Cold in Translation

Language is a fascinating thing. Even though you can usually find a translation for most words from one language into another, these words can still mean very different things when used in different situations and different countries. By translating the word, you are not necessarily translating the concept. Take the word "cold", for example. I can easily translate this into any language....froid in French, kylmä in Finnish, frío in Spanish....but what does the term "cold" actually mean?  Of course the answer depends on who you are asking!

In England you can be pretty certain that as soon as the temperature falls below plus ten degrees, you will hear people complaining about the "cold". When we lived for a summer in Ecuador two years ago, most days it was around plus eighteen, but the weather was regularly referred to as "cold".  In Finland though, the starting point is a very different one. Here we have very clearly defined seasons, and to the mind of a Finnish person, winter has not properly arrived until there is snow on the ground. Minus five is still considered to be mild.

This week though, I have heard the word "kylmä" used a thousand times. Now, even the Finns admit that the real "cold" has finally arrived! The truth is though, that it got to -15 before I heard anyone complaining - before that it was still considered to be fairly mild. At five this morning it went down to -26 degrees.  Now that is cold. Even to the Finns! (And I should add here that in Kuusamo last night they recorded temperatures of -38.) The simple truth is that the Finns have no choice other than to be prepared for winters - and here, life goes on no matter how cold it actually gets. I should add that the general rule for children at school and nursery is that they play outside every day until the temperature gets to -15, after which going outside becomes optional. There is a fair possibility that if children were taken outside to play in -15 in the UK, Social Services would quickly be called to the scene to investigate!

 
There are problems though. After our car surrendered two days ago, we then woke up this morning to find that we had no running water. In fact our pipes had frozen and the water meter had burst open. Although I speak pretty good Finnish, these are the situations when my vocabulary simply does not extend to what I am trying to explain. I am not an expert on plumbing in English, but in Finnish I hardly know where to start. Still, after a couple of silly conversations where I tried to explain that the "the thing that looks like a clock" was broken, a man from the water board called Jarmo came to our rescue, so we now have a new meter and running water again, and I have learnt a few more Finnish words in the process.

So if you are reading this from somewhere other than Finland -the next time you think you are feeling cold you might like to give us a little thought. You're probably actually not really cold at all... at the end of the day, it's just a matter of perspective! And if it makes you feel any better, I've heard that it's raining in Miami...