The need for eye opening

When you learn a language, you learn a mainstream discourse, an official propaganda. You adhere to the party of the majority without any second thoughts. Second thoughts may come later, about the language, about how it is perceived around, by the locals, by the learners, by yourself peddling the same propaganda s a matter of fact. As a learner, you want also to be an owner, a part of it , New York, New York. So much that you gleefully adopt mostly everything. It is by no means surprising that early learners of a language are often ardent defenders. Of everything that pertains to their object of self-contentment. I know all the more than I was such a learner. Ambiguity may strike one day. That not all is rosy, you knew it but you kept going delivering the good news, despite of all those interfering winds. This one wind deserves reading. Long stuff but it tells so much in contrast to the propaganda. The love affair with Japanese has been over for a long, long time. It does not impair my selling services related to it. On the contrary, it is I believe an essential stage to cross, the disillusion of the illusion. It is not comfortable, but the comfort zone does not bring solace. There is anyway a need at some point for an eye opening experience. Blind love over time is bad for the eyes.

Today, when we sat down in the cramped and stuffy room at some ministry's office in Tokyo, we exchanged cards and I gave on purpose my Japanese only card. They had Japanese only card as well. We sat down and the leader dead serious asked me if I could understand Japanese. That is why Japanese for me is dead as a source of pleasure. The mantra does not function anymore. In Tokyo, in 2009, in a ministry, anyone dead serious that asks the interpreter whether he speaks and understand the language, in full knowledge ahead of time that my client was accompanied by an interpreter, that the interpreter's name was mine, anyone that asks such question is the victim and the culprit of a crooked cultural misconception of planet Earth. Anyone who still behave like this is not culturally or mentally impaired, or showing reverence or whatever. He is a plain moron and deserves to be treated as is. I looked at him speechless for a whole very long second and answered : "I am the interpreter."

One day, I may be more specific and stop the humorous cheat chat right from the beginning and ask them what's the matter with their disease. It may be bad for business though.