One learns a foreign language and slowly comes to understand what is said and written. But understanding the literal meaning of the words is only half of it – the deeper meaning, sense and poetry of the language come more slowly and only after persistence and effort. For example, for years I have gone fishing in Romania, and asked locals the question, “Where can a person fish for trout around here?” (“Unde se poata aici pescui pastrav?”), to which the answer, invariably, is “La munte,” (literally: “Up in the mountains”) accompanied, also invariably, by a vague uphill nod in a wise, far-off way. And so I have gone up the mountains in search of good fishing. It is only now that I understand that a more accurate translation of “La munte” in this context would be, “They are all dead (you cosmopolitan lunatic). If you want trout, go to a supermarket.” Similarly, the Hungarian phrase “Van is nagyobb is” (literally “There are also big ones”) – the typical answer to the question “Are there any large fish in this stream?” (“Van is nagyobb hal benne ezt a patak-ban?”) – is in fact the local variant (in Transylvania at least) of, approximately, “Do you seriously think there is anything alive in that cesspool? You are even less intelligent than you look.” As always, fishing in Romania a highly rewarding experience (linguistically speaking).
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 18:10:38 +0000
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