Interview About Italy's Victory in the 2006 World Cup

Last week, during our English lesson, at University, we had to interview each other on a particular event that we experienced personally. I interviewed Cristina La Rosa , a 25-year-old student like me. We spoke about  Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup.

The FIFA Football World Cup was held in Germany from the 9^th June  to the  9^th July 2006. It was attended by 32 national football selections from all continents. During this World Cup,  Italy, led by the clever coach Marcello Lippi, was a great protagonist. After having successfully passed the group stage, beating Australia and Ukraine,  Italy, at the end, found France again.

The World Cup was won by Italy, which played the final in Berlin's Olympic Stadium defeated France 5-3 on penalties, 6-4 after extra time. But Italy-France is also deja-vu, perpetually hung on a challenge to fate, if not resolved from the penalty disc.

For the “Azzurri”, it was the fourth world title in history. Italy won the 4^th  world title after 24 years from 3^rd one  (1982) that was achieved at the final on penalties, as well as Brazil won his 4^th  world title (1994) on penalties, after 24 years from 3^rd  title (1970). Starting from the 1970, Italy has reached the final every 12 years, alternating defeats and victories. Germany, the host Nation, was in the final for 3^rd place in the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart  and won against Portugal 3-1.     

According to the sports criticism  Italy's victory was achieved by Lippi’s very compact and well-organized teamwork, exceptional physical strength and, as in the best Italian tradition, a solid defense . Another decisive factor for the final triumph was the ability of the whole team, as confirmed by the fact that the twelve goals were scored in the tournament by ten different players.

Denaro : When was the last World Cup won by Italy?

La Rosa : It was a very happy day for me. I can remember as if it happened yesterday: it was the 9^th July.

D. What was your first reaction when you heard about the victory?

L.  I screamed with happiness because I couldn’t believe that my Nation, Italy, was the Champion of the World. It was so exciting!

D. Who was your favorite football player?

L. I think that all the Italian players were very efficient … but I preferred Fabio Grosso because he did  something more than the other players. I mean he gave himself all to the matches.

D. How did you celebrate this important victory?

L. I went out with all my friends and we went around  the town  with Italian flags and we went  to drink  until we got drunk.

D. Do you think that the victory was due to players’ ability or just a stroke of luck?

L. I think it was both. I mean football players were proficient but in my opinion it’s better to get a break too.

D. Which was your favorite match? And why?

L. My favorite match was that one played against Germany  in which Italians won even if Germany started with an advantage because they were in a German city, that if I remember well was Stuttgart, but I’m not sure. In my opinion, it was a double victory for Italy.

D. Were you alone when Italy won?

L. No, I was watching the match with some friends at home. It was so exciting for everybody.

D. Do you think that Italy deserved the victory?

L. Yes, I think so, Italy deserved most of the victories even though the match against the USA was played very badly.

D. If Italy hadn’t won which team do you think deserved the title of World Champion?

L.  There were many teams  which had very good players, but maybe Portugal could be a substitute of Italy.

D. Do you think that anything has changed?

L. Yes, unfortunately yes. The players are not so motivated as they were five years ago, now they are older and the new players are not as good as the eldest ones.

D. Do you have anything to add?

L. Ehm. Yes I do. I think it would be fantastic if Italy won again the World Cup but  I know that is more or less impossible  because there are countries like Spain that are so good and furthermore there are many emerging teams, but Italians mustn’t lose the motivation to do always better!

D. Thank you Cristina for your time.

L. It was nice.. Thank you so much. Bye

In 24 years since 1982, the success of Italy  in World Cup crossed the borders of the Alps and went back to Italy. Italy won the World Cup for the fourth time, returning the favor to Germany, who won the World Cup in 1990 in the house of the Italians. Even if the final between Italy against France was not an easy match, the “Azzurri” tried to get the best out of them in any situation: in fact when the game got nervous early, several yellow cards in the first twenty minutes of play, Italy found the calm. And when French players started again to  press the Italian game, Italy with wonderful mental teamwork and physical efforts went on and they reached their goal: Becoming Champions of The World Cup in 2006.

