Contributors


Writing Program
English Dept

A Seminar in Bulgaria:

This journal activity involves:

• Reading a brief narrative
• Discussing the narrative
• Reading a sequel to the first narrative
• Discussing the sequel to the first narrative
• Discussing both parts of the narrative

Activity Instructions---Part One of Two

• Read the narrative
• Form a group with at least two others
• Discuss the items in "Things to Ponder---Part One"

A Seminar in Bulgaria—Part One

In 1996, I traveled to southern Bulgaria to give a presentation at a seminar on rural telecommunication cooperatives because I ostensibly had a lot of knowledge about the subject. Before leaving for Bulgaria, it seemed appropriate to make an effort to learn the language and customs of the Bulgarians I would be talking to. My relatively quick apprehension of the language basics was helped by four quarters of studying Russian in high school.

Still, Bulgaria is not Russia, and the Bulgarians have the peculiar custom of rocking ones head side-to-side, as opposed to nodding up-and-down, to indicate agreement. So, after six weeks of reading, listening to tapes, and practicing in my spare time, I felt capable of politely accepting a slice of zebra for breakfast after thinking I had ordered scrambled eggs.

On the day of the seminar in the town of Zlatograd, I shared my expert knowledge in a small room full of Bulgarian government workers, businessmen, and telecommunications professionals. Of course, this sharing was only made possible by the efforts of Boyan Genov, a professional translator. From my perspective, the experience was like watching a film of a distant lightning strike played backwards. I’d hear my own words as I spoke—the thunder.

Then, following a delay as Boyan translated, I would see the reaction in the faces of my audience—the lightning. The first time I saw the head of a Bulgarian man with a nice tie rocking from side-to-side I momentarily misinterpreted the motion as a western wagging from side-to-side to communicate, “No,” non-verbally. Reflexively, I began to wonder what he was objecting to. As I was beginning to ask (through Boyan, my interpreter) the nice-tie man if he had an objection, my pre-trip studying kicked in. I corrected my misinterpretation with no one the wiser and saved myself from a potential miscommunication based on associating a wrong meaning with a non-verbal communication act.

Looking back on that experience, there are a couple of observations related to language and knowledge that seem critical. First, whenever I “thundered” a crucial point in spoken English, the only one to react meaningfully to my words was Boyan. Second, only when Boyan translated my words into the Bulgarian’s native tongue did the “lightning” of new knowledge flash across the other Bulgarian faces.

Things to Ponder—Part One

1. When I spoke in English, was there a meaningful transfer of knowledge from me to the Bulgarians who did not understand English?
2. When Boyan spoke in Bulgarian, was there a meaningful transfer of knowledge from him to the Bulgarians who did not understand English, or was there some other phenomena taking place? (If there was some other phenomena, can you describe it?)
3. Can knowledge be directly transferred from one person to another through language?
4. Can you describe any means by which knowledge can be directly transferred from one person to another?

Activity Instructions---Part Two of Two

• Read the narrative (Part Two)
• Form a group with at least two others
• Discuss the items in "Things to Ponder---Part Two"
• Discuss the items in "Things to Ponder---Part Three"

A Seminar in Bulgaria—Part Two

After my presentation was over, with Boyan’s assistance I got to “converse” with key members of the audience.

• The Zlatograd economic development manager spoke enthusiastically about specific economic impacts a telecommunication cooperative might have on this rural town even though my presentation contained only general notions about rural economics.
• Stojan Beshirov, the manager of a local clothing factory, talked about the operational benefits that his factory might realize if a telecommunication cooperative were established locally, but I had not talked about his operations in my presentation.

Keep in mind that Boyan, my translator, did not have expertise in telecommunications, rural economics, or business operations—he was just a translator.

Things to Ponder—Part Two

1. Both the economic development manager and Stojan Beshirov demonstrated knowledge that was beyond the scope of my presentation on telecommunications cooperative AND beyond the scope of their personal knowledge before my presentation. Where might that “new knowledge” have come from? In other words, can you identify some possible sources of “new knowledge” from this information from "A Seminar in Bulgaria"?

Things to Ponder—Part Three (Pertaining to both parts of the narrative)

1. Can you state some tentative general principles about the behavior of knowledge with regard to how different people come to possess the same (or very similar) knowledge?
2. Can you state some tentative general principles about the behavior of knowledge with regard to the existence of knowledge? In other words, does all knowledge exist at this moment (some of it waiting to be discovered) or does some knowledge spring into existence (through some unspecified mechanism) as time progresses?

Journal Assignment:

E xplore your experience with today's journal activity and group activity. Use the questions in "Things to Ponder" (above) as a springboard.

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