APOLOGY/THE DEATH MOSQUITO

I'm pretty sure I owe someone an apology, and perhaps there's a lesson here about humor, language, and culture.

A couple posts down I made a dumb joke about another "SlowLearner" blog being an impostor. It's just the sort of joke you make after an hour of self-Googling. I forgot that most bloggers check their referer logs religiously, and I suppose that's what this gentleman did. A friend of mine ran a babelfish translation of the response he posted, and it seems as though he's angry at me. Here's what he wrote:

Pardon ƒVƒeƒNƒŒ something it is reprinted to the sight of the foreign country.Name of the sight being simultaneous does not like, and others ‚Á forcing andswindler calling ƒfƒXƒˆ orz Temporarily the text this « The abuse of one' S good name goes very ill! Let the blogosphere take note: After the SlowLearner cannot condone any of the ideas expressed by this pretender. « translating abuse of the name where the person is good does not go almost very! Please make note to blogosphere take: As for SlowLearner either of the thought of being displayed in this impersonator it cannot pardon. It is with having, address of my sight being linked this "impersonator" - with densely, the ‚é. ‚¤ ‚ ‚Ÿ ‚Ÿ -.

The ‚ß it is ‚Ç habit. You say, but, this sight name is the tune name "of Rhymester"! The ‚Á‚Ä which what it combines, as for you tune name itself the impersonator it calls? Accidentally, word wearing, there is about a ‚é sight how mountain, is, you. It does and don't you think? the ‚! å - gets angry with ‚¥ thing, the foolish person. Therefore name accidentally simultaneous, that I whom you expect whether the ‚Á ‚Ä, even just a little favorable thing is written, was most foolish. It was dented with the ‚Ü ‚.

Completely the ‚Õ it is the ‚Õ it is anger as for the sight of circumstances slowlearner of this « foreign country First it has not been introduced to such wind, even afterwards. So, if well the distribution company of ƒXƒ[ƒ‰[ƒi[, knowing, the ‚é, when it is the extent which is appealed to that company you understand, but it is. Generally like this doing, also the mail without crossing over, to bleach suddenly, the death mosquito. When with with the notion that where you say, the same thing it does, reaching the same level, although the stripe having uninformed known, you bleach, the return. ‚ ‚Ÿ. If there is a complaint, the mail you give. The ‚Ù it is with. The ‚Ù it is with, the person ‚Á ‚Ä which communication, it is not possible, being in! every country.

That seems pretty mad, right? I mean, every translation program has its limitations, and clearly some nuances are getting lost here, but I'm guessing he took my charge that he's an "imposter" seriously. It may just be that certain aspects of tone and satire don't cross cultures very easily.

I've apologized on Slow Learner's comments section but I'll eat crow here in public as well:

I'm sorry for calling you an imposter or impugning your website in any way. I was just making a dumb joke. If you give me your mailing address, I will send you some fudge.

Yours,
SlowLearner

UPDATE: He/she might or might not have forgiven me:

... ゴァァァァァァァ! ! ! This genuine American joke? You experienced valuably. The あ ぁ it is. However the く palm to be, it is too funny, (laughing) doing! Just, slowlearner, be too slow the learner.... The word the blotch is in the body today. As for at this incident it becomes something which is not forgotten probably will be. It is in of course good sense! (Laughing) | ミナミリョウ

Comments

[Dan]

Mac, I get the feeling you, like me, are burdened with a surplus of free-floating guilt. It gloms on to whatever real or imagined offense that you commit.

Don't sweat this.

[ミナミリョウ]

I am not angry any longer.
Instead, please let me link my HP.
Ｉ links your HP.
It is commemoration of a good joke.

[Laura]

Out of such misunderstandings, good will and future brotherhood... That's how all those classic stories start out. Two people who have a cultural difference or some kind of global issue become friends. The moral of the story? World Peace is possible.

Now, you and your new friend need to get together to solve that Mideast problem...C'mon Mac! We're depending on you! :P

[Dan]

Boy, Mac, you're a dick.

[George]

If I wasn't laughing, I'd cry.

Oh, all right, I'll cry anyway. Kind of a half-laughing half-crying thing. Please. Links his HP, already.

[Mac]

Turns out it's a she, and we seem to have made up. I was going to add her to the permalinks today but her site seems to have unexpectedly gone down, so I'm waiting to find out what's going on with that. Meanwhile, if I can just figure out how to insult this guy

http://underthesun.anu.edu.au/weblogs/slowlearner/

then that'll pretty much do it for the coalition of the willing, right?

[ミナミリョウ]

It is maintenance　of Server.
It restores on July 17.