Reply #223

Not a well appreciated dialect by most Germans.

If there is one basic problems I find when Americans try to translate most languages it is the misunderstanding that it's some sort of math, as if each word = another word. Because we live in a country that has one major language and we sit in the middle of this huge island with no understanding of how culture effects language it seems easy to fall into the trap of word for word meaning as exact and specific. To make the jump from basic "what's for breakfast" to politics and the state of humanity, you can't translate anything without understanding the cultural usage of those languages. Americans haven't had the experience of dealing with many "friendly" language communities on a daily basis as has been gong on in Europe for generations. So we find ourselves expecting those translated words and phrases to be the same weight and concept and thus derive opinions or bias based on what it means in English. This just does not work without understanding the cultural variances. We can't jump to conclusions because it "sounds" a certain way in English. This can fail many times.

Here's an example... When I was living in Stockholm some time back, as a performer, the director once asked me (in English), "would you please shave your beard for this scene?" I answered her, "No problem!" The director looked at me puzzled, "Please would you shave for this scene?" Again I repeated,"yes, I have no problem with this". At this point there was a heated discussion in Swedish which was finally settled, and one of the stage crew approached and apologized saying, "The director didn't understand your answer because we do not use a negative to answer a yes question. In out language, that translates to a most emphatic refusal.

Another example which I have found to be incredibly important. There is an old cliché about Germans being cold and difficult. This is a perfect example of how translation and cultural meanings are lost. If we English speakers have a light disagreement, it may sound like this, "Oh, I really like what you're saying, and you make a good point but I don't think I agree with you... blah, blah." If you said this to a German in Deutch or English he would probably react as if you were insulting him... in his mind, he thinks you are talking down to him like a child, and probably wouldn't want to continue or would continue as if insulted. The Germanic speaker would expect you to say, "No, you are wrong because... blah....". If they said this to an English speaker, the English speaker would probably be saying under his breath, "What a stuck up asshole." But in both of these cases, the intent and respect for the other speaker is exactly the same and if the culture of the language is understood, then you would know you are speaking with the same attitude. If not, then the German is likely to feel insulted and the English speaker will think the German is cold and dismissing.

Whatever the intent of the article above, unless you understand the culture behind the language, don't expect to understand the mind of the writer. And don't make the premature mistake of pinning the entire Swedish population with a prejudice based on how the words translate in English. Language just doesn't work that way.