Contributed by Carmen Summerfield
On a recent trip to my mom’s house in Holland, I happened to overhear a conversation between my mom and her visiting English cousin, Cedrick.
Since my mom speaks English, they were talking in the English language. English is English is English, right? WRONG!
Because what my English cousin said (in the Queen’s English), implied very different meanings to my mother, who learned a very literal Dutch English many, many years ago.
They were engaged in a lively discussion about the merits of my mom’s plan to purchase a bicycle.
Mom planned to purchase a unique 3-wheel bike, so she wouldn’t have to worry about tipping over. When my English cousin, Cedrick, said, “That is an original point of view,” he really meant, “You MUST be CRAZY.” But Mom heard, “He LIKES my idea!”
They discusssed the merits of a bike over that of a car in Holland. Cedrick patiently listened and remarked, “I hear what you say…”. when he really meant was, “I disagree, and I do not want to discuss it any further.” What my Dutch mother understood was, “Oh! He accepts my point of view!”
Refering to her design idea of a large cargo rack to hold her groceries, Cedrick remarked of the idea, “Quite good,” but I knew he really meant “a bit disappointing”. Mom, of course, heard, “Great idea!”
Finally, Mom suggested to Cedrick that he might like a similar bike at his home in England. He remarked, “I’ll look into it,” but he meant “I’ll do NOTHING about it.” Mom immediately thought he was very interested.
As they finished their discussion, Cedrick mentioned, “You must come for dinner sometime,” meaning, “I’m not inviting you, but just being polite.” Mom is anxiously awaiting an invitation.
After Cedrick left, Mom happily bought her bike and pedals around northern Holland almost every day, not knowing what was “Lost in Translation”.
