• ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    1 day ago

    Remember not a lot of the world speaks English. When I talked to some of my Japanese friends and language exchange partners prior to this election they weren’t sure about trump but typically described him as someone who was a powerful leader

    Also keep in mind that they generally are super polite and in that “if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all” space. Except for a small handful I’m very close with even now they won’t say much bad, will just ask “how are things in America”, “what’s the perception of him in America”, etc and will artfully dodge the question of “what’s the perception of him in Japan. Except for my one friend who’s more outspoken and we are a bit closer, who is like “end the trade alliance and force all the military bases to close!”

    But to my original point much of his crass and idiotic behavior doesn’t necessarily translate well and usually doesn’t make the news on NHK. It’s kind of similar to how American news headlines do him so many favors. If you only know trump through Washington post, NYT, etc headlines he sounds so much more competent than he is. But if watch him speak you realize he is just so goddamn stupid

    • thedruid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 day ago

      There are 1.5 billion English speakers. It is the most spoken language in the world

      So yes, lots of people speak English

      • ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Okay? How is that relevant. I was making a point that there are many people who don’t speak English.

        While what you say is objectively true what I say is also true. Further, the number of people who do not speak English (roughly 6.5 billion) dwarf the number who do. America and the English language do not define the entire world.

        Further, the local English speaker is not always proficient enough to articulate the meaning of what is being said into the local tongue. Even for someone who is a fantastic translator interpreting someone like trump, who constantly utilizes colloquial speech and idioms, is a goddamn nightmare.

        • quetzaldilla@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          22 hours ago

          The user you initially replied to was being facetious.

          They were imitating the way that Trump talks about himself.

        • thedruid@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          22 hours ago

          You inferred that his words, because they were in English, do not reach everyone. They do.

          Those 1.6 billion includes many who disseminate his words in their own native tongue

          It’s common knowledge that for propaganda of any sort one needs those who speak local dialects directly employed. And there are people who target every word of his into the local dialects of whoever they want to hear the message. That’s basic marketing.

          The curse of the interconnected world is that everyone can be magnified everywhere instantly. Even megalomaniacal egomaniacs.

          So while , sure you’re technically correct, it’s also incorrect to assume that because most of the world doesn’t speak English as a primary language , that his words aren’t delivered to their ears. Whatever he wants heard by everyone, is heard by everyone.

          • quetzaldilla@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            22 hours ago

            If my job was translating what Trump says into another language, I would just quit my job because it would give me a stroke trying to make sense of his verbal diarrhea.

            Because interpreting is not just translating the words-- the words themselves often don’t exist in other languages.

            For example, the word “nice” does not exist in Spanish, so you have to translate what the speaker is trying to convey by contextualizing the word and matching it with words in Spanish that mean convey that same meaning.

            Trump just speaks his train of thought, and that mofo is completely detached from reality.

            • thedruid@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              21 hours ago

              If my job was translating what Trump says into another language, I would just quit my job because it would give me a stroke trying to make sense of his verbal diarrhea.

              i think that’s happening to use without having that job.

              What we can are on, is he’s a clown. A dangerous clown.

          • Serinus@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            22 hours ago

            His point was that the translations are filtered and refined by media, particularly in foreign languages.

            • thedruid@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              21 hours ago

              absolutely they are. And, as any SEO knows, its important to know how they will be filtered in order to still get a message through. this isnt just about translating

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      22 hours ago

      I’m wondering if mass distribution of direct translations of his speeches would help or just be interpreted as weird American syntax