the longer i am in pune the more i come to realize that there is more to the movie "lost in translation" than just fiction. despite english being one of the two national languages in india, you absolutely have to speak the local language - hindi for the state of maharashtra - to really become self-efficient here. otherwise, you will always be limited in your ways to explore a foreign country.
the average auto-rickshaw driver or the attendant in my apartment do not even possess the english skills of a sixth grader in germany. this situation is understandable because if they did, they could easily find better jobs. this country offers so many opportunities but you will not even get a glimpse of them without appropriate education.
having said the above, i also do have to concede that the sometimes poor communication with locals also stems from my inability to "roll the r" in the way required to pronounce street names correctly.
ti-bob
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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Considering the fact that I will soon witness the craziness of Bollywood in a movietheatre, I looked for interviews of the leading actor. Simply because I want to be able to pronounce "Rab Ne Bana di Jodi" correctly. Which isn't too hard, "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" is a lot harder (but possible, even fro Europeans).
ReplyDeleteAnd the one who is able to pronounce the name of that song correctly will be served free ice cream ;)
Lost in translation is quite an adventure. When I saw that movie I already felt as trapped as the lead in the movie. It felt so real that I doubt I would be able to take such a cultural shock. So thumbs up and go for you you're standing strong like this and having a blast :)