tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post1600701625432253746..comments2024-01-24T11:41:28.022+00:00Comments on A Cuban In London: Living in a Bilingual World (Grave)A Cuban In Londonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-91385180226046350752008-10-13T12:45:00.000+01:002008-10-13T12:45:00.000+01:00good for you.good for you.Lisetghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00365755940195358505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-43989946255031796712008-10-13T09:53:00.000+01:002008-10-13T09:53:00.000+01:00Thanks, liset, years later, here in the UK, someon...Thanks, liset, years later, here in the UK, someone from the Cuba Solidarity Campaign asked me to come to an event because Aleida was going to be part of it and I said no. Once bitten, twice shy.<BR/>Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-31553392139922231402008-10-12T19:23:00.000+01:002008-10-12T19:23:00.000+01:00sorry: "he knows".saludinessorry: "he knows".<BR/><BR/>saludinesLisetghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00365755940195358505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-43590860298145733242008-10-12T19:22:00.000+01:002008-10-12T19:22:00.000+01:00I have always disliked her but this goes beyond be...I have always disliked her but this goes beyond being an opportunist. <BR/><BR/>This woman is so disgusting that I have no words for her. <BR/><BR/>I think that in this case, Fidel is much more intelligent. He know how to please the listeners and that's why he has been able to manipulate people for so long. My mother translated for him and he was extremely (I repeat extremely) elegant, polite and, when nobody noticed her, he talked to her and made her feel good. And she was just "the translator", you know what I mean.<BR/><BR/>When someone is like Aleida, it's better for us because the evil or stupidity shows, but when someone is like him, it's more complicated to discern a personality.<BR/><BR/>I don't like neither of them, of course, but I have to accept he is pretty clever.Lisetghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00365755940195358505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-58384744295068407102008-03-27T10:29:00.000+00:002008-03-27T10:29:00.000+00:00You're right, Al, her comment on my earring (which...You're right, Al, her comment on my earring (which had, amazingly!, not affected my capacity to translate most of what was being said) would have been brushed aside had it not been for the fact that she DID NOT say the magic word: Thanks. A couple of days later there was a similar situation when we all had to go to La CabaƱa fortress for an evening event and all interpreters from ESTI had decamped. I was the only one there capable of doing simultaneous translation (for which I was not trained in uni, mind) and so had to stay behind, even though my pregnant wife was at home. She had recently arrived from the UK and was staying in my house.<BR/><BR/>The conference got under way and there were loads of questions from the floor. I remember at one point that there was a group of young Austrian students who said that they could not understand English very well and would I mind summing up the comments made by the panel in German, too? Of course I said yes, but the same request was made by a couple of delegates from a French-speaking country (I can't remember whether they were from Martinique, Haiti or Dominique) and again I had to comply. What came then was funny, just not hahaha, but weird. I had to my left, an army general (who, by the way, was the only who really helped me having found himself in a situation similar to yours, Al), Aleida (again!) and an economist. My knowlegde of German and French did not extend to economic lingo and therefore there were whole chunks of the conference I was unable to translate. In the end I managed to scrape through and people were pleased with my labour.<BR/><BR/>When the conference wrapped up, the army general (late army general, really, as he died a few years ago) came up to me and thanked me for my services. The economist did the same because he realised that I had risen up to the challenge even though I lacked the nous required for this situation. Aleida walked off again without saying the magic word: Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Saludos desde Londres.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-46829749331937807282008-03-27T00:49:00.000+00:002008-03-27T00:49:00.000+00:00Nice story Cuban.I remember some similar experienc...Nice story Cuban.<BR/>I remember some similar experience 30 years ago with one Cuban minister and a couple of quite high Russian diplomats. There was a Russian guy translating from Spanish to Russian and me trying to translate from Russian to Spanish. I was really bad, but it was not only my fault. Someone said I could translate because I spoke Russian pretty well, and I believed it.<BR/>We, however, were able to grab something to eat while the other worked, but I can imagine your pain.<BR/>Interestingly, translators usually got a different view of leaders than most people see on TV. <BR/>Regards<BR/><A HREF="http://algodar.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Al Godar</A>Al Godarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731111359314189401noreply@blogger.com