Lost in Translation

Last Sunday, I read an article of Sumiko Tan's in the newspaper. So aptly titled "Lost in Translation", she reflected upon her own inability to speak Japanese and hence her inability to communicate with her own relatives, despite sharing the same blood and genes. Lost in Translation - that is what happens to meanings when the words which tie them together are tranlated from one language to another, even when correctly translated. Each language carries with it, its own history, culture, nuances, weirdness, expressions and shared meanings that makes it so unqiue - all of which is often very difficult, if not impossible to translate.

It was just the phrase I was looking for. I needed it to describe how it felt not to be able to understand the Japanese students and vice versa. Day One with the students was fun and novel but slightly draining. As I found out, to my dismay, my Japanese was woefully inadequate to communicate with them, especially without a dictionary. Day Two, got vick's dictionary back from taro san. That helped but still not enough. That was when I got rather disheartened. So many things you want to say but cannot because you don't know how to. So many questions you want to ask but cannot because you don't know the words. I wondered if there was anything that I could take that would sudddenly make me able to understand everything Japanese.

So despite the obvious communication barrier, we trudged on and managed to have some fun along the way too. :) Makes me wonder, some people, even though we speak the same language, yet we don't talk much to them either. That in a way is a sign of a communication barrier too - one that is more easily overcomed or even more difficult?

Lost in Translation was a highly acclaimed movie in 2003, one that i didn't watch. Feel like watching now, anyone has it? Lost in Translation is also a programme that allows you to translate between different languages 10 times, aka babelize, just to prove the meaning of "lost in translation".

Original English Text:how are you?
Translated to Japanese:御元気ですか?
Translated back to English:It is vigorous?
Translated to Chinese:它是苍劲的?
Translated back to English:It is vigorous?
Translated to French:Il est vigoureux ?
Translated back to English:It is vigorous?
Translated to German:Es ist kräftig?
Translated back to English:It is strong?
Translated to Italian:È forte?
Translated back to English:He is strong?
Translated to Portuguese:É forte?
Translated back to English:It is strong?
Translated to Spanish:¿Es fuerte?
Translated back to English:He is strong?