The McCann v Gonçalo Amaral libel trial as it happens.

[sadie]

Gerry has a reasonably soft Glaswegian accent.

We have a Glaswegian friend, also a hospital consultant in England, who is not only very anti anything English, but has an accent so strong that it truly is hard to comprehend.

I am quite deaf and can no longer watch American films cos i cant understand them any more.  Crazy !

I can fully understand that a French person hearing a Glaswegian talking might find it difficult.



I must say that I applaud Anne for her language skills , but altho good, they are not good enough for the task she has set herself.    There is plenty about the english language that she clearly doesn't understand

For the task she is undertaking, her english needs to be perfect .  And she MUST be unbiased and totally honest. 

.....  edited out unacceptable comment ....



Despite this ... Bravo for trying Anne. 

But I aint taking too much notice of it.  Personally, I will wait for the official reports.

[Cariad]

Gerry has a reasonably soft Glaswegian accent.

We have a Glaswegian friend, also a hospital consultant in England, who is not only very anti anything English, but has an accent so strong that it truly is hard to comprehend.

I am quite deaf and can no longer watch American films cos i cant understand them any more.  Crazy !

I can fully understand that a French person hearing a Glaswegian talking might find it difficult.



I must say that I applaud Anne for her language skills , but altho good, they are not good enough for the task she has set herself.    There is plenty about the english language that she clearly doesn't understand

For the task she is undertaking, her english needs to be perfect .  And she MUST be unbiased and totally honest. 

.....  edited out unacceptable comment ...



Despite this ... Bravo for trying Anne. 

But I aint taking too much notice of it.  Personally, I will wait for the official reports.

It's fine to be sceptical and if you choose to wait for official reports that's fine too. It doesn't seem very fair to knock someone for trying though, or to cast aspersions on their character.

I'm very grateful to Anne for the time and effort she's put in. I don't mention it in every thread though, cause that would be as inappropriate as your post.

[AnneGuedes]

It's fine to be sceptical and if you choose to wait for official reports that's fine too. It doesn't seem very fair to knock someone for trying though, or to cast aspersions on their character.

I'm very grateful to Anne for the time and effort she's put in. I don't mention it in every thread though, cause that would be as inappropriate as your post.

Thank you, Cariad, yes you don't need to say, I know.

At least Sadie doesn't suggest I threaten to kill anyone who doesn't read the reports ;)
 

[sadie]

The fact you are trying  so desperately hard to put her down suggests we can

The truth has been before your eyes.  I am only presenting facts.

Rubbish it and prefer mths if you wish.

Tells us all about you 

[John]

Sadie.  This is your last warning about calling people liars.  I won't tolerate such abuse against established members.  If you cannot conform to the rules maybe you shouldn't be here?

[John]

As a point of interest Anne  (off topic slightly) you say you had difficulty understanding the Glaswegian accent.  Do you think that any interpreter would have the same difficulty?   I'm thinking of the problems that situation may have posed during interviews, with an interpreter having to contend with Gerry's accent and Gerry having to contend with a translator's Portuguese accent?   I've always believed the language barrier was a reason for misunderstandings which would simply not have happened if it hadn't existed.

As a matter of fact someone who doesn't speak Portuguese cannot perceive accent any more than they comprehend the words.  In order to identity accent you have to be able to understand the language in the first place.

For a normal English speaker a broad Glaswegian accent is just a garbled sound and might just as well be Chinese for all the difference it makes.

I can speak with a very broad Scottish accent using Scots lingo if I want to and when I was in Alicante I delighted in confusing the other nationalities who thought they could understand English by speaking in 'Scots' to an English friend who could just about understand me.

I thus can comprehend very well how both Anne and the interpreter would have had difficulty with Mrs Cameron.

[Carana]

The interpreter is British, speaks quite well Portuguese and also French. I asked her if she had difficulty to understand Mrs Cameron, and she said she had none at all (before any session she has a chat with the witness outside of the court room, precisely to get accustomed to the eventual accent).
The difficult part is to hear properly a person of whom you only see the back at a certain distance. The lawyer or the judge asks a question. The interpreter turns her head towards the witness and translates the question, her mouth being at about 40 cm of the witness' ear. Then the witness answers, looking in front towards the Judge. The interpreter turns her head to listen better, she can see the mouth's movements, then she translates for the judge, looking in front of her.
Of what I heard from the witness and then from the interpreter (in the case of Mrs Cameron, much more from the interpreter) I catch a meaning that I sometimes write in French, don't ask me how !
You have to realize idiomatic expressions can't by definition be translated literally. There too there's the spirit and the letter, a reality some seem not to be aware of.

That was one of my points that some people seem to disregard as to the potential difficulties in interpreting during the chaos of the early statements at the PJ station.

[Benita]

why are Admin so biased against posters that support the parents of a missing child ?

[jassi]

The truth has been before your eyes.  I am only presenting facts.

Rubbish it and prefer mths if you wish.

Tells us all about you 

Not much to tell. I've been following this case since the beginning (on and off), but have only recently come across this site, so I thought I would join.
I am surprised by the amount of angst displayed as I believe that resorting to hostility and insults only weakens one's argument.

[stephen25000]

The truth has been before your eyes.  I am only presenting facts.

Rubbish it and prefer mths if you wish.

Tells us all about you 

No you are presenting your opinions using some information.

It doesn't mean your beliefs are true.

[CPN]

I am surprised by the amount of angst displayed as I believe that resorting to hostility and insults only weakens one's argument.

Quite correct, jassi.  That has ruined some other (neutral) sites and will ruin this one if people aren't careful.  Bad language and insults never win an argument, they just diminish the credibility of the person who writes them

[Angelo222]

Sadie.  This is your last warning about calling people liars.  I won't tolerate such abuse against established members.  If you cannot conform to the rules maybe you shouldn't be here?

why are Admin so biased against posters that support the parents of a missing child ?

Maybe if those posters would start obeying the rules they wouldnt get sanctioned!?

[carlymichelle]

Maybe if those posters would start obeying the rules they wouldnt get sanctioned!?

yeah  i wont swear on here again i was having a bad  day yesterday  but i learnt my lesson

[Benita]

that goes for the anti's who don't support the parents of a missing child but they get away with it imo

[Benice]

That was one of my points that some people seem to disregard as to the potential difficulties in interpreting during the chaos of the early statements at the PJ station.

Totally agree Carana, those difficuties, added to cultural differences which would not exist if GM was being interviewed by British policemen are largely ignored by some.   As is the fact that interviews would take a great deal longer when every word is having to be translated back and forth - and therefore more draining and tiring.
The whole business of the language barrier worked against the McCanns IMO.