English US » Dutch | 46 [forty-six] | In the discotheque

46 [zesenveertig] In de discotheek

Is this seat taken?	Is deze plaats vrij?
May I sit with you?	Mag ik bij u komen zitten?
Sure.	Graag.
How do you like the music?	Hoe vindt u die muziek?
A little too loud.	Een beetje te hard.
But the band plays very well.	Maar de band speelt heel goed.
Do you come here often?	Komt u vaker hier?
No, this is the first time.	Nee, dit is de eerste keer.
I’ve never been here before.	Ik ben hier nog nooit geweest.
Would you like to dance?	Danst u?
Maybe later.	Later misschien.
I can’t dance very well.	Ik kan niet zo goed dansen.
It’s very easy.	Dat is heel eenvoudig.
I’ll show you.	Ik laat het u zien.
No, maybe some other time.	Nee, liever een andere keer.
Are you waiting for someone?	Wacht u op iemand?
Yes, for my boyfriend.	Ja, op mijn vriend.
There he is!	Daar komt hij net aan!

The language of pictures

A German saying goes: A picture says more than a thousand words. That means that pictures are often understood faster than speech. Pictures can also convey emotions better. Because of this, advertising uses a lot of pictures. Pictures function differently than speech. They show us several things simultaneously and in their totality. That means that the whole image together has a certain effect. With speech, considerably more words are needed. But images and speech go together. We need speech in order to describe a picture. By the same token, many texts are first understood through images. The relationship between images and speech is being studied by linguists. It also raises the question whether pictures are a language in their own right. If something is only filmed, we can look at the images. But the message of the film isn't concrete. If an image is meant to function as speech, it must be concrete. The less it shows, the clearer its message. Pictograms are a good example of this. Pictograms are simple and clear pictorial symbols. They replace verbal language, and as such are a form of visual communication. Everyone knows the pictogram for "no smoking" for example. It shows a cigarette with a line through it. Images are becoming even more important due to globalization. But you also have to study the language of images. It is not understandable worldwide, even though many think so. Because our culture influences our understanding of images. What we see is dependent on many different factors. So some people don't see cigarettes, but only dark lines.