English UK » Vietnamese | 46 [forty-six] | In the discotheque

46 [Bốn mươi sáu] Ở trong sàn nhảy

Is this seat taken?	Chỗ này còn trống không?
May I sit with you?	Tôi có thể ngồi bên cạnh bạn không?
Sure.	Xin mời.
How do you like the music?	Bạn thấy nhạc thế nào?
A little too loud.	Hơi ồn quá.
But the band plays very well.	Nhưng ban nhạc chơi rất hay.
Do you come here often?	Bạn có hay tới đây không?
No, this is the first time.	Không, lần này là lần đầu.
I’ve never been here before.	Tôi chưa bao giờ ở đây.
Would you like to dance?	Bạn có nhảy không?
Maybe later.	Có thể tí nữa.
I can’t dance very well.	Tôi nhảy không giỏi.
It’s very easy.	Cái này dễ lắm.
I’ll show you.	Tôi chỉ cho bạn.
No, maybe some other time.	Không, hôm khác đi.
Are you waiting for someone?	Bạn đang đợi ai à?
Yes, for my boyfriend.	Phải, bạn trai của tôi.
There he is!	Ở đằng sau kia, anh ấy đến kìa.

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.