Being Italian, like Cristina , I was so excited about this subject , in fact, during this interview I could live once more  the same emotions of that day that has stuck in my mind.

Gabriella Denaro

Interview on the flood of Messina, October 2 2009

Last week, during our English lesson, we, students, had to interview each other on a particular historical event that we experienced personally. The person I interviewed is Gabriella Denaro, a 23-year-old girl and student from Messina, just like me. Since we were both born, and have always lived in Messina, I decided to choose a topic that certainly every inhabitant of this city has unfortunately experienced: the flood of Messina, which took place on October 2, 2009.

It was, undoubtedly, one of the most tragic events that we, as inhabitants of Messina, can remember because many people died (among them, there were children) and the ones who didn’t die lost everything: their houses, their cars, in the worst of cases their relatives, and consequently a reason to live.

So, I felt that this would be interesting to be faced in my interview, also because I had the opportunity to listen to my colleague’s impressions and therefore to share the same feelings of fears caused by those awful memories. 

1. C: Gabriella, can you remember exactly when it happened?

G: Yes, of course. How can we forget?! It happened on October 2, 2009. Two years ago.

2. C: What was your first reaction, when you heard about this shocking event?

G: I was extremely afraid and upset because I couldn’t believe that this could have happened just in Messina, my own town! Televisions and news were transmitting those terrible images of mud, flooded houses and floating cars.. in short.. a real disaster!

3. C: Where were you during that “Apocalypse”?

G: I was not in Messina. I was in Catania, at the airport, because I had been in Milan and I was coming back home; obviously the highways to Messina were all blocked because of the landslides caused by the heavy rain. As a consequence I didn’t know how to come back home. So I had to take another way, the longest one to Messina.

4. C: Did you know any of the victims of the disaster?

G: No, I didn’t know anybody, but I was sad in any case, as if I had known any of them, because in these cases it doesn’t matter whether you know a person or not, you’re sorry and you can’t do anything about it.

5. C: Did you help anyone? Many people lost everything..

G: Yes, obviously I tried to do my best, even though in these cases nothing is ever enough; however it’s important to do what you can when something like this happens; so I went to a school and gave some money to the Associations dealing with people involved in the flood.

6. C: Do you think that this is something that could be avoided?

G: Mhm.. I’m not so sure. Maybe yes, but however the rain was so heavy that this disaster could hardly be avoided. This is still an unresolved question.

7. C: In your opinion, is there anyone guilty and, consequently, responsible for this terrible trouble?

G: Maybe the Government. They allowed people to build houses in areas that could be dangerous and unsafe.. In short, the places where the victims lived (I mean the ground on which the houses were built) were not so appropriate, and they (the Government) should have been more careful.

8. C: Do you think that, with rainy weather, this could happen again?

G: Yes, I think so, especially if we do nothing to avoid it. The Government is somewhat passive, and it’s hard to admit it. Nevertheless I hope that this does not occur again. It would be a real nightmare!

9. C: And so, according to you, was this a natural disaster or was it a lack of interest by the Government?

G: It could be both. Something bad might happen but not so devastating. Probably some lives could have been saved, if we had been more careful.

10. C: Do you think that people who live there are safe now?

G: Not all people are safe, I think, because I heard about people who didn’t want to leave their houses, in spite of the disaster. I think this is insanity. People should change their mentality first, and then they can be safe.

11. C: Do you have anything to add?

G: Not much. I only hope that this doesn’t happen again. Unfortunately we cannot do anything to prevent natural disaster. Nature is something that we cannot fight, but with a little more attention we could, at least, reduce just some damages.

Cristina La Rosa

Living in Poland during Communism

Everyone of us remembers a particular historical event that happened during our life and that we will never forget. Today we are going to discover the historical event that left a mark on Magdalena Seget’s life. She is a Polish girl of 26 who lives in Italy since 2003.

