After doing a list of daily 'Questions' I get in Cambodia, here are some follow-up answers! (Click for larger size)
I am using Khmer (Cambodian) text in the first panel to reproduce the colloquial phrase accurately. In the future I may use phonetic Khmer depending on how best it works in the comic.
Translation is always interesting to play with.
Cambodian language has 5 distinct 'N' sounds, but 'V' and 'W' are represented by
the same character.
The query "How big is your liver" was actually introduced to me in 1st year 'Modern Spoken Cambodian'. (The suggestion being that I am sizing up the person who is sizing up me.) It can also be rephrased to indicate a person is very proud.
'Lok Ta' is a polite term for an older man, generally used for 'Grandfather'. Phnom Penh's cyclo fleet numbers about 300, and many of the drivers are aged but in great health from their exercise.
When I first came to Cambodia I taught at the Cyclo Centre and got their first web page off the ground. (The Centre has since gone through a number of incarnations.) Don't be surprised to see a cyclo comic in the future, though they are tricky to draw!
I wouldn't have gotten this comic sorted without some brief language proofing from Kheng Vanleab, Soeun Klo, and technical assistance from Kim Phally and Heng Huy Eng. Thanks! My ideas were clear but it helps to run them past those in the know.
Additional questions? That's what the 'comments' section is for.
You should print out copies of this and give them out each time you get asked these questions!
Alas Cambodia has one of the lowest literacy rates in Asia! (Comics: the ‘gateway drug’ for new readers.)
what’s the English transliteration of “I haven’t found the one that fits”? I think I could use that…
Ot kheen ku preng.
Many Cambodians would like a vestern vife, if you are in the market.