For example, one entire business English lesson is needed to teach people learning English as a second (or third or fourth) language what to say in English when you see symbols like the ones we use everyday in email addresses. My email address

rencsi@rencsi.com

would be read by a Hungarian as

rencsi kukac rencsi pont com
(pronounced wrenchy coo-cots wrenchy poant comb).

That directly translates to

rencsi worm rencsi point com

This phrase would not be recognized as an email address in any English speaking nation!

I learned this the hard way. I was collecting my students email addresses verbally and realized with the first student, an IT professional, that he had probably seen the @ symbol a million times, but never had to say it out loud in English to anyone. We immediately stopped and collected a list of common email and internet symbols on the flip chart and labeled them how they should be read out loud in English.

@ is at
. is dot
_ is underscore
- is dash
: is colon
/ is slash
\ is backslash

At the same time, I learned that @ is kukac or worm in Hungarian (and some also say the sound a chicken or rooster makes). Living abroad was full of experiences like this. I think everyone should do it at least once in his or her life.