Synonyms in Babylon: Confusion in translation.

Not all people can appreciate when laughed at, whilst trying. But we all have to agree, when it comes to translation into a different language, some seriously funny situations may occur.

Living in a multi-cultural situation like South Africa, gives ample breeding ground for some hilarious situations and some real nasty outcomes.

The temperament of different nations are, well..... different. Not everybody can appreciate the same situation equally.

In a bi-lingual school environment, where proper English children and rough tough Afrikaans children were thrown together, explosive situations developed in a blink of an eye.

English kids were normally more refined, and were taught that it is rude to make fun of someone else. Hence they will always stand and listen, while the "other language" kid stutter and stumble in a haze of new words and syllables. With a face as straight as a ruler they will respond, very politely, in answer to the relevant discussion. This will be regarded as polite, and also showing their respect towards the poor "retard" for at least trying.

Now, the Afrikaans brat, is more oriented towards being much rather practical, than polite. Then the scenario is quite different. He will burst into a hysterical laughter, leaving the would-be fan embarrassed and angry.

Not too long, the teachers will have to call everybody to the school hall, for a serious meeting. A lecture about adapting and tolerance will follow. Everything will continue, peacefully for a while....till the next unasked-for situation pops up it's ugly head again.

Now what can be so serious, one may ponder. One of my hub friends live in Mexico. ( Al, I love you very much) and he is very keen to learn new languages. His next language on the list is Afrikaans, and he asked me to help him along the way. This is when this hub was born.

I realised how difficult it must be for someone to really understand this "baby" of all languages.

 This is not actually a history hub, thus I'll try, in a nutshell, to tell you where this language was born. Many moons ago, the lion was still the only king in Africa. One day Europeans from different countries across the wild blue ocean arrived, bringing all kinds of strange sounds to the plains of Africa.

More or less the same time, another group of different sounds came from across the northern plains. As the swamps in the middle of the continent were drying out, more of the people from the North, could pass through and brought along their different noises. 

 The lion king got confused, and wanted order and understanding in his kingdom. All the chiefs of all the different groups were very stubborn and argumentative. Everyone wanted to be the boss. He could not talk sense into their heads.

King lion was very sad, and as he sat pondering the fate of his beloved wilderness, he saw a group of merry young woman, washing laundry in the river. He went over for a chat.

They told him a secret. Even he himself could not think of any better plan to solve the problem. He left them, walking back into the Forest. He knew this will be the only way, and he cannot interfere.

Although these girls were young, they had a deep knowledge that the road of least resistance will let the water flow.

 They told him: we are a group of friends, and we are simple people. We only want to have fun and cannot be bothered with the fighting about rules. When we talk together, we tell each other what these strangers call some things in their language. We take the easiest sound of them all, and use it amongst ourselves to name those strange things they had brought along with them.

They mix and mingle all the sounds and had built a neat collection of understandable communication amongst themselves. Some of the strangers has also realised to use this words in order to communicate with the labour force.

From there the sounds, born in the kitchens of the old Dutch homes in the Cape, just became stronger and more used. The fountain in the kitchen found a road of least resistance. Today it is a big river, and ever so slowly, still growing.

Since we start to realise where this language Afrikaans, has grown from, we come to the understanding that a knowledge of multiple languages are required. A little bit here and a little bit there from different places. This is complicated.

I am going to give you a very rough  word sketch, using synonyms in a very overly dramatised manner. This will explain how the funny and the insulting, come so close to each other, the border becomes vague.

Hope you can appreciate the effort. ( Al, I appreciate your courage.)

I never realised it is this difficult. I will try my best, to help you understand and learn!

Real translation: My brother in law, John, and me, went hunting porcupines and skunks, with a double barrel shotgun, like they did in the time of the pioneers

.Afrikaans: Soos in die tyd van die voortrekkers het ek en my swaer Jan, ystervarke en stinkmuishonde gaan jag met die dubbelloop haelgeweer.

Confusion: As in the time of the frontpullers me and my heavy John went to shoot for iron pigs and stinkmice dogs with with a double walk hail gun.

Real translation: Finally, my brother in law, John, saw a skunk

.Afrikaans: Uiteindelik sien my swaer Jan, ‘n stinkmuishond.

Confusion:  At last my heavy John saw for a stink mouse dog.

.

Real translation: Loads a bullet in the barrel,

Afrikaans: Sit ‘n patroon in die loop,

Confusion: Puts a pattern in the walk,

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Real translation: aims...

Afrikaans: Le aan.....

Confusion: Lies on ....

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Real translation: pulls the trigger

Afrikaans: Trek los

Confusion: Pulls loose

Real translation: And there was the skunk, lying dead on its back.

Afrikaans: En daar le die stinkmuishond bene in die lug.

Confusion: And there lies the stink mouse dog bones in the light.

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Real translation: We quickly ran away, after smelling the bad odour when we neared the skunk.

Afrikaans: Net toe ons nader kom ruik ons hoe die stinkmuishond stink en hardloop vinnig weg

Confusion: Just as us come close us did smelt how the stinkmousedog stinks and runs away quick

Real translation: I fell, after my foot got hooked on a root of a tree, and I broke my collar bone.

Afrikaans: My voet hak toe vas aan ‘n wortel van ‘n boom ek slaan neer en breek my sleutelbeen.

Confusion: My foot hooks fast to a carrot of a tree I fall down and breaks my key bone.

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Real translation: As we reached the main road, we've met a man, whose car has a flat tyre.

Afrikaans: By die hoofpad uitgekom staan daar ‘n ou met ‘n pap wiel.

Confusion: By the chief road out comed there stand an old with a porridge wheel.

Real translation: He wanted to know if we knew the direction to a filling station, in order to inflate the hind tyre.

Afrikaans: Hy vra toe of ons weet waar hy ‘n motorhawe kan kry om lug in sy agterwiel te bekom.

Confusion: He asks for us if us knows where he can get a motor harbour to get some sky for his after wheel.

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Real translation: Because of desperation, we just sat down next to the road.

Afrikaans: Van pure moedeloosheid bly sit ons net daar langs die pad.

Confusion: From pure motherlessness us sits just there next to the road

After reading the above, perhaps some people will be able to forgive the Afrikaans speaking people for being so rude, for laughing. This moments can be funny, they enjoy the moment, but will help you, to correct.

And no, these people are not making fun out of it. They actually love you so dearly, for trying. A soft spot melting in the warmth of their hearts, can never be misguided as poisonous. Their innocence is too pure.

So my dear friend who wants to learn, we will have to walk this road together. Sharing the joy of recognising mutual understandings in true hearts alive with life. Then we can enjoy our own shortcomings, holding hands and supporting each other, as we all mature.

Just as we have the same or different understanding in the sound of words in language, we find it in the sound of nature as well. Many an artist has given their audience much pleasure, listening how they can copy the language of nature.

Listen to the following video, close your eyes, and experience a thunderstorm in Africa. Not only a storm that never happened, can be heard, but the bass guitar and drums are non existent. A feast of "synonyms" in sound. Enjoy.

We might even apply the term "synonym" to the meaning of colour in our lives. Yellow, for instance, may mean hot or cold. The bright yellow sunflower next to the road, is totally different to the yellow leaves of the autumn trees, but they are both yellow.

Now I want to put out a challenge. There are many more "hidden" synonyms out there! We do not always see it that way. Who can recognise more. Please, stretch your imagination and share with us in the comments. This will be interesting.........

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Photos and graphics: Courtesy from fotosearch.com