Morning,
Just a little under a month ago, I wrapped up the Lost In Translation tournament. I suggested at the end of that final post that I would return at some point with a 'postgame show' to make up for the anti-climactic ending.
Just a little under a month ago, I wrapped up the Lost In Translation tournament. I suggested at the end of that final post that I would return at some point with a 'postgame show' to make up for the anti-climactic ending.
Well, here we
are.
I suppose I learned a few things from that four month project. I'll cover those in no particular order below.
1. My conclusions about 'untranslated words'
Going into this tournament, I thought that untranslated words fell into one of two categories. The first category is for feelings or sensations that one culture brought out frequently enough to require naming.
'Mangata' is a good example. This word could only exist in a place where people lived close to both nature and to each other. These people would observe this phenomenon regularly and communicate among their neighbors about the idea often enough to require its naming. (I suppose it helps to live near a pole, as well, where daylight hours vary greatly with the seasons and a long period of waking winter hours are spent in the presence of darkness and moonlight. Hello, Sweden.)
The second kind of untranslatable word is one where the direct translation is not needed because the idea is expressed in a different phrase or expression.
'Vacilando' is the best example. In this country, people do not really travel 'just because' so there is no need to translate that word into English. We choose instead to use words like 'backpacking' or 'couch surfing' to convey similar concepts.
Thinking about these categories made me consider further an idea I wrote about in June. Back then, I stated that if I re-did the tournament, I would go back and include 'commuovere'. But if I include this word, which one comes out of the final sixteen? I would go with 'struisvogelpolitiek', 'trepverter', 'kabelsalat', or 'warmduscher', words that take something in our daily lives and cleverly rename them with a combination of analogy and humor.
These are similar to that second category I describe above. Although these specific words do not exist in our English language, English does utilize the concept, mostly in the form of expressions ('monkey see monkey do' or 'yes men' might not directly translate 'struisvogelpolitiek', but they capture the essence).
There is nothing wrong with the inclusion of these types of words but four of them seems a bit much as I look back now. It is also notable that the combined performance of those four words was one win and four defeats.
In the aftermath of the tournament, I see that there is a third category for untranslated words. It is the category of what lies hidden. These words describe the acts, emotions, and thoughts that otherwise would go unacknowledged. It is the infinite category of language. In this category lies the possibilities opened up by stepping outside the lines where we currently are and seeking the space beyond where we might find new belonging.
I don't think it is any coincidence that these words did the best in the tournament. I don't think it is any coincidence that someone who feels compelled to write several blog posts and tens of thousands of syllables about sixteen words from what is essentially a picture book would look at these words and feel both understanding and mystery, identify both kind and strangers.
2. Tournament finals are strange events
This thought occurred to me while I struggled to write the final post. What was the point? Almost everything to say about the words had already been said and each word was clearly worthy of winning the honor ('honor') about to bestowed ('bestowed') upon it.
It is a similar thought that comes to mind of late whenever I watch sports. I have found that I enjoy semi-finals of tournaments more than the final. I think this is because the reward for the semi-final is the chance to watch your team play another game. What is the reward to a spectator for watching a team win the final? None is the answer I drift closer toward every year.
On the topic of tournament finals- usually, the public comes into the final with an idea of who the winner should be. This is generally based on performance in the prior rounds (though armchair experts might also form their own conclusions based on deeper analysis of the teams involved). If the tournament was preceded by a regular season or a round-robin concept, all the better- that information can also be used to make an educated guess of who the winner should be.
The catch here is that most predictions about tournament finals are not based on a statistically large enough sample size to definitively conclude who the favorite is (1). This is why the great 'upsets' in sports history tend always to involve tournaments- I see it as less an upset and more an unwillingness to admit that our ability to predict is simply not very good.
Based on that criteria, I guess it makes Leicester City's Premier League championship last year the truest sports upset I am aware of.
3. I thought I did a decent job writing these posts, honestly, but this fellow did something similar a lot better than me...
