Clinton will say "I am fine, and you?" Then he should reply "Me too." However, matters did not follow such a simple course when Mori did meet Clinton. For Mori slipped at the first hurdle by asking "WHO are you?" To which a mystified Clinton replied: "I am the husband of Hilary Clinton." Mori then reverted to the rehearsed script and replied: "Me too."

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The slip of the interrogative turned the casual greeting into an international polyandry...
Good work Mr. Mori.

Now, I wonder if Mr. Clinton will say more often "I am the husband of Hilary Clinton." after the presidential election...