Maria: Hello Magdalena, which is the historical event you remember more clearly up to now?

Magdalena: I don’t remember a specific historical event during my life, but I will never forget my mother’s account about Communism in Poland.

Maria: You were too little to remember life during Communism, but why do you consider it an historical event in your life?

Magdalena: I consider Communism an important  historical event in my life because my mother’s account left a strong impression on me. I was a child of 4 when Communism finished.

Maria: Well, could you tell me about your mother’s account?

Magdalena: Yes, she told me about the different aspects of living in Poland during Communism. There was everything for everyone, there were no riches or poor, all people had the same things. It was forbidden to move from one city to another, so many people couldn’t see their relatives. To get a piece of bread people waited many hours because of the long lines. Bread, such as other goods, was strictly measured. And of course there wasn’t freedom of the press.

Maria: Which was your mother’s mood during her account?

Magdalena: She was very upset, but her mood was a mix of positive and negative remembrances.

Maria: And which was your mood?

Magdalena: I was curious and very interested in her account, because I didn’t know that recent past.

Maria: Which aspect of her account left a strong impression on you?

Magdalena: All her account made me thoughtful, but especially the fact that people couldn’t see often their relatives.

Maria: Do you think there was something positive during Communism?

Magdalena: I think that perhaps the only positive thing was the absence of differences between rich and poor. Everybody had the same things.

Maria: Do you think that Polish people would like to return to Communism?

Magdalena: Some of them, especially the poor ones, would like to go back to that period because there wasn’t the actual deep division between poor and rich. Of course the opinion of rich people is different.

Maria: Do you think the actual situation of your country is better or worse than the past?

Magdalena: I think that it is better for the simple fact that now people can choose freely which kind of newspaper to read or in which kind of shop enter to buy things.

Maria: After your mother’s account, what is your personal idea of Communism?

Magdalena: I think that life during Communism was, from one point of view, positive because everybody had the same things without differences, but from the other point of view, it was a period of conditioning in talking, thinking and expressing ideas. And I think the loss of personal freedom is the most terrible thing.

Although Magdalena was too little to remember life during Communism, she considers it an important event in her life. Considering her words, it’s easy to understand that Polish people haven’t a completely negative vision of Communism. It was surely a period of limitations and restrictions, but on the other hand, it was a period of equality, and perhaps people had values that today have disappeared, such as respect, cooperativeness, fraternity and education.   

Maria Rosaria Torre

An Interview on the September 11 Attacks

A week ago I had an interview with Maria, 23 years old, a student of my course. I’ve asked her about  a recent historical event that impressed or even frightened her strongly. Maria decided to talk about  The Twin Towers Attack of September 11, 2001 in the United States. So, following the topic, I would like to focus on the part of interview.

I: Which is a recent historical event that scared you most?

M: Undoubtedly,  the event that scared me the most was the Twin Towers Attack of the World Trade Center in New York City.

I: Could you tell me about it?

M: Yes, of course. There was a series of four suicide attacks upon the United States, particularly in New York City and in Washington, on September 11, 2001. 19 terrorists, from the Islamist militant group, hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers, intentionally, crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. Then they crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and into a field near Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks!!!

I: Which are the reasons that caused this terrible attack?

M: The main motives of that attack were the U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and the American sanctions against Iraq. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans. Muslim legal scholars have, throughout Islamic history, agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries.

I: Did you watch some documentaries about it and what are the scientists saying?

M: Yes, I saw a lot of documentaries. There were many about  Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks and who initially denied, but later admitted his involvement. Some documentaries reported, in the days following the 9/11 attacks, numerous incidents of hate crimes such as vandalism, arson, assault, shootings, harassment, and threats against Muslims and South Asians. Some passengers and crew members, who were able to make phone calls from the aircraft using the mobile phones, provided details that there were several hijackers aboard each plane; they used tear gas, or pepper spray and some people aboard had been stabbed. Many people have been estimated to have developed illnesses as a result of the toxic dust. There is also a scientific speculation that exposure to various toxic products in the air may have negative effects on fetal development.

