On Language

So a brief note on language. Many organizers are familiar with the challenges of working in more than one language. Last year I experienced doing training with a translator - and that taught a lot about being clear, understanding the cultural nuances, etc.

This meeting of 40+ people is being conducted in English, as the common tongue, and most people are proficient enough - and that's humbling. Some folks are proficient in more than their "home" language plus English. Kajo, my teacher and co-trainer, says he can speak and read in Slovak, Czech, English, Russian, and understand Ukrainian, Polish, Serb/Croat language and get along in Hungarian as well as cursing and getting directions in Chechen language. Nicholeta Chirita from Rumania is fluent in her home language of Rumanian, as well as English and French and she's getting better in Russian.

I've rediscovered the German I used to speak and read fluently (40 years ago I read Kafka and Nietsche and Hesse and at least thought I understood). I could follow along in Peter's Alinsky book and when the organizer from Leipzig and I were assigned to problem solve the question of funding for the work here, she spoke German and I spoke English and we actually communicated (I think).

At the end of this morning I gave a twenty minute reflection on my sense of the State of the ECON Network. I told what I thought was a catchy story - the story of the Bumble Bee, which science says can't fly - aerodynamically it's a disaster. The bee doesn't know this, though, and it flies nevertheless. A third of the people chuckled knowingly at my witty analogy. A third turned to their neighbor and asked in Polish or Rumanian or German or French or ..."what did he say?" and a third just smiled politely.

Once again I learned the lesson that I need to speak simply, clearly and without confusing my audience.

I ended with an observation, and advice in the old common language, Latin. On the twin sundials in the courtyard of the palace here in Szczecin, you'll read, "Vita Brevis, Carpe Diem". Thus my advice to ECON - Life is Short, Seize the Day!

I attach a picture of yesterday's walk-around town, which was followed by more excellent soup (zurek, the sour rye and vegetable ambrosia) and pierogi. But more on food later.