Lost in translation

Raleigh, NC

BBC compiled a list of 10 most difficult words to translate. "Saudade" a Portuguese word is ranked 7th on the list.

1. Ilunga [Tshiluba word for a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time; to tolerate it a second time; but never a third time. Note: Tshiluba is a Bantu language spoken in south-eastern Congo, and Zaire]
2. Shlimazl [Yiddish for a chronically unlucky person]
3. Radioukacz [Polish for a person who worked as a telegraphist for the resistance movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain]
4. Naa [Japanese word only used in the Kansai area of Japan, to emphasise statements or agree with someo
5. Altahmam [Arabic for a kind of deep sadness]
6. Gezellig [Dutch for cosy]
7. Saudade [Portuguese for a certain type of longing]
8. Selathirupavar [Tamil for a certain type of truancy]
9. Pochemuchka [Russian for a person who asks a lot of questions]
10. Klloshar [Albanian for loser]

Learning Brazilian Portuguese I have struggled to understand the meaning of "Saudade". Saudade is ingrained in the Brazilian psyche and this word gets a lot of play in the Brazilian novelas (soaps). These novelas are a national pass time in Brazil. Last year a novela "Caminhas das Indias" (Path to India) was a huge hit in Brazil. This novela was filmed in India and Brazil with the story line being a Brazilian woman falling for an Indian guy who travels between India and Brazil. Last time I visited Brazil, I found Brazilians to be very inquisitive about India. My guess is that part of the inquisitiveness was fuelled by this novela playing on prime time.



The sub titles in the video are in Spanish. That's because Novelas made by Globo TV in Brazil, play in the Spanish speaking countries in Latin America as well.

Coming back to the word "Saudade", Wikipedia describes it as a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist ... a turning towards the past or towards the future". The word has it's roots in the Portuguese maritime tradition. Women and children were left behind when the men ventured out on long sea voyages. Women left behind felt a longing for their loved ones with no control of when they can meet again, if ever. Immigrants to Brazil from all over the world felt a longing for the homelands they left behind.

I can say that I feel "Saudade" for India as I have a longing, a collection of fond experiences and feelings about India but don't know if and when I will go back to India. The fatalism element of "Saudade" is what has been difficult for me to comprehend. I hope my time at HEC is so fantastic and filled with great experiences that I have a "Saudade" for it once I finish my MBA.

Ate Mais... Tchau!

Portuguese learning

Raleigh, NC

For anyone learning Brazilian Portuguese, I found this cool site which is proving very helpful to me in learning the language and more about Brazil. The lessons have a wealth of information about Brazilian culture and customs.

http://brazilianportuguesepod.com/

Verbs and Verb tenses in Portuguese can be quite intimidating. This website has a good overview of Portuguese grammar.

http://www.sonia-portuguese.com/

Ate Mais

Tchau!

Rosetta Stone

Raleigh, NC

I bought the Rosetta stone (French) software a few weeks back. The Level 1,2 and 3 along with the audio companion put me back by $480. Enrolling in an institute for French classes was an even expensive proposition.

So far I give the software high points. I don't believe that the software is enough to build good vocabulary but it does help understand the language basics. I hope to learn just about enough with this software to get by in France. I am conflicted about how much effort I should put into French language training. Post MBA I plan to work in Brazil, so it might be better to focus fully on learning Portuguese?

Talking about Portuguese and Brazil, there is an ad campaign running there encouraging people to pee in the shower to conserve water.

The idea might sound gross to some but I think it's a very practical idea to save water. Would I do it? I will leave that for a later post :)

Why HEC?

Raleigh, NC

School selection during the MBA admissions process can be quite stressful. Researching the schools, determining the fit and creating a list of schools which one wants to apply to can take weeks if not months. I applied to the following schools

HEC Paris - admitted with 13K Euros scholarship

LBS - Dinged without interview.

IE Business School Madrid - Admitted

After living for 8 years in the USA, I felt the need to further expand my international experience. An MBA in Europe seemed to be an attractive option. I wanted to attend an MBA program longer than the 10 month or 1 year programs which most European schools offer. LBS and HEC were the best fit for me in terms of program duration and structure. IE was my backup plan.

LBS provides no feedback about their admission process. I can only guess as to the reasons why I was dinged. Probably my GMAT score was low? (700). Overall, I am super excited about starting the MBA program in September 2010 at HEC. HEC has fantastic dual degree programs. I plan to pursue the one with FGV, Sao Paulo. I am taking Portuguese and French classes and I can only hope that I don't mix them all up.

Getting started

Raleigh, NC

I am a September 2010 admit to the HEC Paris MBA program. I plan to pursue the dual degree program between HEC Paris and FGV, Sao Paulo, Brazil. I am an Indian IT professional living in the USA for the past 8 years. During the MBA admissions process, I found the blogs of others to be very helpful. Through this blog, I plan to share my experiences before and during the MBA program. I hope others find my experiences useful.