Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Translation Please?

The world was a swirl of vibrant colours. Sweet flowers wafted down the street along with the smells of rush hour traffic, the smoke from the afternoon market, and the pungent odour of the durian sold by street-side vendors. Lizzie walked as if in a daze, turning round and round trying to take everything in. And trying not to get hit by cyclists, other pedestrians, street dogs, motorcycles, or even other cars that had taken to the sidewalk. Three blocks to the market could seem a long way when it was as humid as it often was in the afternoon. Lizzie tried to keep careful tabs in her head on what she planned to buy. The market could be a busy and distracting place. Maybe some fish, some rice paddies, and fresh fruit for the next day. She would stop for an iced coffee on the way back to her apartment.
She stepped into the market and immediately felt the familiar mix of panic and claustrophobia sweeping over her. She did her best to keep out of the way of the other shoppers desperately searching her brain for the phrase meaning "excuse me" or "I'm sorry." It always eluded her.
Through the crowd she saw the smiling face of the fruit vendor, "Canada!" he called in his nasal accent.
"Sawadee ka." She replied. She wished he would tell her his name. She had tried to ask but he did not seem to understand the question.
"Sawadee krub." He smiled.
"Mango." she said, pointing at the mangoes, "One." She held up one finger.
He put a juicy yellow mango in a bag for her.
"Rambutan." she said now, pointing at the rambutans, "1 kilo." She held up a finger for one again.
"1 kilo?" he echoed in his nasal accent, and held up one finger.
Lizzie nodded. He placed a bag on his scale and began to fill it.
"How ... are ... you?" his wife said slowly, smiling all the while.
"I am good. Thank you." Lizzie replied, "How are you?"
"Very ... good." she answered.
The fruit vendor said. "Haa sip baht. Fif-ty."
Lizzie reached for 60 baht from her purse. She received a 10 baht coin in return.
"Kob khun krub, Canada."
"Kob khun ka."

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