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>> Giovanny Calderón: There is…
Wait... I’m going to shift gears here
so I don’t give away too much information.
How cool would it be if everyone could understand how awesome it is
to be a Tico [Costa Rican]? That would be cool, right? Well, let me tell you, now they can,
thanks to José and his unique dictionary: Costa Rican slang expressions translated into English.
>> Man in red shirt: Dude, what ever happened to Tocola, dude? >> José Antonio: I don’t know. He wasn’t at his crib yesterday.
I’m not sure what happened to him.
>> Man in green shirt: Me neither. I think the pig mobile showed up and took him away.
>> José Antonio: Really? Damnit man.
>> Diego Vargas: With friends,
>> José Antonio: Well, who knows what f*#$ing mess he got into…
>> Man in green shirt: It’s the same old story… That dude is…
>> Diego Vargas: And with the neighbors…
>> José Antonio: Hey! Pura vida. What’s up?
>> Man in striped shirt: Pura vida, neighbor.
>> José Antonio: Nice, nice. How’s work going?
>> Man in striped shirt: OK. I’m busting *** to see if I can get done.
>> José Antonio: Yeah.
>> Man in striped shirt: Let’s talk later,because… I’m tied up with things at home.
>> Diego Vargas: The curse words and informal expressions that we Costa Ricans use every day
have inspired José to write a dictionary totally different from all the rest.
It’s even been translated into English.
>> José Antonio: It’s very Costa Rican. It’s all our own. Right? Our way of speaking…
eh, eh, well, informally. I wanted to capture that part of the language… In fact, the Costa Rican author
Miguel Ángel Quesada Pacheco, in his book of Costa Ricanisms, he, he, documents
informal language from the past. So, I said, “Hey, I like this. I like this idea.”
So, I want to do something similar, but using more modern words.
>> Diego Vargas: He has been collecting words and phrases since 1999.
There are more than 200.
And his wife Amy helps him with the English translation.
>> José Antonio: Sometimes it’s good for someone else to read it, so I can hear it…. to see if it sounds good or not…
>> Amy: To tell you the truth, I’m so proud!
My husband works day and night… always thinking about these expressions… Sometimes I see
him writing down something and he says, “Oh! I just heard a new expression.” And I know
that he has worked *** this, since he started the book, up to now.
>> José Antonio: It took me about two years to gather all the information. Because before,in 1996,
I had already written a version in Spanish. So what I did was, carry out some interviews,
gather more information, and put it all together. About two years…
>> Diego Vargas: Here are a few examples of some expressions that are very Costa Rican that are in the dictionary:
“Con toda la pata” which means enjoying a very pleasant situation. Very good.
And here, how you translate it into English.
>> Diego Vargas: “¿Cómo está el arroz?”
It’s a question which means, what’s happening, what’s the problem?
“Chulo” which means someone who lives off others.
>> José Antonio: I get mixed reactions.
Eh,in fact, one man, a very religious evangelical man, told me I was going to Hell for having written this book.
So, I said, “Hey. I like that idea.” If I’m going to Hell that means my book stirred up something in someone. These reactions are very important to me.
>> Amy: Well, the truth is that these expressions are really useful to be able to understand
exactly what it is the Ticos are trying to say, and to know the context for the expressions.
They really match up with the Spanish.
>> Diego Vargas: Give me a couple of expressions that you think are funny.
>> Amy: Well, I’m not sure if I should say this on TV, but one that really makes me laugh is… for example… buck naked.
Because it’s like… very… you can just imagine what it’s like.
And, another similar one is also barefoot. These expressions… because to me… I imagine… I have a very clear image
…and it really, really makes me laugh.
>> Diego Vargas: The best part is that now our curse words and informal expressions will be universal.
Thanks to the genius of this guy,
Latinos and those who speak English
can understand the phrases
that make us Ticos who we are.
[music]