A no-gimmicks version of this tournament is a book called Consolations by David Whyte. I've written about this book before- all Whyte does it take a list of common English words- shyness, friendship, confession, etc- and write about the various meanings, associations, and feelings these words invoke in us.
Anyone who enjoys the process of reflecting on the meaning of the words we rely on to communicate will undoubtedly enjoy Whyte's book. If you are unsure about reading, please see my own notes from this book which I have included in the endnotes to this post.
I suppose I learned a few things from that four month project. I'll cover those in no particular order below.
1. My conclusions about 'untranslated words'
Going into this tournament, I thought that untranslated words fell into one of two categories. The first category is for feelings or sensations that one culture brought out frequently enough to require naming.
'Mangata' is a good example. This word could only exist in a place where people lived close to both nature and to each other. These people would observe this phenomenon regularly and communicate among their neighbors about the idea often enough to require its naming. (I suppose it helps to live near a pole, as well, where daylight hours vary greatly with the seasons and a long period of waking winter hours are spent in the presence of darkness and moonlight. Hello, Sweden.)
The second kind of untranslatable word is one where the direct translation is not needed because the idea is expressed in a different phrase or expression.
'Vacilando' is the best example. In this country, people do not really travel 'just because' so there is no need to translate that word into English. We choose instead to use words like 'backpacking' or 'couch surfing' to convey similar concepts.
Thinking about these categories made me consider further an idea I wrote about in June. Back then, I stated that if I re-did the tournament, I would go back and include 'commuovere'. But if I include this word, which one comes out of the final sixteen? I would go with 'struisvogelpolitiek', 'trepverter', 'kabelsalat', or 'warmduscher', words that take something in our daily lives and cleverly rename them with a combination of analogy and humor.
These are similar to that second category I describe above. Although these specific words do not exist in our English language, English does utilize the concept, mostly in the form of expressions ('monkey see monkey do' or 'yes men' might not directly translate 'struisvogelpolitiek', but they capture the essence).
There is nothing wrong with the inclusion of these types of words but four of them seems a bit much as I look back now. It is also notable that the combined performance of those four words was one win and four defeats.
In the aftermath of the tournament, I see that there is a third category for untranslated words. It is the category of what lies hidden. These words describe the acts, emotions, and thoughts that otherwise would go unacknowledged. It is the infinite category of language. In this category lies the possibilities opened up by stepping outside the lines where we currently are and seeking the space beyond where we might find new belonging.
I don't think it is any coincidence that these words did the best in the tournament. I don't think it is any coincidence that someone who feels compelled to write several blog posts and tens of thousands of syllables about sixteen words from what is essentially a picture book would look at these words and feel both understanding and mystery, identify both kind and strangers.
2. Tournament finals are strange events
This thought occurred to me while I struggled to write the final post. What was the point? Almost everything to say about the words had already been said and each word was clearly worthy of winning the honor ('honor') about to bestowed ('bestowed') upon it.
It is a similar thought that comes to mind of late whenever I watch sports. I have found that I enjoy semi-finals of tournaments more than the final. I think this is because the reward for the semi-final is the chance to watch your team play another game. What is the reward to a spectator for watching a team win the final? None is the answer I drift closer toward every year.
On the topic of tournament finals- usually, the public comes into the final with an idea of who the winner should be. This is generally based on performance in the prior rounds (though armchair experts might also form their own conclusions based on deeper analysis of the teams involved). If the tournament was preceded by a regular season or a round-robin concept, all the better- that information can also be used to make an educated guess of who the winner should be.
The catch here is that most predictions about tournament finals are not based on a statistically large enough sample size to definitively conclude who the favorite is (1). This is why the great 'upsets' in sports history tend always to involve tournaments- I see it as less an upset and more an unwillingness to admit that our ability to predict is simply not very good.
Based on that criteria, I guess it makes Leicester City's Premier League championship last year the truest sports upset I am aware of.
3. I thought I did a decent job writing these posts, honestly, but this fellow did something similar a lot better than me...
A no-gimmicks version of this tournament is a book called Consolations by David Whyte. I've written about this book before- all Whyte does it take a list of common English words- shyness, friendship, confession, etc- and write about the various meanings, associations, and feelings these words invoke in us.
Anyone who enjoys the process of reflecting on the meaning of the words we rely on to communicate will undoubtedly enjoy Whyte's book. If you are unsure about reading, please see my own notes from this book which I have included in the endnotes to this post.
4. Never make promises
The single biggest lesson I learned from doing this bracket is to not make any promises if at all possible. To illustrate the point- how many times did I suggest I would post something 'on Tuesday' for it to show up a week later (or not at all)?
To create anything is challenging. For those with non-creative backgrounds such as mine, the temptation to self-impose deadlines, make elaborate plans, and bring order to the chaos of the creative act is significant. Unfortunately, such as approach is bound to cause trouble. You might end up forcing an idea into existence that is not quite ready, for example, or perhaps you just break a promise and tick someone off.
In the process of blogging, I've found that certain parts of the process lend themselves well to planning- proofreading, organizing ideas and sketches, posts about facts. The other stuff is harder to understand. And without understanding, any plan is nothing beyond wild speculation. The best that I can do for now is to protect the time I use to create these posts when the inspiration hits.
It really brings home a point I've read in a number of forms over the past couple of years- creative types tend to either require a set routine in which to work or simply must wait for inspiration to strike before working maniacally to bring the idea to life. I came into the process believing I was in the former group but the process of doing this blog in general and this tournament in particular has led me to reconsider.
So, while I figure out for sure where the source of my own inspiration is, no additional promises. The best I can do is to tell you when the next thing is coming- any other information about what I say is upcoming should be met with suspicion.
And, speaking of that...
Much thanks for reading today. Back again on Friday with an in-depth look at the Pokemon Go phenomenon.
Until then, take care.
Tim
Footnotes/imagined complaints
1. Large enough sample size?
The single biggest lesson I learned from doing this bracket is to not make any promises if at all possible. To illustrate the point- how many times did I suggest I would post something 'on Tuesday' for it to show up a week later (or not at all)?
To create anything is challenging. For those with non-creative backgrounds such as mine, the temptation to self-impose deadlines, make elaborate plans, and bring order to the chaos of the creative act is significant. Unfortunately, such as approach is bound to cause trouble. You might end up forcing an idea into existence that is not quite ready, for example, or perhaps you just break a promise and tick someone off.
In the process of blogging, I've found that certain parts of the process lend themselves well to planning- proofreading, organizing ideas and sketches, posts about facts. The other stuff is harder to understand. And without understanding, any plan is nothing beyond wild speculation. The best that I can do for now is to protect the time I use to create these posts when the inspiration hits.
It really brings home a point I've read in a number of forms over the past couple of years- creative types tend to either require a set routine in which to work or simply must wait for inspiration to strike before working maniacally to bring the idea to life. I came into the process believing I was in the former group but the process of doing this blog in general and this tournament in particular has led me to reconsider.
So, while I figure out for sure where the source of my own inspiration is, no additional promises. The best I can do is to tell you when the next thing is coming- any other information about what I say is upcoming should be met with suspicion.
And, speaking of that...
Much thanks for reading today. Back again on Friday with an in-depth look at the Pokemon Go phenomenon.
Until then, take care.
Tim
Footnotes/imagined complaints
1. Large enough sample size?
You can study statistics for several years to
learn about the appropriate sample size needed to draw certain types of
conclusions. But if you prefer a rule of thumb that is about 95% as
accurate at a tiny fraction of the cost ($60k a year at Colby!) try to have a sample size of about one
hundred. I've found over the years that this is about good enough for most
statistical estimations. Just make sure that the one hundred you are working
from for a sample is not collected in a biased or slanted way.
