1. Language At a Faraday discussion meeting in Birmingham in 1954 on “The study of fast reactions”, the German scientist Manfred Eigen asked the Oxford don Ronnie Bell how the English language would describe reactions which were ‘faster than fast’. Ronnie Bell replied “Damn fast reactions Manfred and if they get faster than that, the English language will not fail you, you can call them damn fast reactions indeed!”.

2. dx dy = a

3. Medical Notes Senior Nurses discussed problems stemming from nurses’ inability to do simple maths … they put decimal points in the wrong place so patients might receive 10 times more or times less medication than intended

6. Misaru Kikasaru Iwasaru saru means both No and Monkey

7. In Chinese

11. In Japanese Misaru Kikasaru Iwasaru

13. Final proficiency in English non-English speaking immigrants to USA 280 240 5 10 20 30 Age of arrival 200

14. Medical Notes Senior Nurses discussed problems stemming from nurses’ inability to do simple maths … they put decimal points in the wrong place so patients might receive 10 times more or times less medication than intended Others said that (some) could not work out dose- to-bodyweight ratios which were particularly important for giving drugs to children

16. In English we have the saying: Hear no Evil See no Evil Speak no Evil

17. More Medical Notes A colleague, while in hospital, overheard one nurse ask another how many milliliters there were in a microliter

18. Japanese Mizaru No See Iwazaru No speak KikazaruNo Hear

19. Ultimate proficiency in English of non- English speaking Immigrants to the USA related to age of arrival 3-7 years old over 17-22

20. Lesson Some things cannot be translated We have to learn the language