[Sca-cooks] Accidental french

[Huette von Ahrens]

Funny thing, I too had a friend who worked as a
translator for the UN.  She and I went to college
together.  I haven't heard from her in decades.
Her mother was German and her father was Mexican.
She grew up speaking fluent German, Spanish and
English.  In college, she took simultaneously
language classes in Italian, French, Russian,
Arabic and Japanese.  She was able to keep
straight which language was which and got top
grades in all her classes.  After graduation, she
moved to New York and was immediately hired by
the UN.  I stopped hearing from her when her life
got so busy with diplomatic business.

Huette

--- Ana Valdés <agora at algonet.se> wrote:
> Thanks for your kind words, Huette! I had once
> a dear friend, she died
> too soon, only 38 years old, she was a native
> English but spoke French
> and Spanish as well and lived in Paris. She
> worked as a professional
> translator for United Nations and met in her
> work many different people
> speaking English in the most different ways.
> "It's funny, she used to
> say to me, what you, non-English speakers,
> believe its English is only a
> poor version of our language, including 300
> words and mediated by MTV
> and Disney. The difference between what people
> think its English and the
> language of Milton and Shakespeare is
> enormous".
> I agree with her, I think often the English we
> use as "lingua franca" is
> a poor English, only related to instrumental
> and functional issues. I
> wish I should be able to write so good English
> I could transmit all
> shades and nuances I wish...
> Ana


=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they
shall never cease to be amused.

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