Na Wa Ti Natiye
>> Tuesday, March 02, 2010
I have seen the movie Avatar three times now. I keep finding a reason to take someone who has not seen it but really wants to go. I thought this was going to be a horrendous movie. I was floored at how good it was. I loved the development of the relationship. Now your probably thinking where is she going with this. Stay with me for a minute.
I recently went to a mini seminar where the prestigious speaker was telling an interesting story of her travels abroad. Turns out many South African greetings literally translate to, "I see you". As in the movie its meaning is literal but for the South Africans it is not just I see you but I acknowledge you and everything you represent. This is totally unlike a New York greeting. That's if you get a greeting or even eye contact. For the movie Avatar the Navi's greeting was respectful to the elders and to the relationship, it was intimate. The words are a sign of respect and can be used to say to your mate, I see through you, almost on a soul level, or I know you as no one else.
After seeing the movie with my spouse for the first time I had this strong desire to try out those three little words. What's the most that could happen? He could have laughed at me and I probably would have laughed back at the corniness of the moment. So I gave it a try. Right before bed, I looked into his eyes for a few moments and said softly, "I see you". Then he reciprocated, "I see you" with the most passionate kiss. Now I have to learn it in his language and he will really be impressed.
Wouldn't it be great if every language used "I see you" with an understanding to friends, respect for parents, endearment for children and a combination of meanings with your partner. What if these three words spread from South Africa to the rest of the world. It would look like this:
English: I see you
Afrikans: Ek Sien jy
French: Je te vois
Creole: Mwen we'
Irish: Fe'ach me' tu'
Sweedish: Jag ser dig
Spanish: Te veo
Danish: Jeg kanse dig
Filipino: Makita ko sa inyo
and in closing, to you,
Navi: Na wa ti natiye
1 comments:
For some reason I didn't really like Avatar, its just that if you take all the special effects (which were really good) it is a story that has been done over and over again. Maybe I watch too much movies lol...
Back to your post, Its funny because I was talking about this with my fiancee the other day, we have something like that in our native language and I was asking him how to translate it in English... and the answer would be I see you.
Post a Comment