In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe 2026 interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, we speak with Erica Jean about MISTRANSLATED.
What can you tell me about your show?
MISTRANSLATED is a tour through the worst language mistakes of a polyglot who's studied over a dozen languages. But the best part is that I ask the audience to share their language mistakes AND THEY'VE ALWAYS GOT GOOD ONES.
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
Light-hearted and escapist. Lots of shows aspire to derive greater meaning and social commentary from daily incidents and experiences. This show is the opposite. It takes the academic topic of language learning and tries to make it silly and accessible.
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
I spent a few years working remotely and moving countries every few months (I swear I'm not a spy), which meant I was meeting new people constantly and having to figure out how to spark their interest. And guess what? They weren't interested that I did comedy - they were interested that I spoke many languages. That made me think, "maybe I should start writing jokes about this."
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
We are in the era of confronting which aspects of our reality will be replaced by AI. Learning languages is one of them and many people think - why bother learning Chinese when ChatGPT can translate everything for you? I am here to tell you that Google Translate will throw you under the bus and ChatGPT will make you sound like an unsocialized robot. Learning languages is more important than ever to maintain the human connection that we are losing.
How have you mentally and physically prepared for a run at the Fringe?
I'm only doing a half run, so problem solved!
If you couldn't use a flyer to attract audiences, what object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
A Japanese kanji dictionary. It would mean nothing to 99% of punters but the 1% who recognized it would know instantly we share the deep and primal pain of trying to sort out the difference between the kanji for calligraphy and for tap water. That's my audience.
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
I have set a highly achievable goal which is not to sell out, or break even, or win awards - but to rid myself of Fringe FOMO once and for all. Just by showing up and going all-in, I win.
What are you most proud of regarding the show?
I am proud of how universally relatable it is to people from all countries and walks of life. It had nearly sold out shows in Estonia and Singapore. I thought a show about languages would bomb in the UK but the shows I did in Buxton were the loveliest of all. I didn't set out to create something that worked in every country, but by complete accident - I did.
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
I am obsessed with the fact that Kate Smurthwaite is writing a whole new Fringe show every single day, and is killing it. I mean how can you not go see that every day. What a legend.
I am also excited about 3...2...1 - it's a unique narrative format where artists tell a story in broken up segments of 3, 2 and 1 minutes. I am going to use it to explore other parts of the language learning experience not covered in my show
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
1. Relatable
2. Friendly
3. Silly
4. Global
5. Inspirational
What keeps you inspired?
My ultimate goal is to do a unique hour of standup comedy in each language I speak (at a reasonable level) so seeing other people pushing the boundaries of what it means to be prolific is just awesome.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
The idea that there's no such thing as failing to learn a language. Many of us feel like failures because our summer exchange failed to translate into fluent Spanish. That's nonsense. There is no such thing as failure - only taking a very long pause.
When and where can people see the show?
MISTRANSLATED! runs from 20-30 August at 18:25 with Just the Tonic at the Caves - Up the Stairs
Tickets are available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mistranslated
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