The Long Road

09/21/2003 Archived Entry: "Rayne, and you?"

I think it's very weird in movies/teevee when two people who don't speak each other's language meet each other. It almost always turns out to be the english speaking protagonist who begins to start talking slowly to try to establish some kind of understanding while the one speaking the "foreign tongue" continues blabbing incoherently as if he/she had no idea that the protagonist didn't understand.

The protagonist always ends up teaching the foreigner English instead of the foreigner trying to teach the protagonist his language. You always see the English speaking character say his name, point to himself and then point to the foreigner expectantly. Never is the other guy smart enough to first realize that different languages are being spoken to start saying his name, pointing to himself and then pointing to the english speaking character. It's as if the characters KNOW that they are in an english speaking movie and can't learn the Other Language for the audience's sake. Cheap, cheap, cheap!

Go watch ST:TNG's "Darmok" for the best representation of a natural linguistic give-and-take ever written.

Replies: 5 comments

Yeah, but if they learned the foreign language, the movie would all be subtitled!!!

All I can say is they avoided that problem in FARSCAPE!!!

Posted by Lauralee @ 09/21/2003 08:11 PM EST

It's an English movie/Tv show - what do you expect?

Posted by Romer @ 09/21/2003 09:05 PM EST

yea, I realize that the Other character has to learn English it's that first part I talk about that really bugs me, the fact that the non-english speaker doesn't seem to realize that he's not being understood.

Posted by Rayne @ 09/22/2003 12:31 AM EST

Darmok was a good episode...I hate how Dathon passes away though...

Posted by dAN @ 09/22/2003 02:10 PM EST

You actually remember his name?!?

Posted by Rayne @ 09/24/2003 01:13 AM EST