translated by: Eric Barenboim
(any improvement or advice on the translation will be appreciated)
Children and younglings are immigrants, not in space: in time,
immigrants in a world where grown-ups are citizen.
We can be completely sure that both children and immigrants:
– Don’t want to make mistakes, they hate it.
– Wouldn’t want to be the slowest ones.
– If they could make you like them, without betraying themselves, they’d love it.
– If they could be accepted by the whole group, they’d love it.
– If you, teacher, where their role model… you’d love it.
– If every day was a good day, we’d love it.
– If they could make you cherish them, they’d love it.
– if you could make them cherish you, you’d love it.
If we think ourselves as immigrants, children are looking for…
… the same we’d ask to anyone who introduces us to his country:
to be coherent;
that we don’t lie
that we really believe and love what we do
that we knew more, but on important things
that we don’t mock
that we defend them against injustice
that we don’t act as if everything was perfect, but neither to transmit disenchantment;
to be effective in the world
to be patient with their mistakes, but not to let them get out with all of them;
not to think they’ll believe anything
not to be over-demanding – but neither that we will cheer no matter what;
to be regular folks and treat them like the people they are
and please, that we’ll be as fun as we can be.
© Luis Pescetti
Hola Luis, soy Matias, un (ex?)alumno de Arte Para Crecer en Lima. Ahora estoy de instructor en la facultad de educacion aca en la Universidad de Toronto y estoy ensenando un curso de educacion musical en el que utilizo mucho esta metafora y estas reflexiones que nos regalas. Aqui te dejo algunas sugerencias para la traduccion que pienso que podrian comunicar mas claramente el espiritu con el que lo escribiste en el original.
Gracias por todo lo que haces! y que sepas que hasta las tundras heladas del Canada han llegado tus juegos e ideas…. 🙂
(he puesto un asterisco donde hice una correccion)
Children and younglings are immigrants, not in space *but in time,
immigrants in a world where grown-ups are citizen.
We can be completely sure that both children and immigrants:
– Don’t want to make mistakes, they hate it.
– Wouldn’t want to be the slowest ones.
– If they could *be liked by you, without betraying themselves, they’d love it.
– If they could be accepted by the whole group, they’d love it.
– If you*, the teacher, *were their role model… you’d love it.
– If every day was a good day, we’d love it.
– If they *could be cherished by you, they’d love it.
– if you * could be cherished by you, you’d love it.
If we think ourselves as immigrants, children are looking for…
… the same we’d ask *of anyone who introduces us to *their country:
*that we be coherent;
that we don’t lie
that we really believe and love what we do
that we know more *than them, but about the important stuff
that we don’t mock *them
that we *stand up for them against injustice
that we don’t act as if everything was perfect, but that we also don’t convey disillusionment
*that we be effective in the world
*that we be patient with their mistakes, but that we don’t let them get away with all of them;
*that we don’t to think they’ll believe anything *we say
*that we are not over-demanding – but that we don’t cheer anything they do;
*that we be regular folks and treat them like the people they are
and please, that we’ll be as fun as we can be.