Quick Spanish Question for you, Hill

[madgirl09]

I'm sorry for this Grammar question...not in English but Spanish. Hill, could you kindly help me translate these sentences? A Spanish writer wrote about our town as one of those badly affected by the recent typhoons, and we are translating his original Spanish article published in their local journal to our vernacular community blog.

What does this mean in English?
"Ante este panorama, la preocupacion es evindente entre los vecinos afectados. Senor Reyes destaca la falta de recursos para contruir las infraestructural danadas.

Muchisimas gracias, Hill.

[hill roberts]

Hi Madgirl,
For somebody whose pseudonym is Mad, you certainly sound very sane to me! (ja ja ja - as in ha ha ha!)

Anyway, Below is the general translation:

Mr Reyes has emphasized the lack of resources to rebuild damaged infrastructure which is now the main worry among the inhabitants badly affected by the recent floods.

recursos - resources
destacar - emphasize
danada/o - (as in "danyada/o) - damaged
(re)construir -(re)build
preocupacion - worry

Cheers, Sanegirl09!

[madgirl09]

That was so quick, Sanegirl, (harharhar  ). Thank you so much, Hill for your great help. My cousins and I have been comparing translations, and nobody had the nearest to your translations. I said, they should be better as they live in LA where there are lots of Spanish speakers. Thanks for this...I think, my Spanish is still at the greeting level. Time to refresh my "espasol...ooops Espanol 1". I'd better correct her now before she posts her "funny" translations. We thought, preocupacion is just preoccupation...not worry.

"Mad" doesn't always mean crazy, right? Sir Joe? When can mad be positive? What if I say, madly in love?

[renzphotography]

"Mad" doesn't always mean crazy, right? Sir Joe? When can mad be positive? What if I say, madly in love?

Tell that to the cows. 

[hill roberts]

You're welcome, Madgirl09! Glad to be of help. But California isn't really a Spanish-speaking state, is it? Sure, there are many immigrants from Mexico and other South American countries but if proper Castillan/Spanish language is not promoted and considered a major language, then your cousins would be having difficulty learning it with ease. In my case, I had to sit down at home and re-learn it since I only had the theory (two years at college as a required subject) in those days.) There's so much to learn. Learning a language is an everyday thing since it is pure/good memory that is mainly required. You can tell your cousins to open the dictionary everyday and learn a new Spanish word: there are 30 days in a month, now, if they could just remember six new words, multiply those, and the new words add up as they go along.

Renz, hello, been a while. Yes, it's nice to know that the Instituto de Cervantes is actively promoting the Spanish language again. Unfortunately, I don't get to speak Spanish everyday since my husband doesn't speak it.

[renzphotography]

Hi Hill,

Well, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you based in Spain? How long have you been there? I wonder how you could get around the place without the Spanish language--unless most Spaniards speak English!

Many young Filipinos spend time and money to learn Spanish because in the call center industry Spanish-speaking agents get paid twice as much as ordinary agents simply because they could handle both English and Spanish calls.

This would have been a boon for Chavacano-speaking Filipinos until they realize just how different their brand of Spanish is. I dare say that the call center industry has given birth to a Spanish-language renaissance in the country.

[hill roberts]

Hi Renz,

Ha ha ha! Yes, I do live in Spain and I do speak it, but not with my husband who doesn't speak it at all. Sorry for the confusion! No, Spaniards , at least, the majority of them, do not speak English although it is now seriously promoted unlike in the past where French and German were more considered important. However, with a large British community dominating the Spanish way of life, the government, in the last twenty years has made it their business to make English part of the curriculum. In fact, many Spanish friends of mine would send their kids to live in British  homes in the UK to get to speak it, live it, and live the British way of life for three months of the year. In the Philippines, when Filipinos speak Spanish---or at least try to speak it---they are considered "posh". here, when the Spaniards speak English, they are considered "posh". It sounds laughable but that's the way it is with "social class" in mind. However, since the Philippines and its people speak English and English is considered a common language, the Spanish language, spoken by the elite there, gets to be the "poshier people", hahahahaah. Remember Gloria Diaz? In the 70's, when she was interviewed, she said that she spoke English with her friends, Spanish with her relations and Tagalog to her maids. Anyway, I watched an interview twenty years ago conducted by a Spanish TV presenter. I was shocked and embarrassed listening to her Spanish because she could hardly speak it. She could hardly string a grammatically-correct sentence! Yet, she boasted to everyone (at the height of her career) that she spoke Spanish like a native. Believe me, the Spanish TV host was so exasperated. No, Renz, she doesn't speak Spanish.

[renzphotography]

I wonder what Spaniards find worth emulating among the British that they would look up to people who could speak English. Tell me, how do average Spaniards see themselves when compared to other Europeans? Do they feel superior like how the Germans or French see themselves?

