(no subject)

[la_rainette]

Ah, the pop culture meme. *laughs* Well, I can't do it. My references are not yours, see. I hardly ever read my friends page without going "huh?" at some comment discussion or other that I simply do not get. Because no matter how well I speak/write the language, I will never completely own your pop-culture, and vice-versa. While I understand every word, the references will remain mostly obscure to me.

This is how I know that I will never completely belong -- but that's OK, because I belong elsewhere. :)

Funny, that. I remember reading Michel Houellebeq's mind-blowing book, Les Particules Elémentaires, both in French and English at the same time*, and despite the impeccable translation, I realised that quite a lot of information was lost to the English-speaking reader. The translator did a great job with the dry tone and the general flow of the book, but he explained none of the references -- possibly he just didn't get them? Because when you describe someone to me as "reading Le Nouvel Obs and dreaming of going to Groenland on vacation", hell, I know what the guy looks like, I know where he buys his clothes and even his underwear, I know who he would have voted for in the last Presidential elections. This simple description speaks VOLUME to any Frenchman; but it's completely lost in translation.

I read lots of books in English -- English books, American books, Canadian books -- and very often, I wonder how many references like that I miss. I once discussed a book I'd liked with a Canadian friend of mine, and she was like, "All that NAME-DROPPING, how OBNOXIOUS!" and I hadn't even noticed the name-dropping, because those names meant nothing to me.

And this is why I will never completely understand you guys. Your pop-culture is not something I could learn from books. I just didn't grow up here, and it will always show.

The English book was a lot smaller than the French book, and I wanted to check if they had cut anything out. Shut up, I know I am weird


Also, snippet of conversation at the breakfast table:

rainette *idling leafing through Braindead Magazine*: Jesus, look at that picture. How many dogs does Paris Hilton even own?
Husband *dryly*: one per handbag, with a matching outfit.

And this? Is why I love my Husband, even in the early morning, when I am not inclined to love anyone. :D

Comments

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

when you describe someone to me as "reading Le Nouvel Obs and dreaming of going to Groenland on vacation"

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy includes the following:

"You know we built planets do you?" he asked solemnly.

"Well yes," said Arthur, "I'd sort of gathered ..."

"Fascinating trade," said the old man, and a wistful look came into his eyes, "doing the coastlines was always my favourite. Used to have endless fun doing the little bits in fjords ... so anyway," he said trying to find his thread again, "the recession came and we decided it would save us a lot of bother if we just slept through it. So we programmed the computers to revive us when it was all over."

The man stifled a very slight yawn and continued.

"The computers were index linked to the Galactic stock market prices you see, so that we'd all be revived when everybody else had rebuilt the economy enough to afford our rather expensive services."

Arthur, a regular Guardian reader, was deeply shocked at this.

"A regular Guardian reader" indeed. Volumes. :-D

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

Exactly :D

Though hey, if you asked me if I have my towel with me, I would totally get that reference. ;)

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

I have no pop culture earlier than a few years ago, so we can be in good, ignorant company together! (I really confused my wife by calling a Schtroumpf a Schtroumpf. You know, the blue... things?)

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

*laughs* OF COURSE I DO!

Whenever the girls have a blue slushie (or popsicle, or lollipop -- any treat containing bright blue food coloring, basically), we ask them to stick out their tongues and make fun of their langue de stroumpf :D

I believe "Smurf" is the standard translation, yes?

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

Yes! She was watching something on YouTube and I heard the "La, la, la la la la" theme music that was used for the cartoon here in America in the 80's, and I bounded joyfully over to the video and said "Oh! Stroumpfs!"

And she said firmly but kindly, "Smurfs. You mean Smurfs."

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

*dies* Man, I love your wife, but we gotta do something to educate her :D

NO. SCHTROUMPFS. They're -- Belgian, actually, not even French. ;) And they talk schtroumpf, too -- do your smurf talk in smurf?

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

They do! They smurf loaves of bread around the village, or they behave smurfily, or they find things smurfy or smurftastic.

I had a small regiment of the miniature plastic ones.

[bloodrebel333.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. Even now, after being in fandom for so long and trying so hard to keep up with the tv series and books and films, there are still a lot of references people make that I really, really have no clue on. Old science fiction books/tv shows, usually, or "classic" tv shows that weren't half as popular here than in English-speaking countries.