MovieChat Forums > The Interpreter (2005) Discussion > Language question (spoiler)..

Language question (spoiler)..

posted 10 years ago by jutuomin
4 replies | jump to latest

I liked The interpreter quite much, although the ending was really bizarre. The atmospehre was good and it really did add something to the film that it was filmed in the UN.

But there are two things I just don't understand.

1) Silvia Broome has a conversation in a bus with one of her country fellows (couldn't catch his name). She at first (before stepping to the bus) clearly shows that she can speak the same native language. And the man even responses "I thought I heard home". Why is this dialogue spoken in English? Wouldn't it make much more sense if these people speaking their native language. Especially when considering the subjects there were talking about. They were talking a conversation about assassinations and killings in a crowded bus where everyone can hear them. There was even 2 Secret Service agents on board with microphones (Silvia probably knew this). I think it's also very weird that none of the Secret Service agents didn't try to listen to the conversations (and perhaps send it via microphone to be recorded for later use). They didn't talk exactly whispering either, but perhaps they didn't do that in fear of getting revealed.

2) When being alone with Zuwaine in the safe room Silvia speaks with him in English. Wouldn't it make more sense that she'd spoken in Ku? If it was somewhere revealed that Zuwaine cannot seak Ku and only speaks English, I didn't catch that. Was that the case?

[–] Aswena 10 years ago

I was surprised also that in the bus they don't speak Ku, my interpretation is that Kuman-Kuman prefers to speak English because as he said he is a businessman and so he may be reluctant to speak a dialect which he considers is not a sign of modernity. The Secret Agent services were too busy to listen to their conversation, they were under pressure because they did not expect Kuman-Kuman, the interpreter and the killer to meet in the bus ('we have a situation').

As for the dialog between the President and the Interpreter it is not specified whether he can speak Ku or not but it is very likely he can. I think he also prefers to speak English to show he is a modern man. His speech in the UN was in English while he could have use Ku instead, and his book is written in English also.

Moreover English is probably a second native language in Matubo as it is the case in some former British colonies in Africa, so they can speak alternatively in both languages?

[–] jutuomin 10 years ago

In the latter situation The president doesn't really speak at all, but it's Silvia. That is the reason why I think it's strange. Especially as it's quite obvious that she speaks Ku very well.

The notion about the book as a very good one. It just might be that the president doesn't speak Ku that well. I always thought that there is no written language of Ku (as there are not a written language in many other small languages either). That would also be the reason why Silvia's brother Simon writes his childhood journals in English.

(I believe Ku is a fictional language so there is not really a way to know if there is a written language or not.)

[–] gary_overman 10 years ago

In the latter situation The president doesn't really speak at all, but it's Silvia. That is the reason why I think it's strange. Especially as it's quite obvious that she speaks Ku very well.

The notion about the book as a very good one. It just might be that the president doesn't speak Ku that well. I always thought that there is no written language of Ku (as there are not a written language in many other small languages either). That would also be the reason why Silvia's brother Simon writes his childhood journals in English.

(I believe Ku is a fictional language so there is not really a way to know if there is a written language or not.)

According to wikipedia Ku is a fictitious language spoken in the equally fictitious country of Matobo.

[–] EJverh 10 years ago

Quite honestly, I believe the director made a decision for the characters to speak English during the lenghty exchanges, as it would have, in truth, been very distracting to read the subtitles of the made up language. It was practicality above else and I agree with that decision. Although, I must admit, I loved listening to Kidman's lovely way of speaking Ku. I thought she did a really good job.