Category Archives: Spain

La Liga, the Premiership, and other professional sports – Fair or foul?

Posted on December 7, 2013 by johnkwhi

I haven’t had much time to watch sports since I arrived in Spain this past summer. Most of the good ones require a cable subscription anyway, e.g., Canal+ (at €50 a month). For free, I get Masters tennis, cycling, and … Continue reading →

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So chunky you can eat it with a tenedor

Posted on December 1, 2013 by johnkwhi

Do we learn language according to rules or in repeatable phrases that are trotted out to fit the occasion? To be sure, regular idioms fill up most of our day: How are you?, Good morning, Where is the bathroom? It’s … Continue reading →

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More translated food for thought: Am I my film maker’s keeper?

Posted on November 23, 2013 by johnkwhi

Lost in Translation isn’t just a movie, but what happens when we try to map one culture onto another. It’s like a game of Broken Telephone, where what goes in doesn’t always come out the same at the other end. … Continue reading →

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Translation 101: Our many language shores

Posted on November 17, 2013 by johnkwhi

In his play Translations, the Irish playwright Brian Friel wrote about the difficulty of describing place names in different languages and the meanings for native and visitor alike. Is the ancient local place name Poll na gCaorach (literally “hole of … Continue reading →

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Teacher, teach thyself

Posted on November 9, 2013 by johnkwhi

When an English speaker starts to learn Spanish, the hard sounds are the r as in perro and arroz, the j as in jamón and ejemplo, and the g as in Sergio and Gijón. The sounds are a bit guttural, … Continue reading →

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Asturian Cider Stories and other Gijón Excursions

Posted on November 2, 2013 by johnkwhi

In Asturias, cider (or sidra) is a way of life. There are 22 officially designated apple varieties which can be pressed into almost 100 different brands made by small farmers and larger empresas alike. I can’t say I’ve had every … Continue reading →

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Espere … Ctrl-Alt-Supr only as a last resort

Posted on October 26, 2013 by johnkwhi

Living in a new country is daunting. Living in a new country with expat language skills can be terrifying. Insanity soon prevails, from opening a bank account (8 separate signed pages needed) to signing on at the local police station … Continue reading →

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El Menú del Día – IVA y pan included

Posted on October 19, 2013 by johnkwhi

El menú (men-OOH) del día is a great way to eat in Spain. Primero, segundo, postre, con una botella de vino (typically, red or tinto), all for the crisis-busting price of €9 and up. Where I’m from, you can’t get … Continue reading →

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Spanish Quizland. Comments welcome.

Posted on October 13, 2013 by johnkwhi

This week’s caracola is a quiz with a Spanish flair, one I put together for the Blue Sky Café on Friday night for the curious and the kind, including the winning team Turmi. Come along next Friday if you’re interested … Continue reading →

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Help me por favor, más despacio

Posted on October 5, 2013 by johnkwhi

The language learner in a new place is full of doubts, insecurities, and fears – big breaths in through the mouth and out through the nose are essential. As is a big L sign hung around the neck to indicate … Continue reading →

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