Italian Language Blog
Menu
Search

At the Library in Italy Posted by on Sep 17, 2015 in Uncategorized

Based on a True Story! Here’s a bit of useful library jargon for you in the form of my memory of our first visit to our local library.

The setting: a small public library on the first floor of a semi derelict XVII century building hidden in a desolate part of a sleepy Italian town.

The characters: Geoff, Serena, and the Librarian, an attractive lady wearing high heels, dazzling jewellery, make-up and an amazing outfit, far from the stereotypical image of the librarian.

445053-78b8e64e-a5a5-11e3-900e-99186aa12c4d

Serena: “Buongiorno, vorremmo prendere in prestito dei libri.”
Serena: “Good morning, we would like to borrow some books.”

Bibliotecaria, tirando fuori un enorme registro: “Certo, se mi date i vostri dati vi registro subito.”
Librarian, getting out an enormous registry book: “Certainly, if you give me your data, I’ll register you straight away.”

Serena: “E la tessera?”
Serena: “What about the library card?”

Bibliotecaria: “Non abbiamo la tessera, registriamo tutto su questo libro.”
Librarian: “We don’t have a library card, we record everything in this book.”

Geoff: “Che genere di libri avete?”
Geoff: “What kind of books do you have?”

Bibliotecaria: “Abbiamo narrativa italiana e un po’ di narrativa straniera, poi abbiamo …”
Librarian: “We have Italian fiction and a bit of foreign fiction, then we have …”

Geoff, interrompendola speranzoso: “Avete libri in inglese?”
Geoff, interrupting her hopeful: “Do you have books in English?”

Bibliotecaria: “No, abbiamo romanzi di autori inglesi e americani, ma tradotti in italiano. Infatti, tutta la narrativa straniera è tradotta in italiano.”
Librarian: “No, we have novels by English and American authors, but translated into Italian. In fact, all the foreign fiction is translated into Italian.”

Geoff, deluso: “Che peccato!”
Geoff, disappointed: “What a pity!”

Serena: “Per quanto tempo possiamo tenere i libri?”
Serena: “How long can we keep the books for?”

Bibliotecaria: “Li potete tenere per un mese.”
Librarian: “You can keep them for a month.”

Serena: “Avete dei film o della musica?”
Serena: “Do you have any films or music?”

Bibliotecaria: “Abbiamo dei film in DVD.”
Librarian: “We have some movies on DVD.”

Serena: “Oh! dove sono?”
Serena: “Oh! where are they?”

Bibliotecaria: “Sono nella stanza dei bambini, ora vi faccio vedere.”
Librarian: “They are in the children’s room, I’ll show you.”

… attraversiamo diverse sale e salette con resti di affreschi sui soffitti, e finalmente arriviamo davanti ad una vetrinetta.
… we pass through several halls and smaller rooms with the remains of frescoes on the ceilings, and we finally arrive in front of a glass cabinet.

Geoff: “Ma sono chiusi a chiave, non si riesce a vedere niente!”
Geoff: “But they are locked, we can’t see anything!”

Bibliotecaria: “Sì, dei ragazzini ne hanno rubati alcuni, per cui abbiamo dovuto chiuderli. Ecco la chiave, quando avete finito me la riportate.”
Librarian: “Yes, some kids stole some, therefore we had to lock them up. Here’s the key, when you finish bring it back to me.”

Director, we've installed the new anti-theft device.

Director, we’ve installed the new anti-theft device.

Serena: “Quanti DVD si possono prendere alla volta?”
Serena: “How many DVDs can we borrow at a time?”

Bibliotecaria: “Due DVD … per una settimana.”
Librarian: “Two DVDs … for a week.”

Geoff, curiosando in giro: “Vedo che ci sono dei computer nell’altra stanza. Si possono usare? C’è l’internet?”
Geoff, snooping around: “I see there are some computers in the other room. Can we use them? Is there an internet connection?”

Bibliotecaria: “Sì, potete usare l’internet per sessioni di trenta minuti.”
Librarian: “Yes, you can use the internet for thirty minutes sessions.”

Serena: “Bisogna pagare per l’internet?”
Serena: “Do we have to pay for the internet?”

Bibliotecaria: “No, è gratis. Però prima dovete portarmi la fotocopia di un documento e firmare un modulo sull’uso corretto dell’internet.”
Librarian: “No, it’s free. However, first you must bring me a photocopy of a document and sign a form on the correct use of the internet.”

Geoff: “Okay, grazie infinite, penso che per adesso scegliamo un bel film”
Geoff, “Okay, thanks a lot, I’ll think we’ll choose a nice film for now”

We choose a film and take it to the checkout desk where the librarian writes it all down in yet another enormous registry.

Geoff e Serena: “Grazie mille! Arrivederci!”
Geoff and Serena: “Thank you very much! Good bye!”

Bibliotecaria: “Arrivederci!”

Tags: ,
Keep learning Italian with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

Comments:

  1. sue gollop:

    Mi piace molto questa schema
    Ben fatto!
    Anche la storia-la burocrazia italiana!

  2. Julie:

    Ciao Serena e Geoff

    Grazie! E piu facile addesso di lasciare un messagio! Era molto piacevole di incontrarvi quest’estate e complimenti alla nuova mama Ambra.

    • Serena:

      @Julie Ciao Julie! Sono contenta di ricevere un tuo commento. La prossima volta che siete a Pontremoli ci farebbe piacere rivedervi.
      Saluti da Serena

  3. Al Fabrizio:

    We absolutely love every blog we have received over the years.
    They are well written, informative, fun to lean from and share with others including our Italian teacher. The blogs help put the language in easy learning situations and takes the learning beyond textbooks.

    My family is from Abruzzo, Italy and both my wife and I visit our families in Florence, Rome and Abruzzo. We currently live in Palo Alto, California. I own a recording studio with Hugo Wainzinger and perform Italian and world music on mandolin and guitar. We have released six instrumental albums. See our website: heartstringsmusic.com

    Thank you for all the Transparent Language communications.

  4. Lesley:

    Ciao Serena e Geoff, Questao blog della visita alla biblioteca era molto divertente e mi ricorda delle visite alla biblioteca in Inghilterra quando ero piccola anche se la biblioteva non aveva i computer! Le tue blog mi piace molto e sono molte utile.

  5. John Murphy:

    Mille grazie Geof e Serena. You’re little story took me back to my early experiences in Glasgow libraries. I was delighted to discover that I could translate most of the interaction without recourse to the translation. Your method of presenting the Italian language makes it a delight to continue my desire to learn as much of the language as possible.

  6. Chippy:

    Grazie Guys! Mi spettavo la mosca nel unguento ma non arrivava! Forse una o due parole nuove per me. Grazie.

  7. Marti:

    I went to the library one day in Italy to find the movie Gladiator. I could not figure out how they were organized, and being stubborn I tried desperately for a good 15 minutes to find it, realizing they were not in alphabetical order, or chronological, or genre… finally I gave in and asked someone, who told me they were organized BY DIRECTOR. How interesting and odd!


Leave a comment: