Language Problems

[martin_ronda]

Ok, here's the facts.

I moved to Spain about two weeks ago and on my second day I was already working on a "real and stressfull job" that uses 40 hours of my week, 6 days a week 7 hours a day.

So, I couldn't get much experience around here, because i have only the sunday's free.

Today is sunday, it isn't raining so I went out to do some performances.

I couldn't do as many as I had planned and I walked up to 5 hours trying to find a pich, finally I decided to just train some juggling and within some time an audience found me and started to cheer & etc. I decided that I should do a presentation, and there was me getting stuff out and so on.

But the problem that I found from the beggining tyo the end was, "what language do I use???"

To be more specific, I'm in mallorca, spain but there's loooooooooots of turists from germany and england, so i should do in english (because i don't know any german and my english is better than my spanish).

But all my volunteers were spanish speaking people and i had to use "portunhol" portuguese+spanish to talk to them and all the other people that didn't speak spanish couldn't get a clue of what i was saying.

So trough all the presentation I had this feeling that no one could understand me...

and they couldn't because i made only 5 bucks.... ok, this is a joke... but i really made only 5 bucks, i couldn't hold the crowd well.

what about the language, any tips???

Gracias, Obrigado e thanks

[Doctor Eric]

English. Always communicate in the language you are most comfortable with when you're trying to get people too laugh and pay you. People will naturally assume that you're stupid when you don't speak a language fluently, we're all guilty of it.

You can always repeatedly check to see if they can understand you, and throw in other languages to have fun, but I'd stick with english if that's what you're most fluent in.

[martin_ronda]

Thanks for the advice,

My english is not that good, but i can handle it for a presentation... my first language is portuguese so it's hard to keep from using it because it's closer to sapniash and i actually understand most of what they say.

I will try again, and again and again and will see what happens. It's always fun to start from the scrath again... pufff

[gav]

When working non english countries (all the time now) I speak english with about 10-20% of the local language if I can. Mostly just for important bits I need to get across to volunteers or children, and for money lines too.
I'm working my way up to doing shows in Croatia in 50% Croatian but I'm a slow learner.

[RiffRaff]

"Meu deus do ceu".
It's been a long time since I've heard that.
Nossa senhora!

[martin_ronda]

I think I should put some spanish here and there, it won't hurt, good advice...

here's with the nossa senhora, you get the whole "meu deus do ceu" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MaB0X6p3jk

* no i don't like that kind of music, neither the clip.

[R. Wade Henry]

Foreign Language Shows

Study your audiences and determine which language will communicate to the mostest.

Learn a few lines in that language, no matter how "broken" it is (they will appreciate your attempts, at least).

Do the rest of your act to music.

[Schuyler]

face paint

Mime is the universal language

[martin_ronda]

It's funny that some times, doing the presentation in spanish for english-spokens is even better around here, I don't know exactly why,but I think that they apreciate the local folks or something... weird...

Does any one know some good links to learn mime?ż I have been thinking about that for some time...

[scot]

we humans call presentations "shows"

do a funny dance numberr in your show using an audience member. It takes up time, people like it and you can speak with body language.

[Butterfly Man]

Presentation time in 5 minutes

Interesting question in that I don't believe I've ever heard anyone address this issue on pnet ...

My advise: ALWAYS use some of the native tongue when performing in another country ... I think it is a sign of disrespect to assume you can just use English (or American, really) exclusively in one's show ...

True, in almost all of the 17 countries I've done street shows in the audience knew some English... I could have just done the same crap I always do and in the same language but where is all the fun in that?

In Japan, for example, everyone studies English in school (reading and writing) but rarely do you find someone who speaks it with any fluency. When I went there the 1st time I was very nervous but quickly found little common expressions that they use every day and incorporated them into the performance.

e.g. Chotto matte kudasai (just a moment please) …

Sure, I made heaps of mistakes but they loved it … after all, they have such a difficult time with OUR language they seem to enjoy watching a foreigner struggle. Strangely, I also found the more mistakes the better.

Europe (except around the Adriatic) was easier … EVERYONE speaks at least some English. France, however, has it’s share of dickheads who “refuse” to understand … fuck ‘em , they’re in the minority. Most folks LOVE you incorporating the native tongue into your performance.

And just one more thing … I have watched American performers do the same show word for word in foreign lands … to me, they represent the typical arrogant American.

I love to discover different ways to communicate and to experience the customs of foreign countries … being a funny street performer is absolutely the best way to experience another culture.

[martin_ronda]

Yes, your right butterfly, the spanish people didn't like when I did the presentaion in english only. (ops... show)

And most of people say that you should do it only for the turists but that's not always right, the local people like to wath my show because it's different from their locals artists and I like that.

I want to try differents contries and see how it works, for this summer I think I will stay here, thanks for all the tips.

The audience member dance it's a nice thing, but right now I'm doing a different kind of work where it wouldn't fit.

Keep correcting my spelling mistakes, but don't work too hard on that!

: )

[Peter Voice]

You can always get audience volunteers to translate.

For example, ask, in English for some-one to translate for you, then explain that your English isn't good so ask for some-one who speaks Portuguese and English. You can then do your show in Portuguese with your volunteers passing the jokes down the line. The longer the line, the better. Larry Isaac did a show in Germany with a volunteer translating his english to french, another, the french to spanish, a third to Italian and the fourth to German. The end result was hysterical with the "chinese whispers" effect butchering some jokes, double entendres spinning out of control etc. An oft repeated tag line can be orchestrated through your multi-lingual volunteers with very theatrical effect.

Give it a try.

[Rachel Peters]

That's hilarious.

[Peter Voice]

The routine was invented on the last night of the Geldern Strassenmahler Festival, involving hundreds of pavement artists, too much rain, musicians, a 15 yr old juggler, lots of beer, hashish and a collapsed sound desk, FSSSZZZT, FSSZZZT, just before the final couple of hours, the concert and awards etc.

Cold, wet and impatient the crowd of about 2,000 needed something, thank god Larry could really juggle. They even sent a nice, totally unexpected cheque a month or so later.

It works.