wwp@yahoogroups.com:
Re: My contribution to March 20th
jes360guy 2004-Mar-28 00:09:00
--- In #removed#, "Jean-Marc Paratte" <#removed#> wrote:
> I am of French expression and I translated from French the text
which accompanies the panorama. I would wish that some people read the
text and communicate to me possible errors. Thank you in advance with
those which will read the text.
>
> Jean-Marc Paratte
>
> English:
> http://www.items.ch/panoramas/wwpano/WWPano_en.html
>
> French:
> http://www.items.ch/panoramas/wwpano/WWPano_fr.html
Jean-Marc, here is my impression of how your translation might read
better in English:
Already several days have passed since the March 20th appointment was
taken to photograph Sami the fisherman, his son, his wife and perhaps
an assistant.
If everything went as planned, there would have been plenty of
sunshine, a truly blessed day of fishing, and a mountain of fish to be
prepared for sale.
Today, though, it is raining; but that does not prevent us from
fishing, although the boat's engine died (Sami's son also has his own
small fishing boat), and the fish deserted the shallow waters (they
will return perhaps tomorrow). A few days earlier, Sami had said to
me, "sometimes, there are so many fish, we have to have 4 people
working all day long!"
Well, let us think positively. The new nets need to be checked.
Because a fishing net needs preparing and there are several steps of
manufacture, Sami buys the nets unfinished - only meshes - in Italy
close to Lake Iseo. Then a skilled woman attaches the net to the
traction cord, which is usually green. Sometimes, the nets come
directly from China. But the fish is from our place, almost: perch,
trout, pike, etc... and American crayfish!
At this point of the presentation, it would perhaps be interesting to
speak about this famous American crayfish: introduced accidentally
into European lakes, they colonized all the areas by going up the
rivers and other water paths. The crayfish is particularly unpleasant
for our friends the fishermen: enormous quantities get stuck in the
nets and cause great damage.
Sami's fishing hut was built by his father on the edge of Neuch?tel
Lake, where our ancestors (Lacustre) had established their own
dwellings on the piles. Soon, he will build a new one for his son. In
the end of 19th century, the first correction of the water level of
the Jura lowered the Lake a few meters to form the 3 distinct Lakes:
Bienne, Morat and Neuch?tel.
The techniques of fishing have not changed much since then - one still
uses nets - but the modern fishermen are now conscious of the impact
of fishing, the renewal of species, the problems of pollution, etc...
The only concessions with modernism: gasoline engines, nylon threads,
electronic balances, coffee machines, televisions and cellphones!
......I think this most closely says what you mean, although there was
some room for error here and there...
John Schwarzell