I: Can you compare this attack to some other historical event that is similar in the reaction?

M:There are so many incidents and attacks investigated as possible cases of "terrorism" each month, so it  is very difficult for me to compare them.  The recent one that shocked me was a suicide bomber attack in Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport which  killed many people and wounded more, the same at a metro station in Minsk or that at the city centre of Oslo. No mentioning those in Iraq, Turkey, Afganistan, Pakistan.

I:Do you think that from 2001 to 2011 something has changed in the minds of American people?

M: Yes, I think so! An American study found an increase in hate against people who may have been perceived as Muslims, Arabs and others thought to be of Middle Eastern origin. As a result of the attacks, the USA passed a legislation to combat terrorism; to monitor telephone communications, e-mail, and Internet use by terror suspects, and to prosecute suspected terrorists.

I:How about the relationship between American and Muslim world? Do you note something different toward each other?

M:The situation is increasingly tense between the two cultures. The fact that a terror plots still occurs shows how the relations between them are not entirely improved. I’ve heard, a week ago on BBC One, that two men from Iran have been arrested over a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington and to bomb the Saudi embassy of the city. Later in that day, the US government issued a worldwide alert in anticipation of other attacks. Muslim people  consider Americans as a provocation to the entire Muslim world. So.. the facts speak for themselves!

I: So you are Italian, what are Italian people thinking about this event?

M: The attacks created widespread confusion among  Italian news organizations and air traffic controllers. The attacks were denounced by mass media and governments worldwide. Italy offered support and solidarity to America and officially condemned the attacks.

I:Do you think that religion is an important factor which can impact the political actions?

M: Yes definitely! The history has already been marked by events.

I: Why do you consider Twin Tower Attack so important for history?

M: This event is so important because it shows the causes of human hatred. More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Center. The destruction caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant impact on global markets.

I: Do you have anything to add?

M: Mmm... I think, that politics and religion are two important factors that governments should always protect and respect as a purpose of creating a peaceful and better world.

Maria has decided to tell me about this event because she had seen many documentaries about it and was 13 years old when it has happened. She didn’t know yet that hate can lead to death and this event permitted her to see the world from another point of view which was obscure and little known.

Magdalena Seget

Our best translation #1

She: Excuse me, I usually don’t strike up a conversation with strangers, but can you tell me what kind of dog that is? I’ve never seen one like that before.

He: It’s a bull terrier. I gather from your accent that you’re not American, but you speak English very well!

She: Thanks. To tell you the truth, I still have trouble with English, especially vocabulary.

He: It’s funny, I was just reading an article about the English language. Can I tell you about it?

She: Sure. Go ahead.

Our translation:

Lei: Mi scusi, di solito non parlo con gli sconosciuti, però mi potrebbe dire di che razza è il cane? Non ne ho mai visto uno così.

Lui: E’ un bull terrier. Si nota dal suo accento che non è americana, però parla molto bene l’inglese.

Lei: La ringrazio. In realtà, ho ancora qualche problema con l’inglese, sopratutto con il lessico.

Lui: Che coincidenza, stavo giusto leggendo un articolo sulla lingua inglese. Gliene posso parlare?

Lei: Certo. Volentieri.


More soon,
signed,
The Specialists


p.s. Why 'Best'? Two reasons. These idiomatic translations are called 'best' because we do them in groups, presuming that several heads are better than one, and, secondly, because our emphasis is not only on correctness but especially on the quality of the version in the target language. In addition, we are the Specialists, the Best! (in Italian: le bestie, Ha Ha!)
Another thing, this is OUR translation because our instructor is not a mother-tongue Italian speaker, so he cannot correct our work. We correct it ourselves!

www.weareenglishspecialists.blogspot.com

We are the specialists! We are English speakers. It wasn't easy, but it's getting easier. Now we can use our learning to do something fun and useful. Here are some of the things we've done. Take a look.
signed,
The Specialists