While discussing the economic crisis at lunch the other day, my Argentinean colleague informed me that, “el rey estaba cazando elefantes en Africa.” Hearing the z as an s, I heard, casando (marrying) instead of cazando (hunting) and translated even that poorly into, “the king was marrying elephants in Africa.”
I began to wonder if this meant that the king was conducting marriage ceremonies between elephants or was making a point by in fact marrying an elephant. This distraction meant that I only tuned back in at the end of the conversation, and by then my boss was drawing a comparison between the king and the Spanish equivalent of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Both political figures had made headlines recently. The king had hurt his hip in Africa, causing the paparazzi to highlight this particular hunting trip (apparently, the king hunts often). Many citizens were frustrated with the king for taking such an extravagant trip during the economic crisis. Therefore, the king apologized, and the headlines ended. Continue reading