Brett
@brett.mobi
I’m the co-founder of a little marketing agency in Vietnam and Thailand. I love bookstores, fizzy water, crosswords & foreign languages.
I just completed a rough, first draft translation of Chí Phèo to English! There’s a lot left to do, but the hardest part is over. One thing that stood out to me after so much time with the text is the richness and variety of vocabulary used by the author—it’s deceptively high level.
November 26, 2025 at 4:05 AM
I just completed a rough, first draft translation of Chí Phèo to English! There’s a lot left to do, but the hardest part is over. One thing that stood out to me after so much time with the text is the richness and variety of vocabulary used by the author—it’s deceptively high level.
Nam Cao often turns to onomatopoeia in his more intense scenes. This, from Mò Sâm-panh:
Tề rơi đánh thóm. Thì bỗng cửa ngoài lịch kịch rồi có tiếng giày tây cồm cộp đi vào.
We've got:
đánh thóm - plop
lịch kịch - a lock rattling
cồm cộp - shoes stomping
None of this in the dictionary of course.
Tề rơi đánh thóm. Thì bỗng cửa ngoài lịch kịch rồi có tiếng giày tây cồm cộp đi vào.
We've got:
đánh thóm - plop
lịch kịch - a lock rattling
cồm cộp - shoes stomping
None of this in the dictionary of course.
October 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Nam Cao often turns to onomatopoeia in his more intense scenes. This, from Mò Sâm-panh:
Tề rơi đánh thóm. Thì bỗng cửa ngoài lịch kịch rồi có tiếng giày tây cồm cộp đi vào.
We've got:
đánh thóm - plop
lịch kịch - a lock rattling
cồm cộp - shoes stomping
None of this in the dictionary of course.
Tề rơi đánh thóm. Thì bỗng cửa ngoài lịch kịch rồi có tiếng giày tây cồm cộp đi vào.
We've got:
đánh thóm - plop
lịch kịch - a lock rattling
cồm cộp - shoes stomping
None of this in the dictionary of course.
Nam Cao makes such wonderful use of Vietnamese reduplicatives:
sành sanh = every last bit
trừng trừng = unblinkingly
thui thủi = all alone
dửng dưng = indifferent
Thai is better known for this feature (hence the well-known "same same"), but VN I think has a far richer vocab set of reduplicatives
sành sanh = every last bit
trừng trừng = unblinkingly
thui thủi = all alone
dửng dưng = indifferent
Thai is better known for this feature (hence the well-known "same same"), but VN I think has a far richer vocab set of reduplicatives
September 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Nam Cao makes such wonderful use of Vietnamese reduplicatives:
sành sanh = every last bit
trừng trừng = unblinkingly
thui thủi = all alone
dửng dưng = indifferent
Thai is better known for this feature (hence the well-known "same same"), but VN I think has a far richer vocab set of reduplicatives
sành sanh = every last bit
trừng trừng = unblinkingly
thui thủi = all alone
dửng dưng = indifferent
Thai is better known for this feature (hence the well-known "same same"), but VN I think has a far richer vocab set of reduplicatives
I think I'll spend my afternoon finishing the last story in that Nam Cao collection I have sitting around...
A good reminder to log off from time to time.
open.substack.com/pub/jmarriot...
A good reminder to log off from time to time.
open.substack.com/pub/jmarriot...
The dawn of the post-literate society
And the end of civilisation
open.substack.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:26 AM
I think I'll spend my afternoon finishing the last story in that Nam Cao collection I have sitting around...
A good reminder to log off from time to time.
open.substack.com/pub/jmarriot...
A good reminder to log off from time to time.
open.substack.com/pub/jmarriot...
