Well, I have been thinking about trying some English written entries in my blog. Just in case some people would like to read it. Or if the translation option is not the best. So instead of using previous posts, I thought it would be fun to just write brand new material. So here it is.
Since I spend so much time watching movies and series in English, and speaking in it with BFF and bae, I thought it would be something interesting to try. And they seemed OK with not having to practice Spanish for a bit. So as I am thinking about how to do this and what kind of material I could use, I couldn’t help but wonder, do we change when we swap languages? Are we the same no matter how we speak? Does our way of thinking and seeing things get modified by our language? But most of all, will I succeed at writing in English?
Apparently, speaking is different. I mean, we do not use the same part of the vocal cords when we change the language, which would explain why some people have different tones depending in which they speak. Some friends at school used to tell me I had a lower tone when talking to my parents, in Spanish, than the one I used in class, which was in French. As for when you get sore throat. I can speak two more languages aside from my mother tongue so I have seen that happen to me. Mostly when I was working as a pilates teacher. Sometimes I would lose my voice in French but I could talk in Spanish. Which was very weird. But normal. At least that’s what some clients told me. And they knew about it.
I was writing the other day about how we get violent when we drive, and I was thinking about it as I normally swear in French, for it is easier for me and sounds more intense. But when I lived in France I would do it in Spanish, for the same reason. And still the bad words mean basically the same. Odd stuff. And then again the other day I got surprised as I told a driver to F off while in the car, probably because I was in English mode. And that sounded very strong.
When I was a teenager, actually I was 14, we went to the States with school, for a student exchange. I remember it was thrilling to be immersed in an English speaking country, with no way of talking in either Spanish or French when we were in the foster families. And we would talk about how odd it was when we would see each other. As a matter of fact, we found so fun we started dreaming in English. Which meant we were already thinking in that language. Not only using it by translating from it to ours. And now I wonder in which one I do dream now. I don’t know.
One thing I enjoy about my friend Johnnie is he also speaks many languages. So it is fun being with him cause we can swap languages and we do understand each other. Mainly because sometimes you know the words but can’t translate them instantly and still want to be able to talk. And others the actual translation doesn’t seem to be as meaningful as you want it. But also this allows to gossip when surrounded by people without them noticing it. And sometimes it is just fun, as that time in a restaurant the waiter couldn’t figure out where we were from. Which made it kinda hard for him to hit on us.
Something that makes me laugh is the topic about dubbing movies. Obviously not everyone can watch a film in its original language. And subtitles are dull. And many times they are not correct. In my case it just bothers me a lot. Because I would be trying to check if they are accurate or not. Well, here in Spain we have a big dubbing industry and it gives many times great work. Sometimes it compensates a bad acting, or a not so great one. I have seen that also in French dubbed ones. Watched them as a kid and now done it in is original one and then felt disappointed because the actor or actress didn’t get the correct vibe. Or had a weird real voice. Like in Gone With The Wind, Clark Gable was dubbed with a very masculine voice, and his was a bit more high pitched. So a bit weird.
For some cartoons it feels the same. The dubbing or the translation make them awesome in Spanish, and when you watch them in its original language, they are not as amazing. Mostly with the Simpsons or Futurama. And I have seen it also with funny jokes on Family Guy. They did a very good job with it. Most of the jokes in Friends were properly translated and work wonderfully in French or Spanish. The translation work was very well done. Which is really complicated and not always works out.
On the other hand, some shows really fail once being dubbed. I have in mind The Big Bang Theory, Raj never had an Indian accent in Spanish. Same in Friends with Emily, no British accent. And I came to realise that even the Golden Girls had different ones depending on where they were from. Which allowed the viewers to know who was who. I watched them show as a kid and in Spanish so for me this was something I never thought about. For me they had all the same way of talking. And I was fun to hear them in they original language. As for Charmed. I started watching it in Spanish and once I did in its original one I couldn’t go back. Basically because the spells were awfully translated. They didn’t rime. Which made they lost most of the fun. And it didn’t ask so much more effort for the translators. A shame. In French they made it work, but the names were awful because they were said in English with a French accent. So it sounded very weird.
Something I remember from my past relationship with The Trash (La Basura in Spanish), was he used to correct me all the time. Which was kinda funny because I don’t have accent when speaking in French. But he considered I was not good enough. Until one day I told him, he could correct me the day he would talk in Spanish as fluently as I do in his language. That shut him up for a while.
With Trevor it is the complete opposite. Actually, sometimes I do revert to Spanish when I just can’t keep up with the language. You know, when tired or not fast enough to translate. Because I can’t still think and talk directly in his mother tongue. Not all the time anyway. Sometimes it requires an extra effort that I may not be able to make. But it’s OK. He doesn’t judge and honesty it may also be good for him to talk in Spanish from time to time.
And something most people don’t realise is how many different accents British people have. Like so different it can seem they don’t even speak English. Some are fun to listen to, others are just a headache. When I went to Newcastle I really felt I was lame, because I couldn’t understand what people were saying. Apparently even the brits can’t. But it felt very odd. On the opposite Johnnie has a different accent when speaking with his folks, so it gets weird to listen to him. But I suspect they have the same issues when listening to us talking in Spanish, as we do have lots of different ways of taking depending on where we come from. And we can identify the origin of talkers that way.
And after all this, some people will probably miss my stories about relationships, breakups and more fun topics. But I just felt I needed to do it like this. Something I felt like writing at the moment. Keep tuned.
January 2022
El camino de Santi 