Monday, March 10, 2008

Pole Sana

In Luganda it is common when greeting someone to say "jebaleco," which translates roughly as "good work" or "way to go." It is appropriate to say this even if the recipient is doing nothing in particular, i.e. just sitting or standing around. In response, the recipient should reply "kale," which means thank you (or your welcome, depending on context), thus affirming the other's observation and accrediting one's own (non)accomplishment.

In Swahili, a similar but rather inverted greeting is often spoken between, say, two passers by. In this case the initial phrase is "pole" or "pole sana," which means sorry/very sorry. The response to this is "asante (sana)," or thank you very much. Here the initiator is expressing his/her regret or sorrow at another's burden, which usually is nothing worse than having to walk from one place to another. As in Luganda, the response is an acknowledgement of the task being performed. The intonation may seem quite different, but in fact because both phrases are attributed to such mundane tasks as sitting, standing or walking, they both reflect a sort of extreme attitude to work of any kind. For how different they sound in English, they both seem to speak to a common comradery absent in English greetings.

Permit me one more short observation: the similarity in ambiguity of Luganda's "kale" and Swahili's "pole." The former can mean thank you, your welcome, welcome, ok, yes, fine then. The latter can mean sorry, forgive me, excuse me, slowly ("pole pole"), keep it up. Again, the figurative communal intonation that binds these meanings together is something that transcends their literal English translation.

11 comments:

Chad Brekke said...

I spend considerable time in Tanzania and I have never experienced someone using the phrase "pole sana" unless referring to a significant burden or illness or other unfortunate circumstance of some sort (malaria, difficult test, long journey,etc.) For instance, if I were passing an elderly woman walking a trail in a village it would be unusual for me to say pole sana unless she were carrying a load of fire wood on her head or some water or was clearly struggling in some way.

I enjoy your blog I just stumbled upon.

clalexander said...

Thanks for the comment Chad. I of course was in Tanzania for only a few months, so I definitely could have gotten this one wrong. One possible explanation is that many of the Tanzanians around me were being polite by pretending that my load was very heavy, even when I wasn't carrying anything. Another might be that city folk (or more specifically Arusha folk) use the term differently. But I do remember my host family using the phrase in a pretty casual manner.

It looks like you are headed there soon. Good luck!

Penguin Eggs said...

I agree with Chad, actually.

My brother and his family have lived in Arusha for 10+ years and although they say "pole", "pole pole" or "pole sana" quite freely, it does tend to always be an expression of genuine commiseration (however minor), not just a turn of phrase.

Just thought I'd throw that into the mix!

Anonymous said...

I've been in TZ for a year living in villages with Tanzanians throughout the country and have never heard it used in the way you explain here. I asked my Tanzanian friends (some who are from arusha) about it and they concur you did not understand the use.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I worked in rural TZ for 8 years - "pole" is used for both significant (illness, death) and insignificant burdens (having to walk to market, even if not carrying a load). It is extremely common to hear this expression in everyday greetings, even for the most mundane inconveniences. "Pole" type greetings come from Bantu origins - most of the tribes have very similar greetings in their tribal languages. When I saw the original post, I read it to my wife - we both laughed because most wazungu don't really get it, but this was right on.

Anonymous said...

I think you should not translate "pole" with "sorry"; actually there is no good translation for it at all in English.

It is used to comfort somebody for something he can't be blamed of.

may be you could argue it is similar to the French "bon courage", but again, this doesn't sum it up properly.

O'Brenda said...

I wasn't good at picking up Swahili but "pole" was perhaps my favorite word and "pole pole" my favorite phrase. When I came back from Kenya, I found myself saying "Sorry" to people when they tripped or hurt themselves inadvertently. Of course, they would say "it isn't your fault." And there was no way for me to express "pole pole" to Mzungus.

Anonymous said...

The Kenya Daily Nation web edition reported in today's posting that a horrible road accident occurred in which five people were killed in Samburu, on the Mombasa-Voi highway.
One reader left the following comment:"Pole sana to the berieved [sic]". The use of the phrase by the person posting the response to the article was an expression of being truly sorry (pole sana)to the bereaved.

Anonymous said...

telling someone pole is like saying you're "with" them, which is why the phrase is used during times when someone needs support, like at a funeral or when you fail your math test. it actually helps a lot, it means someone is concerned for you.

it's also used when someone asks you for help, and you don't have the heart to say no, so you say "pole sana".

Anonymous said...

Pole sana in Kenya is used as others have said... It is used to express concern, that you are truly sorry for something.

This from living in Nairobi for 28 years... :)

Not sure about TZ.

Anonymous said...

I spent 7 months in Kenya in the late 90s and I loved this phrase: pole sana and the related phrase pole pole. I remember hearing it in particular at moments when I was late arriving for an appointment and stressed out and to me the meaning was more like: don't worry, relax, take your time, it is okay, be kind to yourself, be gentle with yourself. It can also mean I'm sorry but to me the meaning is broader and more beautiful than just that. It is almost like an expression of universal compassion and a reminder to be mindful and positive in your outlook on life. I also like the direction to slow down and take care. Like a well wish for the other person.