Interlingual game communication: when "nyeeet!!!" just isn't enough.
December 12, 2005 8:07 AM Subscribe
How do you communicate with non-english speakers when playing sports or gaming?
I started playing Go on Yahoo! a week or so ago, and pretty quickly tired of an inability to communicate with my non-english-speaking opponents (of which there are, oh, a billion or so). I decided I'd post a question about this, but eventually ran across a list of go phrases in other lanauges.
It got me thinking, though: how do you communicate with non-english speakers while gaming (of any kind)? I took a ton of languages in HS and college, but can't engage in sports/gaming dialogue past a ganbatte or jouer au basket. Do you have any useful tips or phrases for when you're playing in a multilingual environment? Can you gripe about camping mobs in Korean? Congratulate a good 3-pointer in Slovak? How do you even discern nationality or language on internet games?
I started playing Go on Yahoo! a week or so ago, and pretty quickly tired of an inability to communicate with my non-english-speaking opponents (of which there are, oh, a billion or so). I decided I'd post a question about this, but eventually ran across a list of go phrases in other lanauges.
It got me thinking, though: how do you communicate with non-english speakers while gaming (of any kind)? I took a ton of languages in HS and college, but can't engage in sports/gaming dialogue past a ganbatte or jouer au basket. Do you have any useful tips or phrases for when you're playing in a multilingual environment? Can you gripe about camping mobs in Korean? Congratulate a good 3-pointer in Slovak? How do you even discern nationality or language on internet games?
Use smileys?
If you have any particular phrases that you would like translated I'm sure all the nice people of AskMe would be helpful. I don't know how much help it would be but I would be able to translate pretty much anything into Danish.
posted by sveskemus at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2005
If you have any particular phrases that you would like translated I'm sure all the nice people of AskMe would be helpful. I don't know how much help it would be but I would be able to translate pretty much anything into Danish.
posted by sveskemus at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2005
Response by poster: I'm not looking for anything specific (the linked page solved my Go problem), just thought people might have some interesting phrases/anecdotes/whatever.
posted by soma lkzx at 8:35 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by soma lkzx at 8:35 AM on December 12, 2005
my white suburbia 16-under soccer team used to have to play the spanish-speaking teams from the southside/Nogales. it was always frustrating knowing they could understand what we were saying to each other and communicate with each other in another language we couldn't understand. the only way I could figure out to really communicate with these bilingual teams was brute force/physical violence.
posted by carsonb at 8:38 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by carsonb at 8:38 AM on December 12, 2005
Sounds like a great idea for a website...
the only way I could figure out to really communicate with these bilingual teams was brute force/physical violence.
Yeah, I can't believe those assholes learned a SECOND language! The nerve!
posted by mkultra at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2005
the only way I could figure out to really communicate with these bilingual teams was brute force/physical violence.
Yeah, I can't believe those assholes learned a SECOND language! The nerve!
posted by mkultra at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2005
Generally, through mime (has to be a "real world" sport). Like, mime passing a soccer ball, or shooting at a basket etc.
posted by djgh at 9:48 AM on December 12, 2005
posted by djgh at 9:48 AM on December 12, 2005
I have only an anecdote -
I spent five weeks in Beijing two summers ago and played a fair amount of basketball while there (I play a lot here in the States). Contrary to what I was told not many people speak English in Beijing or if they do it's the most rudimentary possible. I can't blame them, as I don't speak any Mandarin.
Anyway, much of the time I would be picked off or knocked down by my own teammates because they play a very confusing style of defense the aim of which seems to be to look very busy without having any effect. So when I tried to stay with one person I would run into other of my teammates who wanted to guard my man, but only for a moment! The offensive play was the opposite - well-disciplined and every player, even the worst, knew how to go to a spot and make a jump shot. I could not communicate to my teammates to stay away when I was guarding someone.
The English they did have consisted of some curse words like "shit" or "damn". They also had this very odd way of saying "Ooo-kaaayyy!" after a play they liked such that I couldn't help laughing to myself as I thought of a court full of Kool-aid men. Some of the players also imitated And1 streetball moves, which surprised me.
Needless to say I could resolve neither my technical nor cultural confusion.
posted by Slothrop at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2005
I spent five weeks in Beijing two summers ago and played a fair amount of basketball while there (I play a lot here in the States). Contrary to what I was told not many people speak English in Beijing or if they do it's the most rudimentary possible. I can't blame them, as I don't speak any Mandarin.
Anyway, much of the time I would be picked off or knocked down by my own teammates because they play a very confusing style of defense the aim of which seems to be to look very busy without having any effect. So when I tried to stay with one person I would run into other of my teammates who wanted to guard my man, but only for a moment! The offensive play was the opposite - well-disciplined and every player, even the worst, knew how to go to a spot and make a jump shot. I could not communicate to my teammates to stay away when I was guarding someone.
The English they did have consisted of some curse words like "shit" or "damn". They also had this very odd way of saying "Ooo-kaaayyy!" after a play they liked such that I couldn't help laughing to myself as I thought of a court full of Kool-aid men. Some of the players also imitated And1 streetball moves, which surprised me.
Needless to say I could resolve neither my technical nor cultural confusion.
posted by Slothrop at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by soma lkzx at 8:09 AM on December 12, 2005