For my generation, at least, a great portion of the “knowledge” that people have about the USA comes from TV. Holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving may not be observed here but at least people have heard of them thanks to their favorite series. Elements of American “culture” show up all of the time and more than once I’ve found myself saying, “have you seen the episode when…” to explain something I’m talking about. Be it boy scouts, science fairs, or the bookmobile.
Friends and the Simpsons are by far the most commonly-used “dictionaries.” Seinfeld, however, never managed to fully push into the Spanish market. Although it’s a mystery to me, the show simply didn’t gain the success here that some of the other series did. Although I find myself wanting to refer to it in normal conversation, I limit myself to the shows which I know were widely viewed here.
Perhaps TV is a universal language as long as you stick to the script.
1 comment:
I am not sure why Seinfeld was not picked up quite the same because I feel that it's very relatable - every day things and situations! And they live in a big city, just like in Madrid! It's the same scenario as Friends...having friends living across the hall in an apartment building and frequently gathering in a coffee shop to talk about life. Sarcasm is present in both shows. Maybe it was the level of attractiveness of the characters. Hm. But it is interesting that comparing things from another country to TV shows or movies makes it so much easier to understand. Good point! For me viewing other countries, the Sound of Music demonstrated how life was in Austria during a time period....same with films like Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof, etc.
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