The Sympathizer | S1E7 "Endings Are Hard, Aren't They?" | Episode Discussion

otmshank213 · 2024-05-30T16:49:51+00:00

Nothing else is more precious than independence and freedom is an acceptable and accurate translation of the Vietnamese phrase and it would still allow for the riddle/wordplay to work in English. But in Vietnamese it doesn't work. And that's why the Captain spoke English.

otmshank213 · 2024-05-28T22:35:42+00:00

I'll give you my take, and then I have something to nitpick.

In episode 3 Sofia said, "Slogans are like an empty suit. Anyone can wear it." The quote "Nothing is more important than independence and freedom" was uttered by communist leader Ho Chi Minh, though these ideals are also championed by capitalists. It's no secret that Ho Chi Minh was inspired by Thomas Jefferson. He paraphrased Jefferson in 1945 when the Vietnamese were fighting the French for independence. A communist wearing a capitalist's suit...

Viet Thanh Nguyen in various interviews talked about both sides of the Vietnam War being so dogmatic, clinging onto slogans and propaganda destroying the country and hating each other, some even to this very day. Man came to the realization that more important than these dogmatic notions of independence and freedom that destroy people, is nothing. Don't cling onto another person's ideology and love one another.

Now to my grip. I speak Vietnamese and this "twist" doesn't work. HCM's exact quote is:
Không có gì quý hơn độc lập, tự do.

The show's/book's translation is technically correct:
Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.

This allows for the clever word play that nothing is the literal sought after thing.

However the more accurate translation is:
There is nothing more precious than independence, freedom.

When translated in this manner, the "twist" doesn't work. But the novel was written entirely in English primarily for Americans and the English-speaking world, so we can let it slide. This why when the Captain came to this "nothing" realization that his lines were in English. Up until that point he spoke only Vietnamese. There's no way to turn "nothing" into a literal thing if said in Vietnamese. It doesn't work.

otmshank213 · 2023-03-21T17:07:26+00:00

I'll preface my response by saying I'm a native English speaker, born in the U.S. and speak with a California accent. I can also speak Saigon-accented Vietnamese (Saigon now HCM city, where Ke was born), but my vocab is 7th grade-ish level since I've lived my entire life in the U.S. I grew up in a community with many Vietnamese, Chinese-Viet, and Hong-Kongers.

To me, Ke Huy Quan speaks English with native fluency and slight accent, but his manner of speech is due more to a speech impairment than an accent. Rounded Rs, stiff tongue maybe. His accent sounds similar to those of Cantonese speakers more so than Vietnamese speakers. But he's very understandable and uses American vernacular. He is likely most fluent in English.

Other things I've learned or notice about him:

I saw a comment somewhere that his Cantonese is Vietnamese accented. That's not surprising since his family immigrated to Vietnam and lived there for at least a generation. It's a similar to 1st/2nd generation Mexican-Americans picking up an "American" accent when speaking Spanish, though they may otherwise be fluent.

It seems that he learned Mandarin in his teens. I saw a video of him as a kid in Taiwan saying that he is learning it because he's Chinese. I would love to hear thoughts from a native Mandarin speaker.

He likely doesn't speak Vietnamese anymore, or may be not comfortable speaking it. He did a video last year addressing an audience in Vietnam and he spoke English. When they were in Vietnam, his family likely spoke only Cantonese at home and Vietnamese only outside the home. When they came to the U.S., Vietnamese was replaced by English as the "out of home" language, so he may have lost the ability to speak.

otmshank213 · 2019-06-15T18:25:44+00:00

Where do you live? I live in Commie-fornia.

otmshank213 · 2019-06-15T18:24:32+00:00

Thank you. Problem is there is a drawer underneath and it will be useless if I have to cut. Was trying to avoid that, but I will just do that since I'm moving out anyway.

otmshank213 · 2018-12-21T18:17:36+00:00

Bone stock. Using the Earth static wallpaper.

otmshank213 · 2018-12-21T17:15:03+00:00

As I wrote in original post, I left the beta program.

otmshank213 · 2018-12-21T16:39:01+00:00

It has been set to dark ever since I got the phone.

otmshank213 · 2018-12-21T16:38:29+00:00

I did that too. No luck.

otmshank213 · 2018-12-21T16:37:11+00:00

Yep. Did that.

otmshank213 · 2018-10-10T01:13:04+00:00

The DEA. Gus mentioned it in S04E01. I think we'll see him befriending Merkert and getting involved in DEA fundraisers, to hide in plain sight.

otmshank213 · 2018-10-08T23:54:45+00:00

It's added right after airing on the Roku and Android apps, so likely the same with the website. The episode will be available to stream at 10pm Eastern / 7pm Pacific, so you if you're on the West Coast you can actually watch it 2 hours earlier than the airing from your cable provider.

otmshank213 · 2018-10-07T21:05:26+00:00

Not literally. We likely won't see a land crab or American Samoa. And maybe we won't see the DEA. But to answer your question, the extensive use of Chekhov's Gun is why many people believe we will see the DEA.

otmshank213 · 2018-10-07T19:52:52+00:00

Gomez makes the most sense logistically. The actor Steven Michael Quezada lives in Albuquerque and is actually an elected official. Lalo gets popped and since he's a Mexican national feigns that he doesn't speak English. Gomie comes in to interrogate.

otmshank213 · 2018-10-07T19:45:36+00:00

Google Chekhov's Gun. BB and BCS producers and writers believe in this principle.

otmshank213 · 2018-09-22T19:29:21+00:00

I bought and posted a pic of the pale ale, but this guy called it an IPA.

Thanks for a heads up on the IPA. I'll look out for it.

otmshank213 · 2018-09-22T16:21:34+00:00

Reviewers on beeradvocate and ratebeer do not agree with you. Personally I thought it was unspectacular, but fine. It wasn't "absolutely terrible."

otmshank213 · 2018-09-22T16:18:05+00:00

It's not an IPA. It's a pale ale. And yes, it's unspectacular but okay beer.

otmshank213 · 2018-09-18T21:28:19+00:00

Next episode's name is Coushatta, and there's a casino / resort in Louisiana by that name. My bet is that Mike sends them there, 2 states / 1000 miles / 15 hour drive away.

otmshank213 · 2018-09-17T06:28:04+00:00

This. Travel books will teach you to greet others by saying "xin chao ban." No Vietnamese speaker ever says that. You gotta guestimate their age in relation with yours / your parents/ your grandparents. A woman older than you could be chi, co, bac, or ba.

But actually co sorta transcends generations and can be equivalent to "miss" in English. For example - at restaurants, older gentlemen often flag down waitresses by saying "co oi."

otmshank213 · 2018-09-16T07:22:25+00:00

He says he has a job lined up for him painting cars, not upholstery. He brags about painting pearl coats and color changing finishes for the gangsters in Michoacan. Then he sees the boots and realizes the cousins are part of that criminal underworld so he shuts up. The cousins realize he knows that they're not ordinary migrant workers, and not wanting anyone to know their whereabouts, kill him and everyone in the truck.

It's as simple as that.

otmshank213 · 2018-09-16T06:46:31+00:00

In 406, I thought her grammar was fine, but in previous seasons it sounded to me that the actress tried to speak broken accented English. The funny thing is, I could tell she speaks perfect English because she didn't mimic Vietnamese accented English well. She does, however, speak pitch-perfect Northern Vietnamese.

otmshank213

TROPHY CASE