Cost of Free TV

It isn't a big part of life but watching television in different countries can be an experience.  Currently I am on a business trip back to the USA and the differences are glaringly obvious.  Normally I watch little TV but with the Winter Olympics on I am watching more than usual.

European television has commercials, two or three longer blocks per hour.  Watching American TV it feels like the commercials take up more air time than the actual programming.  Adding to the quantity of the commercials is the quality, or should I say lack of quality of "good" commercials.  Lastly, the oddity of the products and services being advertised makes for a less than pleasant experience of watching American network television.

Speaking of the Olympics, I did stumble upon one of the French television broadcasters web site and was pleasantly surprised.  Visitors to the site could select any of the live events or replay any of the completed events in their entirety without commercial interruption or announcers/commentators, all without subscription or fees.

I appreciate the fact that commercials help reduce the cost of watching American TV, but it is getting to the point where the "cost" paid by the viewer is becoming greater than the benefits.

I am an Expert

It has been said that many top professional athletes do not make good coaches after they retire; what they have done so effectively and efficiently for so long comes so natural to them that they find it difficult to explain/teach/coach.  We all have activities and processes that we execute like a pro, but we can't give the proverbial 4-1-1 (1) on what to do.

I have taken on a volunteer position with one of the local associations helping adults with their English skills.  The association members are "between jobs" and looking to improve their position in the job market.   Our meetings consist of reading and discussing English newspaper articles and/or having a casual conversation.  Most of my "work" is helping to provide pronunciation, vocabulary, definitions, grammar rules, etc.  My colleague is from England so we often have differing thoughts considering the differences with respect to British, American and Canadian English.  Inevitably every week we get stumped even if it is for a short while.  We (I keep using "we" because I am considering my colleague as well) have used words, definitions, grammar etc. all our lives yet there are things we have trouble explaining.  It is humbling to be the "experts" and have trouble expanding on something you do almost as naturally as breathing.  A few examples of some words that acted as speed bumps were "outpace," "nudged" and "ruthless", words we all know and use but require some thought when defining (and there are no direct translated words in French).

Teaching English has caused me to think about and become more cognizant of the vocabulary, definitions and rules of English.  Now do I not only use the language but I have refreshed my mind to some of the how, when, what, where and why's.

1. In North America you use to dial 4-1-1 on your phone for information.  To give the 4-1-1 on something is to provide information on the topic in question.

What a Deal!

BOGO--buy one and get one free, what a deal!  Sometimes you get more than you paid for and it is a good thing.

When I was in school I had little use for the grammar portion of English class, after all I was not intending on dissecting the sentences of the books I read nor was I planning on becoming an author. Then we started synthesizing complex sentences in German class. Suddenly my eyes were opened, learning German grammar helped me see the similarities and differences with English grammar. Two for the price of one, as I learned grammar in one language I was learning grammar in another.

The majority of Norwegians speak excellent English so there wasn’t a great deal of pressure to learn the language while we lived there although I did learn enough to get the gist of what I was reading or hearing. Since moving to France I have been working on learning French to one degree or another. My skill level is not where it possibly could be, but considering how much I am exposed to it and forced to use it it is not too bad. Low German is my mother tongue and I have studied some German.


After tackling a few languages let me share a few observations.

• Communicating in another language is challenging: you have a thought in your mind, translate the words into a new language, use grammar to synthesize sentences, speak the content using proper pronunciation or write using proper spelling, and hope that your message was received as you intended.
• It is easy to complain about the nuances of pronunciation of another language, but English is no better.
• It is easy to complain about the “exceptions to the rule” of the grammar or spelling of another language, again English is no better.
• I love the logic and problem solving of math. After you pick up the logic/rationale of a language it becomes a math problem—using rules to solve a problem i.e. write or speak in a different language. Who would have thought language acquisition could be paralleled with math?
• Direct word-for-word translation aren’t always accurate and can be offensive, cause confusion and/or provide humor. e.g. German: Klobrille, direct translation “toilet glasses”, intended meaning “toilet seat”(1), Norwegian: jordbær, direct translation “ground” or “earth berries”, intended meaning “strawberries”; English movie: “Despicable Me”, in French “Moi Moche et Mechant” translated into “me ugly and mean”
• What is clear and concise in one language may be completely befuddling in another. e.g. French “Mais qu’est-ce que c’est que ça?” Direct translation: “But what is this that this is that that?” Intended meaning: “What is this?” in the context of exasperation like a parent’s reaction to a bad test grade when the child is very capable of scoring high.
• Some languages have grammatical structure, verb conjugations, etc. not found in other languages.
• There are some words, ideas, concepts, etc. in one language that do not have proper translations in another. e.g. French: tartine—a single slice of bread, no single word in English
• Every language has words that sounds the same but have different meanings. e.g. English: two, to, too; read, red; there, they’re; French: mais (but), mai (May)
• It is interesting to see the influence one language has on another. i.e. roughly 80% of English comes from French.
• In some languages words can neutral or have a gender. e.g. French: bicycle can be “un velo” (masuline) or “une bicyclette” (feminine)
• The common vernacular of any language is full of idioms, expressions, slang and bad grammar and/or pronunciation.
• Don’t be afraid to try speaking a new language, even if you mess up most locals will quickly pick up that you are not a native speaker and appreciate the effort and risk you are taking.
• In English you may "love" inanimate objects and it be considered normal, other language you may "like" or "like very much." e.g. I love pizza. Speakers of other languages may be confused by your romantic intentions with food.
• I love the saying, “Never make fun of anyone with a foreign accent, it means they speak another language.”
• You may start replacing your mother tongue vocabulary with words from your new language. i.e. for me a daycare will be a barnehage and a pharmacy is an apotek.

When you learn something new you may learn more about the familiar. Learn a a language. Love a language. Live a language.


1. https://www.thelocal.de/20161123/ten-hilarious-literal-translations-of-german-words-language