A figure on the dashboard caught my eye. "Current consumption: 7.6L per 100km." Though in English, the rental car's display seemed foreign. A math lover, though, I put to turning that into something I could comprehend. Thankfully, the numbers were easily achieved:
- 3.8 liters in 1 gallon
- 100 kilometers is 62 miles
Okay, so the car was telling me it was getting 2 gallons per 62 miles, or (as we would say in America) 31mpg. Easy enough, but it illustrated life in a foreign land: the reality of constant translation.
Life overseas can be hard, in part because I have to think a lot more- and most of the time, that's due to the need for translation. As a German (or, in the above example, one of their vehicles) is communicating with me, I absorb the phrase and internally try to turn it into something I can understand in English before replying. Even if I understand the individual words, the sentences require more thought to process- so much of our communication isn't literal but figurative, so there's an added step:
- translate the words
- think on the actual meaning
It makes for awkward and stilted interactions, often ending with the German switching to English so we can move things along.
My initial time in Germany was defined by broad exploration of the continent. In England, it was intense reading. Now, in my second Germany stint, I'm increasingly thinking about language and the desire for fluency in Deutsch. Wouldn't it be amazing! But to get there, one thing I have to do is embrace German for what it is and stop the constant translating in my mind. Because truly 'getting' a language, I suspect, requires understanding it on its own terms, and not compared to another tongue. I think there's a lesson here, broadly witnessed in all areas of life. Jump right in and immerse yourself in something different; you'll never truly understand otherwise.
- 3.8 liters in 1 gallon
- 100 kilometers is 62 miles
Okay, so the car was telling me it was getting 2 gallons per 62 miles, or (as we would say in America) 31mpg. Easy enough, but it illustrated life in a foreign land: the reality of constant translation.
Life overseas can be hard, in part because I have to think a lot more- and most of the time, that's due to the need for translation. As a German (or, in the above example, one of their vehicles) is communicating with me, I absorb the phrase and internally try to turn it into something I can understand in English before replying. Even if I understand the individual words, the sentences require more thought to process- so much of our communication isn't literal but figurative, so there's an added step:
- translate the words
- think on the actual meaning
It makes for awkward and stilted interactions, often ending with the German switching to English so we can move things along.
My initial time in Germany was defined by broad exploration of the continent. In England, it was intense reading. Now, in my second Germany stint, I'm increasingly thinking about language and the desire for fluency in Deutsch. Wouldn't it be amazing! But to get there, one thing I have to do is embrace German for what it is and stop the constant translating in my mind. Because truly 'getting' a language, I suspect, requires understanding it on its own terms, and not compared to another tongue. I think there's a lesson here, broadly witnessed in all areas of life. Jump right in and immerse yourself in something different; you'll never truly understand otherwise.
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