I watched the French language leaders debate last night. It sucked! The format was awful - three opposition leaders and the Green leader beating up on Stephen Harper. And Harper, when he could get a word in (in the voice of a high pitched, lithping interpretor), came off flat.
So, tonight, having had enough Canuck-style aggravation for one week, I skipped the English language debate and watched the U.S. VP debate. It was excellent. Sarah Palin did very well - she held her own against the much more experienced Joe Biden who also did very well. Maybe the McCain ticket has been revived - once again.
Update (Oct 3): Couldn't help myself. I've now seen the playback of last night's English language debate. Luckily I could fast forward through large chunks of it. Compared to the Palin/Biden debate it came across as uncivil and juvenile - someone said it was a little like a two hour episode of Question Period only with the opposition all shouting simultaneously. I don't know how Harper mangaged to keep his cool through it all. That Jack Layton is sure an aggressive, nasty, insulting piece of work. If Harper had said some of those things there'd be no end of the MSM's piling on about what an angry, mean-spirited right-winger he was.
So true about the translators. Some of them drive me nuts.
ReplyDeleteSome of them make puffing and blowing and gasping noises which makes concentrating on what is being said, difficult. Lisping translators also do that. However, for me the most annoying habit which most of them have( is there one that doesn't?) is the adding of 'zuh' or 'uh' after almost every word.
Surely if they are considered to be skilled in English they should realize that this is not how English is pronounced. We do not add an extra syllable. eg 'principles' not 'principleszuh' and 'oil sands' not oilsandszuh.
What is really weird is to hear someone with an Australian accent or a Scottish accent adding 'zuh' after every word.
Jack Layton, sadly, thinks he is very clever and witty, and he isn't. He often sounds petulant and jeering, wanting to be admired, rather than making points about what he stands for. His childish and nasty comments about Stephen Harper's sweaters were silly.