Every hour or so while researching
participants for my MEP’s upcoming conference Kati, one of my supervisors,
would call me in for a clarification on what information I should be looking for. Around
3pm I heard “Austeen..Come here!”, my customary summons. In all seriousness
Kati looked at me and asked “In English, you say ‘I don’t give a shit’ when you
don’t care, so if you do care about something someone says, can you tell them ‘I
give you a shit?’” Fighting back the urge to double over laughing, I explained
generally the nature of the phrase “I don’t give a shit” and that it should be
used only in extremis as it primarily deals with excrement. These are the kinds of interactions Yasmine is missing out on in a Spanish speaking office. Propper "I dont give a shit" usage.
The
impact of phraseology and certain cultural differences, i.e. Kati’s question,
have been educational to witness and at times comical. That the EU exists and
functions at all amongst all of the clashing cultural norms and linguistic
hurdles is a testament to the ability for people to overcome differences for
common goals. But this also points to a problem that is evident within the
European Union. The amount of bureaucracy it takes to get every country on the
same page linguistically, not to mention ideologically is staggering, verging
on unfathomable. As interns, we are forbidden from disclosing the specifics of
what our MEP’s are working on but I attended a meeting today regarding some
specifics of an upcoming budget. The meeting was attended by assistants
representing the parliament, the council (executive branch,) and the member
states. It was similar to watching the popular kids try to play with the nerds and the uncool kids on the play ground. The parliamentary assistants had all of their
information ready, points to be made and argued and approached the debate in a
factual way; the member states group opened with a strong “we havnt discussed the
proposal, further we lack the authority to discuss it….” Finally the executive representatives who were generally
dressed more "fashion forward" casually finished listening to the arguments, leaned
back in their chairs, chuckled at the inability of parliament to pass
legislation and proceeded to make completely unacceptable demands.
Not
only was the difference of style, tactic and opinion obvious in the room, the
language barrier also seemed to befuddle some. This is not to say the assistants
present did not speak and understand English at a very high level, but it was
clear that I was the only native English speaker in the room. That said, even I was sometimes having
trouble discerning what was being said. I can’t imagine trying to understand a
second language being spoken with the accents that were in the room. But hey, even the Chinese struggle with translation .
There
are so many layers of barriers and walls that must be overcome within this
institution if it is to be beneficial rather than merely functional. When the working parties of the EU are
not divided by home country or language, they are divided by group and party;
if it is not one of the first two that are bogging down simple, seemingly
logical policy changes, it is inter-institutional issues slowing the process. It
is still a constant struggle here to see how the balance of power should be
aligned between the three branches of government; an issue which took decades for
America to begin to shake out, and one which each presidential action and supreme court ruling continues to develop.
For
me, the experience of parliament is still very a constant state of star-struck.
My supervisor asked me completely casually, “would you mind attending a meeting
with the Albanian Prime Minister with Mrs. Goncz.” I told her I could try to
pencil that in to my schedule. Upon meeting the Prime Minister, I will be doing my best not to repeat minute 5:28 of this video, because I value my job.
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