[renzphotography]

Gloria Diaz in the 70's? Anyway, how is Isabel Preysler? Is she still the revered socialite she has been  known for in the past?

[hill roberts]

Hi, Renz,
In the past, the Spaniards felt inferior to their northern counterparts. Don't forget Spain was rather poor until it joined the EU in 1986. Prior to that, there was an exodus of Spanish people looking for jobs---mainly menial jobs in Germany, France the UK and other Scandinavian countries. You see, they felt that way before---especially the Andalucians, since, in their minds, they were a "halo-halo of Arabs, Phoenicians, Spanish and Indians....hmmmm. sounds familiar. Anyway, this identity that they felt was a bit "incomprehensible" in the days gone by is just a figment of their imagination now. Don't forget that Andalucia and one of two northern provinces became part of the Moorish Empire---800 years to be exact, hence, the influence of the Arabs, i.e., the Moors or Moroccans is extremely strong. One only as to visit Granada and Cordoba to see the vast influence of this group of Arabs. Even my neighbourhood is very "Arabish". Malaga, too, has a very strong Arab influence, even Gibraltar, a British colony. Spain was a Third World country until the late 70's, when it eventually opted out of this category. As for La Preysler as she is called, yes, she is a top celebrity here and in Europe as well as South America. Always voted the most elegant woman around, too. She gets to see Prince Charles every year, and her grown up girls and Julio Jr are always with her during this particular event. She is also one of the most envied but what separates her from other celebrities is her natural sweetness. She is never rude to anyone, yet, they've thrown some insults too but, being the Pinay that she is, she keeps her cool all the time.

[hill roberts]

Renz, you asked about what the Spaniards can emulate from the British. Answer: a lot. You see, the British are the biggest contingent of immigrants in Spain, believe it or not. As you travel around the country, you'll find large urbanizations, very posh ones, built especially for them. This is one of the biggest reasons why tourism has taken off in a huge way. The British have contributed a lot to the national and local economies here. They've opened businesses, schools, introduced a new way of living. Although we also have lots of Germans, Scandinavians, French, Dutch  and a sprinking of Belgians, Porotuguese, it is still the British who are the most dominant in terms of influence. Yes, we also have a large contingent of South Americans, Chinese, of course the ubiquitous Arabs and around 70,000 Filipinos. Spain has become a true melting pot in the true sense of the word.However, where the Brits are concerned, they try to be with their own kind, hence, they lack the ability to speak the language, unlike the Germans, and the Scandinavians who try their best to sit down and learn Spanish. With the British, they expect others to speak English! Precisely why my husband never learned it...It is nice to know that many Filipinos are now getting back to learning Spanish, and why not? If it would help their career, and increase their income, I am all for it. Those Pinoy kids who were born here speak it like the Spaniards. As for me, I've acquired this typical Andaluz accent when speaking Spanish and a British accent when speaking English. Thirty years of forced influence, perhaps??

[maudionisio]

Hola! Hill Roberts. How does an Andaluz accent sound? Guttural like Arabic?

[hill roberts]

Hi, Mau,
The Andaluz accent doesn't have a guttural accent. It sounds rather "French" in a weird sort of way since the letter "s" is not prounounced. For example, "miercole". Also, the past tense of verbs ending in
 "ado" is pronounced, "aw" as in "llamao" instead of "llamado". Cheers!
 
Here's a basic example:
Me ha llamao anoche. (Me ha llamado anoche.) He/She called me last night.,
Or: He/She has called me last night...with the auxiliary verb, "have".

[hill roberts]

Interesting discussion re Taglish and other English/Hindi/Indian mix...Gibraltar, a British colony exactly has the same problem as Filipinos in the sense that they speak Spanglish. yes, as you walk the length and breadth of this small quaint town, you'd hear the inhabitants switch and mix Spanish and English. However, one thing great about this town is its fantastic peace and order. Here, they live in harmony: Hindus, Moroccans, Jews, Christians, British. It's fascinating to listen to them depurify the English language and yet the Gibraltarians are fiercely British. The Spaniards tried for 360 years to get it back from the Brits to no avail. They have a saying, for as long as the apes are around, no Spaniard would be able to claim its sovereignty. Although the border between Gib and Spain opened in 1986, the air treaty didn't happen until the late 90's. pure politics to the end. As for the South Asians living in Britain, there is a large portion who don't speak English at all. Many of them come to the UK without even a faint knowledge of the English language. Why? They refuse to integrate to a wider society.But then again, one can say the same about the British living in Spain.Horses for courses? Or is it the other way around?

[renzphotography]

Hi Hill,

A well traveled friend once told me that people in Europe will consider a person learned/prestigious depending on the (European) language he speaks. He said the English language is considered a cheap language because so many people speak it, and Spanish ranks no better. However, French and German are considered prestigious languages.

Is this true? What could be the basis for this?