Language ( Archived) (39)

Yes, this is the common attitude to the knowledge of other languages the English demonstrate. Those, whom I met, anyway, often at a some sun resort overseas. The other common feature they expose is being boring.

They say, knowing another language is like owing another soul. A language doesn't exist on its own. It was developing (and still is developing) with its carriers' history, which is expressed in the arts. In the context it is mainly, but not limited to, literature. I read Russian books in Russian, Swedish in Swedish and Anglophone in English.

Sure, there's translation. Here's an example:

I read Homer in all my 3 languages and it was an experience: it's not like 3 different books, but they are not the same either, as they are translations by different, very talented people. If you had read Homer in some other language, but English, and not necessarily Russian or Swedish, just other, we could have compare our experiences. You don't have it. You can't compare different translations. You don't have experience of another soul.

But you expect your counterpart to know and understand not only the English language, but all the history and culture it's build on. You expect too much. You are boring.

Strange, that it's the only use you see for a foreign language and you immediately ascribed it too me.

It's in ýour head, not mine. I's speaking about different translations of Homer. Such a waste of time with an uni-lingual English.