The overwhelming majority of Lebanese are trilingual, educated in Arabic, French, and English. They are well-traveled and west-oriented. If visiting an Arab country is on your bucket list but the inconvenience of mastering the native language is deterring you, do not worry we do speak your language too – with or without you.:)
We have actually spoken your language since the bottom of the very first branch of the cedar tree started growing that we have forgotten how to express ourselves natively.
This story is all too familiar. You are on your way somewhere, when suddenly you find yourself stuck in traffic. It is not a typical rush hour time of day and normally traffic does not get backed up like this. You figure there must be an accident or some type of serious incident up ahead just out of sight. You slowly creep your way forward, bumper to bumper, continually looking for the flashing lights of ambulances and police cars; the telltale signs of a roadway incident. Then, all of a sudden, traffic begins to move normally again. There is no sign of an accident, incident, or any other cause of the slowdown in traffic. What happened?
Usually, these situations result in a string of various profanities and harsh accusations aimed at fellow drivers’ mothers and driving capabilities.
In reality, there are so many variables involved in something like a traffic jam but in most cases, some driver was definitely being “inconsiderate”.
To make things worse, let us assume you are very polite to even thinking about letting your tongue move against your morals, but at the same time, you feel it! Your blood rushes to your head; your heart is pounding heavily against your chest. Your adrenaline is racing, a burning sensation creeps throughout your body, you feel violent and explosive as your countenance changes, and all this misery can be eradicated if the fearful sentence have been pronounced in Arabic “Man, you’re inconsiderate!”
The translation of this word and others like “Déjà/Already” seems to be frustrating many out there and linguists would like to help.
Suggestions are welcome and cash is ready. Please share.
If you stick around long enough to listen, you will realize that locals from different parts of the globe will respond to your worries and concerns in a single worldview context, attempting to help you with one simple saying – “Que sera, sera”, each in their own language.
Americans would tell you “that’s just the way it goes!”, “that’s life, my friend”, “it is what it is”, or “that’s the way the cookie crumbles”, in reacting to unfortunate or unavoidable events.
The French will shrug their shoulders and say, “Eh ben, c’est la vie” to describe situations beyond one’s control.
No worries, mate! The Australian’s laid-back approach to life.
In Lebanon and most Arab nations, “Insha’allah” (God will) is the constant reminder that human beings are not in control. However, the Lebanese sometimes use it sarcastically to mean “never!” or “you wish!” (Special funny nation).
“Cosi è la vita” the Italians will sing it to you in their lovely, melodic accent.
Whether we do shape our destiny through our intentions and actions or not, I believe we all sometimes need to throw up our hands out and up in the air and say, “Whatever!”, “Que sera, sera!”- Even if for just a few seconds…
Freddie Mercury sang, “C’est la vie” in “There Must Be More To Life Than This”.
Shania Twain also sang “C’est la vie, that’s life and that’s how it’s going to be”.
Jason Mraz uses the phrase C’est la vie in his song “Dream Life of Rand McNally”.
Needless to remind you, Doris Day in “Que sera, sera”.
Finally, la crème de la crème – That’s Life by Sinatra.
Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race
Do you know other translations of this expression? Please share.
The famous logo of Philip Morris used on the cover of Marlboro cigarettes is the famous Latin phrase coined by Roman general and consul Julius Caesar in 47 BC, and it translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
In May of 47 B.C., after Julius Caesar had left a pregnant Cleopatra, soon to bear their son Caesarion, Caesar defeated Pharnaces of Pontus near the town of Zela. Caesar claimed he routed and captured the enemy in 4 hours. To inform the Senate of his victory, Caesar succinctly wrote, Veni, Vidi, Vici “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
Today it is a common Latin term used often in music, art, literature, and entertainment.
Music
In “Encore“, a rap single recorded by Jay-Z from his 2003 album “The Black Album”, as well as in “Numb/Encore”, co-recorded with Linkin Park, Jay-Z refers to this line by singing:
I came, I saw, I conquered, from record sales, to sold out concerts
The title song for the hit Broadway musical “Mame” (written by Jerry Herman) contains the lyrics: You came, you saw, you conquered, And absolutely nothing is the same
You Came, You Saw, You Conquered is the title of a song by Phil Spector, Irvin Levine, & Toni Wine, recorded by the Ronettes:
Ooh, you came, you saw, you conquered all the love in me
Oh baby, you came, you saw, you turned your lovin’ right on at me.
In Blink 182′s song, Adam’s Song, the second verse begins, “I never conquered, rarely came“.
Shows
In Ocean’s Eleven, Rubin states that a man who tried to rob a casino was killed, saying, ‘He came, he grabbed, they conquered.’
In an episode of Johnny Bravo, the title character says, ‘I came, I saw, I broke a hip.’
In Ghostbusters, Bill Murray parodies the phrase in referring to the capture of Slimer: ‘We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!’
In the Asterix comic Obelix and Co., the Roman know-it-all Preposterus tells the Centurion of Totorum ‘Veni, Vidi and we’ll see if Vici.’
Business
Apple Computer gave attendees of its 2006 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a t-shirt with the phrase “Veni. Vidi. Codi” – “I came. I saw. I coded.”
Veni, Vidi, Wiki was the tagline of WikiCamp, an unconference on Wikis held at Chennai, India.
Finally, some modern, up-to-date versions (my favorites):
Veni, Vidi, Visa – I Came, I Saw, I went shopping
Veni, Vidi, V8 - I Came, I Saw, I went very quickly
Veni, Vidi, Vamoose – I Came, I Saw, I Left
Veni, Vidi, Fiji – I Came, I Saw, I ran away as far as possible
Veni, Vidi, VCR – I Came, I Saw, I went home and rented the video
The OK sign is done by connecting the thumb and forefinger into a circle and holding the other fingers straight or relaxed in the air. The most common interpretation of this sign is OK. However, it is not always OK to use it as it may be interpreted differently.
In Brazil, Germany, and Russia, giving the OK sign will insult the locals and cause you trouble. So, never use it unless you are in a “bring on the fight” kind of mood.
In Japan, this gesture stands for coins and money. Therefore, watch your fingers when transacting with Japanese to avoid being misinterpreted as requesting for a bribe.
In France and Australia, the meaning is negative. It stands for “zero” or “worthless”.
In Turkey and Iran, simply avoid it all together!
In Lebanon, the Lebanese are very OK with that, so feel free to express your approval and satisfaction.
The overwhelming majority of Lebanese are trilingual, educated in Arabic, French, and English. They are well-traveled and west-oriented. If visiting an Arab country is on your bucket list but the inconvenience of mastering the native language is deterring you, do not worry we do speak your language too – with or without you.:)
