[dba-Tech] R.I.P. Guinevere

[Arthur Fuller]

Gustav,

Thank you so much for your language instructions. I confess that I do pride
myself on my ability to speak several languages (which in Europe is the
norm, not the exception, but over here in Canada only a few of us can speak
both English and French. As you know, I have embarked on learning Mandarin
and Cantonese and Hakka, and I'm certainly not fluent in any, I have
learned to discern which dialect is being spoken, within perhaps 10
seconds. And then I can respond in the appropriate dialect. Suddenly, the
atmosphere changes. They understand that I speak the main three Chinese
dialects, and suddenly it's as if the walls of the room have moved.

This has happened to me more than once in my life. I treasure these moments
as the most pleasurable in my life. I have been gifted to visit many (that
means at last count 31, which is a far cry from the number of nations in
the world. I want to be everywhere, every way, and able to speak every
language. I just wish that were possible.

There's a man in Vancouver who works as a legal translator (meaning that he
works in courts), who is fluent in 31 languages. I cannot even begin to
understand how that is possible, but apparently it is. It defies my
imagination. I am fluent in two, and acquainted with several others, but
how does a person become fluent in 31 languages? This is way beyond my
comprehension.

A.

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