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One of the most difficult words to translate... - Krystian Aparta

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TEDEd Animation

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As simple as it seems, it’s often impossible to accurately translate the word "you" without knowing a lot more about the situation where it’s being said. Krystian Aparta describes the specific reasons why it can be difficult, citing examples from many different languages.

If somebody wanted to translate the phrase “You did it!” into Spanish, and they knew that the speaker used “you” to refer to more than one person, what additional information would they NOT first need to find out?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Krystian Aparta
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Director Avi Ofer
  • Animator Avi Ofer
  • Illustrator Avi Ofer
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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