My life on bkuesky
embarrassing myself for 0 likes is not glamorous but it’s honest work
September 13, 2025 at 1:22 PM
My life on bkuesky
The fish rots from the head… and, as they say in Vietnam: the house leaks from the roof (Nhà dột từ nóc)
September 11, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The fish rots from the head… and, as they say in Vietnam: the house leaks from the roof (Nhà dột từ nóc)
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
Or…
The crying baby gets mom’s milk; in Vietnamese: Con có khóc mẹ mới cho bú
Always liked this one 🍼
Or…
The crying baby gets mom’s milk; in Vietnamese: Con có khóc mẹ mới cho bú
Always liked this one 🍼
September 9, 2025 at 9:47 AM
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
Or…
The crying baby gets mom’s milk; in Vietnamese: Con có khóc mẹ mới cho bú
Always liked this one 🍼
Or…
The crying baby gets mom’s milk; in Vietnamese: Con có khóc mẹ mới cho bú
Always liked this one 🍼
I’m mostly familiar with the Vietnamese word “nàng” as a feminine prefix for words like fairy (nàng tiên) or mermaid (nàng tiên cá — “fish fairy” lol)
Thai has this word for madam/lady, นาง (naang), and as you can see it sounds a LOT like the Viet “nàng” …
Follow me on a journey if you will 🧵
Thai has this word for madam/lady, นาง (naang), and as you can see it sounds a LOT like the Viet “nàng” …
Follow me on a journey if you will 🧵
August 21, 2025 at 12:07 PM
I’m mostly familiar with the Vietnamese word “nàng” as a feminine prefix for words like fairy (nàng tiên) or mermaid (nàng tiên cá — “fish fairy” lol)
Thai has this word for madam/lady, นาง (naang), and as you can see it sounds a LOT like the Viet “nàng” …
Follow me on a journey if you will 🧵
Thai has this word for madam/lady, นาง (naang), and as you can see it sounds a LOT like the Viet “nàng” …
Follow me on a journey if you will 🧵
Man, Thai is complicated. I’ve got two words meaning roughly “to wrap around” or “coil around” but the usage seems to defy logic for memorization. Any ideas?
August 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Man, Thai is complicated. I’ve got two words meaning roughly “to wrap around” or “coil around” but the usage seems to defy logic for memorization. Any ideas?
TIL there is a royal prefix: ทรง 👑
August 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
TIL there is a royal prefix: ทรง 👑
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
The Thai way to say: “it’s a piece of cake!”
Pronounced: “gluay-gluay!” with a satisfying falling tone. 🍌
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
The Thai way to say: “it’s a piece of cake!”
Pronounced: “gluay-gluay!” with a satisfying falling tone. 🍌
August 6, 2025 at 2:02 PM
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
The Thai way to say: “it’s a piece of cake!”
Pronounced: “gluay-gluay!” with a satisfying falling tone. 🍌
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
กล้วยๆ!!
Banana-banana!
The Thai way to say: “it’s a piece of cake!”
Pronounced: “gluay-gluay!” with a satisfying falling tone. 🍌
Omg I just found the Thai equivalent to this!!
ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน (khìi cháng jàp dtàk-gtàen), “riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper” 💚💚 damn that’s good
ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน (khìi cháng jàp dtàk-gtàen), “riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper” 💚💚 damn that’s good
To use more force than necessary—Dùng dao mổ trâu để thịt gà—in Vietnamese is: using the ox-butchering knife to kill a chicken 😹
August 4, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Omg I just found the Thai equivalent to this!!
ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน (khìi cháng jàp dtàk-gtàen), “riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper” 💚💚 damn that’s good
ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน (khìi cháng jàp dtàk-gtàen), “riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper” 💚💚 damn that’s good
Airing your dirty laundry? How about “pulling up your shirt for others to see your back” ??
Vạch áo cho người xem lưng — I like this a lot
Vạch áo cho người xem lưng — I like this a lot
July 31, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Airing your dirty laundry? How about “pulling up your shirt for others to see your back” ??
Vạch áo cho người xem lưng — I like this a lot
Vạch áo cho người xem lưng — I like this a lot
Dead giveaway that you're a beginning Vietnamese language learner is using the verb "to go" when talking about travel to Hanoi or HCMC.
No... the Vietnamese have a specific pair of verbs they use when talking about visiting one of Vietnam's two biggest cities...
No... the Vietnamese have a specific pair of verbs they use when talking about visiting one of Vietnam's two biggest cities...
July 30, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Dead giveaway that you're a beginning Vietnamese language learner is using the verb "to go" when talking about travel to Hanoi or HCMC.
No... the Vietnamese have a specific pair of verbs they use when talking about visiting one of Vietnam's two biggest cities...
No... the Vietnamese have a specific pair of verbs they use when talking about visiting one of Vietnam's two biggest cities...
I'm enjoying discovering that Latin is the total opposite of Vietnamese & Thai. It's hyper logical with its cases and conjugations, whereas Viet/Thai are as chaotic as it gets and word order is everything. A very enjoyable change.
July 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I'm enjoying discovering that Latin is the total opposite of Vietnamese & Thai. It's hyper logical with its cases and conjugations, whereas Viet/Thai are as chaotic as it gets and word order is everything. A very enjoyable change.
