Watched a really good play called Chinglish yesterday. It made me realize how much Chinese I've forgotten, haha. Most of the play had subtitles projected onto the background, oftentimes to show the difference between what the American guy says in English and how the translator decides to say it in Chinese and vice versa. ("I like your bluntness." --> "He appreciates your rudeness.") But beyond the conflict in language, the larger message is the essential difference between cultures & ways of thinking, culminating in an irreconcilable conflict between the values of the main protagonists. (Which is essentially, living for your family [even at the expense of your own happiness] vs living for yourself.)
Along the way, some similar themes are explored, such as a foreigner's place in Chinese society and Chinese people's views of the US & of their own country. The latter is particularly important for US audiences to hear; the Chinese lead actress laughs when the American yells, "China strong, US weak!" and replies in Chinese with something to the effect of, "That's why you Americans are so hard to beat. You act like you're weak even when you're so strong."
So yeah. Good stuff. To end on a light note, here's an email my boss just sent in regards to a tweet I wrote for the kids on the site:
:P
EDIT: OMG. I just found out about an Australian organization that uses The Girl Who Leapt Through Time as an educational resource. Australians are amazing!!
EDIT 2: Shoot, they also use Summer Wars. Aussies must love Mamoru Hosoda?
