Amanda Michalopoulou Despite her penchant for the surreal her novels adress the arena of the heart

International English

by Amanda Michalopoulou

March 27, 2008, 1:27 pm

Photo of the double Me

It was about time for me to try and write something in International English. I am Greek and I only write in Greek but I thought, long ago, about writing a novel called "International English" where the hero would speak my English and try to make sense of the world and communicate through a fake language, made up of advertisement and songs and the English you read in metro stations, in big European cities. International English is the English we all speak outside the english linguistic community. It is broken, strange, ambiguous. It is made up of expressions from romantic comedies or old rock songs. It is full of funny mistakes. It is a very strange linguistic experience. (Jonathan Safran Foer wrote a novel trying to imitate this feeling. I laughed a lot with the broken English of his hero but then I thought, that hero was probably me). 

Sometimes I have the illusion that I can write in English, especially when I wach films, or read books in English, particularly poems. And then I come to my senses and no longer know why I want to do this, what I need to prove and to whom. I guess it has to do with the sense of a wider word, a feeling of belonging.  Everyone understands and  you don't need translation to be a writer. Of course you always need translation. And the translated text is another you, different, not better.
When I had my first book in English translation,earlier this year, I looked at the first copy I received for a long time and then I slowly started to read the book and I thought "I didn't write this". It was smoother and easier, but it was strange. And yet I love the fact that I am getting out of myself right now and I try to translate that feeling. Another me, subtler (does this word exist?) swimms on the surface of the words. 

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Remittance Girl says:

My Students only Swear in English

Hi Amanda,

I loved your insightful, reflective post. So much of the discussions about writing in English revolve around post-colonial concepts of identity and voice. I loved your idea of writing in English being "another you". (Yes, 'subtler' does exists and you've used it aptly.)

I also loved your idea of this "second language" being infused with the modes of its transmission: intra and extratexual referencing the vehicles. Like all tyrants, English reaps its just reward. Having the dominant culture reflected back upon itself in bite size pieces of "Titanic" dialogue, "Abba" lyrics, and advertising slogans.

My students (who are Vietnamese) only swear in English. They say English gives them permission to say things they can't say in their own language - the culture of the language is permissive.

Fuck! Chi oi. Bai luan nay la rat kho, nhe?
(Fuck, older sister. This essay is really hard to understand, isn't it?)

Here's a beautifully written clutch of short essays by Maghrebi writers speaking about writing in French and Arabic: Words from the Maghreb: Plural Identities

Good luck with the other, subtler you ;-)

rg

 

Thu, 03/27/2008 - 4:40pm
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Amanda Michalopoulou says:

Plural Identities

Thanks for the encouragement, rg. 

Plural Identities" is great, thanks for that link too.
I particurarly liked what N.Saadi wrote: "While, with translation, we have the same work in another language, with literary writing it is the language itself that becomes other".

Fri, 03/28/2008 - 7:18am