China’s controversial “9-dash line map” staking claim to the entire East Sea is known in Vietnam as the “đường lưỡi bò” and translated as: “cow’s tongue line” 🐮👅
Now you can’t unsee it.
Now you can’t unsee it.
July 24, 2025 at 4:39 PM
China’s controversial “9-dash line map” staking claim to the entire East Sea is known in Vietnam as the “đường lưỡi bò” and translated as: “cow’s tongue line” 🐮👅
Now you can’t unsee it.
Now you can’t unsee it.
Which do you prefer: a wolf in sheep’s clothing 🐺🐑 OR an old fox dressed as a young rabbit? 🦊🐰
The second is the Vietnamese version of the common expression (Cáo già đội lốt thỏ non)
The second is the Vietnamese version of the common expression (Cáo già đội lốt thỏ non)
July 23, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Which do you prefer: a wolf in sheep’s clothing 🐺🐑 OR an old fox dressed as a young rabbit? 🦊🐰
The second is the Vietnamese version of the common expression (Cáo già đội lốt thỏ non)
The second is the Vietnamese version of the common expression (Cáo già đội lốt thỏ non)
This feed is not the totality of who I am. Felt like I needed to make a note of that.
July 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
This feed is not the totality of who I am. Felt like I needed to make a note of that.
Similar to the verb "to wear", the verb "to wash" is more complex in Vietnamese than English. In English we can "wash" anything: our bodies, our hair, our cars and our clothes. Vietnamese has specific verbs for each action that have to be strictly followed... 🧵
July 17, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Similar to the verb "to wear", the verb "to wash" is more complex in Vietnamese than English. In English we can "wash" anything: our bodies, our hair, our cars and our clothes. Vietnamese has specific verbs for each action that have to be strictly followed... 🧵
In English we can “wear” anything: a hat, a shirt, shoes, etc. Vietnamese and Japanese however use different verbs depending on what part of the body you wear something on. A stubborn thing to internalize for English speaking learners…
July 13, 2025 at 3:36 PM
In English we can “wear” anything: a hat, a shirt, shoes, etc. Vietnamese and Japanese however use different verbs depending on what part of the body you wear something on. A stubborn thing to internalize for English speaking learners…
👻 Discovered an amazing new Vietnamese saying for "too many cooks in the kitchen" — lắm thầy nhiều ma - which I translate roughly as, "if you have a lot of psychics you’re gonna get a lot of ghosts." I love this so much.
July 11, 2025 at 9:29 AM
👻 Discovered an amazing new Vietnamese saying for "too many cooks in the kitchen" — lắm thầy nhiều ma - which I translate roughly as, "if you have a lot of psychics you’re gonna get a lot of ghosts." I love this so much.
Found a cool passage about these Greek & Latin prefixes today in the first chapter of Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai.
We’re all familiar with Greek-derived numerical prefixes: mono-, đi-, tri- and so on. We’ve also got Latin prefixes: sept-, oct-, etc. etc. Well, one day I noticed Vietnamese does something similar.
July 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Found a cool passage about these Greek & Latin prefixes today in the first chapter of Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai.
Minor tonal shifts can make a big difference in some languages
สวย = beautiful (rising tone)
ซวย = cursed/screwed (flat tone)
Both sound kinda Ike “sooh-way” in English.
Funny to think about all the dudes learning to say “beautiful” in Thai and actually going around telling women they’re cursed.
สวย = beautiful (rising tone)
ซวย = cursed/screwed (flat tone)
Both sound kinda Ike “sooh-way” in English.
Funny to think about all the dudes learning to say “beautiful” in Thai and actually going around telling women they’re cursed.
July 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Minor tonal shifts can make a big difference in some languages
สวย = beautiful (rising tone)
ซวย = cursed/screwed (flat tone)
Both sound kinda Ike “sooh-way” in English.
Funny to think about all the dudes learning to say “beautiful” in Thai and actually going around telling women they’re cursed.
สวย = beautiful (rising tone)
ซวย = cursed/screwed (flat tone)
Both sound kinda Ike “sooh-way” in English.
Funny to think about all the dudes learning to say “beautiful” in Thai and actually going around telling women they’re cursed.
June 23, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Both Thai and Vietnamese make a distinction between head hair, and hair elsewhere on the body (tóc/lông and ผม/ขน). In English we just call it all "hair" 🤔
June 5, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Both Thai and Vietnamese make a distinction between head hair, and hair elsewhere on the body (tóc/lông and ผม/ขน). In English we just call it all "hair" 🤔