Another translator of “Lost in Translation” that picked up the gauntlet of answering to my questions was Maria, who did the Dutch version, available here. It’s her turn now to tell us more about the mystical land of tulips, windmills, bicycles, and weed. ;)
Enjoy!
Tell me something about your country or your language that people always get wrong
Something people get wrong, you ask? Well, let’s start with the name, shall we? Even Dutch people say Holland when they’re talking about The Netherlands. North and South Holland are actually 2 provinces in The Netherlands. So by calling the entire country Holland, it’s kind of as if you’re referring to Germany as Bavaria, or The United States as Dakota.
When people think of The Netherlands, they tend to think of it as a tiny mystical place covered by tulips, windmills, bicycles, and weed. A place that’s either inhabited by farmers and milk maids wearing wooden clogs, or by drag queens who live a life of sex, drugs & rock ’n roll. To many it comes as a surprise that neither of these stereotypes are reflective of actual day to day life of the typical Dutch person, but since it’s good for the tourism industry, the Dutch gladly keep these extreme stereotypes alive.
Funnily enough, the typical Dutch person’s character does seem to alternate between the extremes of rigid conformity and radical freedom. There’s nothing in between. “Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg” (Just behave normal, that’s crazy enough) is a popular Dutch expression because the Dutch like to think of themselves as reasonable and tolerant people. But if you ask them to modify their behaviour in a teeny, tiny way, suddenly their “FUCK YOU I WON’T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!” attitude will appear. So, yes, the Dutch do appreciate freedom and individuality, as long as it is THEIR freedom and THEIR individuality.
When it comes to the Dutch language however, it’s difficult to find a stereotype that’s wrong. Dutch pronunciation is known to be difficult to learn, the grammar illogical, the tone monotonous, and the entire language is considered, above all, useless.
Announcing you want to study this language will be met with raised eyebrows. Because why would any sane person want to spend their valuable time learning a language that is basically German without the accent? On top of that, nobody seems to want to speak it! Even the Dutch themselves will jump at the opportunity to switch to ANY other language when they notice a hint of an exotic accent coming from the person to whom they’re talking. That may be because Dutch people are generally eager to show off their language skills, but the Dutch language not being perceived as ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ will probably also have something to do with it.
One thing is definitely true about the Dutch; they are NOT proud of their language. To us, the Dutch language is as bland as the Dutch cuisine.
Conclusion: 0/5 stars, would not recommend. And that goes for the language as well as the food.
Tell me something you would recommend a tourist to try in your country or city
Call me biased, but I think my home town Breda is definitely worth a visit. First of all because it’s located on the “good side of the river” (and by good side I mean the south side of course). In the South, people are “gezellig”; meaning they enjoy the good life and a good laugh, and you won’t have to ask for help twice.
Breda has a picturesque historic heart that is the town center; it’s small enough that it’s walkable yet big enough to have everything you need. Breda is a lively city that has a vibrant nightlife and many events, because we will literally grab at any opportunity to have a party. It probably won’t surprise you that Breda has the highest density of bars and nightclubs of The Netherlands, so when you have a pub crawl, you and your drinking buddies can crawl from pub to pub literally on your hands and knees!
It also probably won’t surprise you that this region is known as the drug den of Europe. All these elements are a guarantee for a night not to remember. You probably wont even remember having been to Breda at all so you can enjoy it again and again!
You can’t say the municipality of Breda doesn’t have a sense of humour by placing this artwork right at the entrance of our town, or maybe it shows they just know their citizens really well. Meet Funnelman, supposedly a criticism of consumerism. But if you have been exposed to the drunken debauchery of carnaval in Breda, this pose may seen awfully familiar to you.
Okay, okay, I may have been a bit harsh on Dutch food before. There is some food I would actually recommend trying when you visit the Netherlands. A “frietje oorlog” (fries war) would be one of those things.
It’s a truly typical Dutch dish; French fries, Belgian mayonnaise, satay sauce stolen from their former colony Indonesia, and minced onions.
Side note: The plebeians north of the river wrongly call friet ‘patat’. Feel free to correct them ;)
Recommend me a song in your language
I don’t listen to Dutch music that often for obvious reasons. But in all honesty, there are actually a few songs that are worth listening to! And since I am incapable of making decisions of any kind ever, I will just give you the final 4 that had made it to my list.
- Links Rechts - Snollebollekes
This is a very popular carnaval song (but as you can tell by all the orange outfits, this was filmed during King’s day in a lovely town called Breda ;) ). Note the moment the crowd starts jumping from left to right!
- Ramses Shaffy - Laat me
A classic in Dutch music history.
- Rood - Marco Borsato
This one simply slaps, excellent song to shamelessly screech along with when you had a few too many.
- Wer Bisto - Twarres
I felt like I should include a song in Frisian, since it is an official language in The Netherlands and it shows quite well how Dutch, Frisian English and German are related. And because it’s a sweet song of course ;)
Recommend me a movie in your language
Schatjes (Darlings!, 1984) (IMDb)
A very dark comedy from the eighties, about teenage children who are sick of the behaviour of their irresponsible parents, so they lock them out of their house and wage a war against them. Coincidentally, also filmed in Breda ;)If you enjoyed any of the New Kids movies, you’ll probably like this one as well.
New Kids Turbo, New Kids Nitro
Recommend me a book in your language
Again difficult to choose just one since all of them are impactful and well written.
“Max Havelaar” by Multatuli, 1860. A true Dutch classic. A novel about the coffee trade during the colonial era of the Dutch East Indies. It is written as a criticism of colonialism, corruption and slavery. Till this day this book is used in Dutch schools to teach about this part of history and the effect literature can have on society and politics.
“’t Hooge Nest’ ("Sisters of Auschwitz”) by Roxanne van Iperen, 2018. Based on the true story of 2 Jewish sisters who turned their home into a center for the resistance during World War II.
“Wij zijn ons brein” ("We are our Brain") by neurobiologist Dick Swaab, 2010. Popular scientific book about the development and functioning of the human brain.
Recommend me a website or a blog from your country (in your language or in English)
This English speaking creator imitates Dutch people and does the Dunglish accent so well it makes me cringe every time I hear it!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyoPbD8o-yJ/This page is dedicated to the best and most efficient dialect of The Netherlands: Brabants!
https://www.instagram.com/brabant_memes/Everyone’s favorite grandma, and some nice recipes too :) https://www.instagram.com/p/DBy012KNlGk/
What’s your current phone or computer wallpaper? Does it have a particular meaning?
These are my 3 screens, I have wallpapers of my own holiday pictures from Germany, France and Spain.
Send me a representative photo for your country or language
A Dutch flag on a Dutch bitterbal, you will find this on almost all Dutch birthday parties :)
