Rosetta Stone Language Instruction

[Muncle]

Y'all have seen the ads for Rosetta Stone on late night television. Early in the commercial, they talk about how the program is being used by various government agencies, including NASA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense. Has anyone else wondered what languages they are teaching NASA? Can you picture the contracting officer ordering 10 copies of Advanced Martian and 5 copies of Conversational Venusian?

I know it's no big deal. It just seemed awfully incongruous to me.

[Taltarzac]

Makes some sense to me but it is 4:44 in the morning. ;D

[graciegirl]

Je ne sais pas. :dontknow:

[784caroline]

If you think about it, NASA is heavily involved with the International Space Station and actually has astronauts in Space with Russians and spacemen of other nationalities. NASA is much bigger than simply the USA

[Muncle]

But that is such a bland answer. It would be so much more exciting if they were concerned about future destinations and just who was coming through the stargate.

And it should be just the US. It's NASA, not IASA or UNASA.

[Boomer]

Earth to Munc, Come in, Munc

Interesting to think about, but when I saw what you wrote about the government agency use of the Rosetta Stone, what I immediately thought about was could there maybe be one to work the other way. Could I buy something to help me to translate what in the heck some of these government agencies are talking about? The Tax Code comes to mind.


btw, I have to know. Who's the new guy? The one in the picture. One time long ago, I went around for awhile thinking that maybe Gutenberg was Geoffrey Chaucer. But the beard was not right. And it bothered me. So I finally asked you and you told me true. Please tell me this time, too. I have absolutely no idea. Who's the new guy?

Boomer

[Muncle]

btw, I have to know. Who's the new guy? Boomer


Niccolo Machiavelli

No reason at all. Just thought it was time to change. I did so rather late at night and was feeling a tad princely.

On, and FYI, there is no known translator of governmentese to common English, primarily because governmentese is not consistent from one department to another. As many bureaucrats will reluctantly admit, it is often very difficult for people from different agencies to communicate.

[Taltarzac]

Niccolo Machiavelli

No reason at all. Just thought it was time to change. I did so rather late at night and was feeling a tad princely.

On, and FYI, there is no known translator of governmentese to common English, primarily because governmentese is not consistent from one department to another. As many bureaucrats will reluctantly admit, it is often very difficult for people from different agencies to communicate.



Machiavelli. I thought he looked familiar, Muncle. ;D

Think many bureaucrats and lawyers find it is in their best interest to be as abstruse as possible. That is to say-- they like to give the impression that they are the only ones who can read the animal entrails, tea leaves, or whatever as this seems to have been going on since before Solomon.

[Boomer]

Niccolo Machiavelli
No reason at all. Just thought it was time to change. I did so rather late at night and was feeling a tad princely.


Munc,

I am happy to hear that you were feeling princely. I am so happy that it was not because you were feeling Machiavellian.

And speaking of governmentese, bureaucrats, and such. All those things of that mad, mad world that is DC. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of a book called Night of the Avenging Blowfish: A Novel of Covert Operations, Love, and Luncheon Meat. The author is John Welter.

Before I go any further, I have to confess that this is one of those quasi book reviews that I have done here from time to time. You see, I never finished the book. It was recommended to me by two people who share my kind of sense of humor. They had found it to be pretty hilarious reading. I bought the book. But I was telling someone else about it and somehow ended up saying, "Oh, go ahead and take it and read it. I'll finish it later." I do that sometimes.

Anyway, one of the subplots is about a covert "spookball" game between the Secret Service and the CIA. It's a baseball game, but considering who's playing, the planning is just nuts. Hard to explain.

I just looked it up on Amazon and the reviews are mixed. But I laugh at the same kind of stuff as the two people who said I would like Night of the Avenging Blowfish so I am going to track the book down again and finish it this time. Then maybe I could write something about it that would not be so lame.

What am I doing up so late?

I should never be allowed to type after midnight.

Goodnight.

Boomer