On 07/14/2012 03:24 AM, Marja van Waes wrote:
The only difference was in the interpretation:
Precisely. What often passes as a cultural difference is usually only a matter of interpretation; especially where differences in the connotations of words of different languages are not apparent. To take a mild example, 'welcome' (to express appreciation for thanks) would be 'du jour', 'bitte' etc, not 'bienvenu', 'willkommen' etc.
So for a singular-language person, an interpretation from another linguistically different culture may appear to be a cultural 'defect' rather than just a misinterpretation of intentions, particularly where metaphors or double entendre are used. And there is this matter of slang....
Anyway, it's quite an interesting subject to consider and discuss, and if 'cooler heads can prevail'.
my 2 cents, Cheers - Goh Lip -- Das Wahre ist das Ganze.
