Anyone out there? Last I checked around 80 people decided to read a post. I don't anticipate a better following this new school year but what the heck... Anyhow, September 26th is the European Day of Languages, which (unlike the Eurovision Song Contest) is one of those celebrations we Europeans should be proud of. The way I see it language diversity is a key element in a person's intellectual development. It undoubtedly offers many practical benefits (better qualifications which may lead to a better job, the ability to speak to at international airports, the chance to enjoy films or books in the original version, etc.). Sadly, I'm afraid that one needs to speak several languages in order to truly appreciate what the greatest reward of them all can be: depth, complexity and, above all, open-mindedness.
In my view speaking a second language makes you necessarily more tolerant because it forces you to see things in a different light or, at least, from a slightly different standpoint. Famously the late Umberto Eco wrote a book titled Dire Quasi La Stessa Cosa. It dealt with his experiences over the years as a translator. That title hit the nail on the head, didn't it? To say almost the same thing. Indeed a translator tells you, "more or less", "kind of", "approximately" what someone else has said. And it's precisely in the differences that one finds how wonderful other people's worldview can be. Paraphrasing the old saying, we may state that the magic is in the details.
I was recently asked to submit a 90-second-video about my own experience regarding foreign languages to a website where other speakers had posted their thoughts on the matter. The teacher behind the project seeks to show their students the many reasons why learning a language is always worthwhile. Here is what I had to say:
Petricor is used as well in Spanish
ReplyDeleteThe term was coined in Australia in the mid 1960s. Of course it is has been borrowed by many languages ever since and, while it still remains a specialized word across the board, it is quite telling to check that petrichor is an entry in the (non-technical) dictionaries published by Oxford and Cambridge University but it is nowhere to be found in the Diccionario de la Real Academia. Thanks for watching the clip.
DeleteWhile I was watching your video you have reminded me my childhood at my grandmother's home. She always said "Petricor" was the best smell in life. Thanks
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