Endnotes: my notes from Consolations
*Alone
Endnotes: my notes from Consolations
*Alone
-With others, we live in our bodies as a statement; when alone, as a
question
-To be silent with our aloneness is to stop telling stories to
ourselves
-Admitting to feeling alone leads others to feel rejected, as if
their presence or company is not good, interesting, or distracting enough
*Ambition
*Ambition
-Ambition is tedious, it distracts us from knowing that we have all that
we needed, all along
*Anger
*Anger
-The violence of anger grows from powerlessness and vulnerability
*Beginning
*Beginning
-The courageous step is often easier and yet more radical than we
think
-Sometimes, we make our stories longer or more complex than they need to
be in order to obscure the attainability of the next beginning within
impossibility
*Besieged
*Besieged
-Creating a place to receive the world, to allow others to knock, makes
our place in the world a privilege and not a burden
*Confession
*Confession
-The act of discarding an old identity, one which may have served to
protect us from harm or distract us from answering the important questions.
-Deathbeds
bring about so many confessions because the burden of potentially carrying on,
alone, thanks to this discarding of identity is no longer
*Courage
*Courage
-Belonging is heartbreaking at a fundamental human level
-Courage is
how we respond to our love being tested by the demands of daily life
*Denial
*Denial
-It allows us to breathe when we must steady ourselves to face what
beckons us
-To avoid denial is to meet the powers that we are not yet ready to
meet
*Disappointment
*Disappointment
-What brings us to earth is what puts ground beneath our feet
-To
embrace disappointment is a showing of courage
*Forgiveness
*Forgiveness
-Humans want forgiveness, in the end- those who do not wait to
extend forgiveness begin the journey along the path to becoming large enough themselves
to receive this gift at their end
*Friendship
*Friendship
-Encouraging the best in a friend means acknowledging the better
parts of them in order to allow that to drive their growth and slowly reduce the
influence of their lesser parts
*Haunted
*Haunted
-Making real what was previously untouchable is how we make ourselves real,
begin the process of recovery, and make ourselves whole again
*Heartbreak
*Heartbreak
-This illustrates the sincerity of what we try to do in our lives
-Although
we try to avoid heartbreak, it is also inherent to the journey of maturity and
allows us to truly care deeply for what we encounter on the way
*Help
*Help
-Although we try to avoid asking for help, even the most independent of
candidates requires a voter
*Honesty
*Honesty
-The fear of loss motivates our dishonesty- thus, we can reach honesty
by facing our grief and our losses, by addressing our ongoing relationship to
not wanting to hear the truth
-Honesty means acknowledging our fear of the
truth and enables us to live without always knowing
*Loneliness
*Loneliness
-Those who fully inhabit their loneliness find the voice that calls
for the great someone or something that they want to call their own and can
develop the courage to keep calling even when the horizon does not answer back
-Loneliness
allows us to pay attention to others, to acknowledge their power to heal and to
enliven
*Maturity
*Maturity
-Immaturity means false choices, those that live only in the past, present,
or future, but never all three
-Maturity means not compromising, means refusal
to isolate the past, the present, or the future, it means inhabiting all three
at once with courage
*Pain
*Pain
-Real pain forces us to ask for help, and to accept it. Through
this act, we acknowledge that we belong
-It is a test of friendship, of those
we already have and of finding new ones from surprising sources
-Pain serves as
a foundation for compassion and forces us to look for the debilitations that
others are struggling to overcome
*Regret
*Regret
-Regret makes us acknowledge how important even the most average acts
can be
-It acknowledges the ways our future can be better than our past
-Cultures
that emphasize or value youthfulness are not prepared to acknowledge deep
regrets- for true regret is a hard-won feeling that marks a life fully and
maturely lived
*Shyness
*Shyness
-One's shyness reveals what one thinks is possible and what one feels they
deserve
*Unrequited
*Unrequited
-Love is rarely returned in the way we give it- those who expect
this reciprocation are building a prison in which they become inmate and warden
