Reindeer Syrup

I was talking to my host dad about typical breakfast food in America today, so of course I needed to talk about maple syrup. They don't really have that here, because they don't have maple trees.

I remember looking it up in the dictionary before, and it's "jarabe de arce" (syrup of maple). I kept saying that until he stopped me and said "Arce? Arce? When we think of Arce, we think of the animals that Santa Clause has."

So he was saying "arce" meant "reindeer." But I looked up maple in my dictionary to be sure and I was right, it was "arce." Reindeer was something completely different. But if that's what he calls reindeer, I have no way of describing maple.

I mean, I could draw a maple leaf, but it would most likely look like a marijuana leaf.

And I can't just point out the type of tree, because they don't have them.

It's something so abstract that you can't even describe the flavor...just that it is sweet, and goes well with pancakes.

How does one translate "superfly"?

One of the technicians I work with at the radio station is younger, in his late 20s, and recently asked me to help him understand the lyrics of one of his favorite songs. Thing is, the song was "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield. Super 70s, super slang, and super hard to translate.


i'm your mamma, i'm your daddy
i'm that nigga in the alley
i'm your doctor, when in need
want some coke, have some weed
you know me, i'm your friend
your main boy, thick and thin
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman

First I had to explain that the n-word should never EVER be repeated. He didn't understand why, and I just had to say it was very degrading to black people to be called such a thing. He was like "I thought it was the same as 'black'" and I was like " NO NO NO NO NO! Please oh please never call someone this. Please. It's very bad."
I also had to look up what exactly IS a pusherman. It is a person who pushes drugs, or something like that.
Then I had to explain thick and thin, and how it means that it means good and bad, and that this (unlike many slang words you will see in this song) is still acceptable to use in everyday conversation.




haha

ain't i clean, bad machine
super cool, super mean
feelin' good, for the man
Superfly, here i stand
secret stash, heavy bread
baddest bitches, in the bed

I completely ignored his request for translating superfly...I just said it meant cool or something. I also said "you will sound silly using this in every day language".
"What is 'stash'?" I explained it meant something you meant to hide...usually drugs or money. He was like "is it the same as 'stuff?'" No, no it is not.
He understood the last line...so we moved on.



i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman

solid life, of crime
a man of odd circumstance
a victim of ghetto demands
feed me money for [style]
and i'll let you trip for a while
insecure from the past
how long can a good thing last?
woo-hoo, no
got to be mellow, y'all
gotta get mellow now
pusherman gettin' mellow y'all

"'Feed me money?' what does that mean?" It means get money...and a lot of it.
Trip was also an interesting translation. "No, not viaje, not travel" i said, but more like something with drugs. He thought it meant stoned, but I clarified that trip referred to more LSD type drugs.
I also threw in the phrase "you be trippin'" as a way to say someone is being crazy.



heavy mind, have you signed?
makin' money all the time
my [LD] entrusts me
for all junkies to see
ghetto prince is my thing
makin' love's how i swing
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman
huh

too bad, [Splee]
for a generous fee
make your world what you want it to be
got a woman i love desperately
wanna give her something better than me
been told i can't be nothin' else
just a hustler in spite of myself
i know i can rake it
this life just don't make it
lord, lord
got to get mellow now
gotta be mellow, y'all
got to get mellow now

"Andres," I said, "Rake in this case refers to receiving lots of cash."

i'm your mamma, i'm your daddy
i'm that nigga in the alley
i'm your doctor, when in need
want some coke, have some weed
you know me, i'm your friend
your man boy, thick and thin
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman

Lost in Translation

Yesterday I asked my host mom if Natillas (by far my favorite dessert in spain...much like a type of pudding) was popular in southern Spain.

I don't know what I said or what she thought I said, but she proceeded to respond to my question by saying "it depends" then talking about where each of her family members live, whether it be in Spain or close by.

I just continued nodding my head, as if that were what I asked.