Day 146: A Posed Flood Photo
At the photo desk of a Manila broadsheet, Allan (A), a veteran photographer, pitches his striking picture of a vendor wading down flooded España Boulevard for the front page to Roxanne (B), the photo editor.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Tagalog. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day
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A
Roxanne, front page mo bukas: si Manong Taho, hanggang baywang ang baha sa España.
Roxanne, here's your front page for tomorrow: Manong Taho, in waist-deep floodwater on España.
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B
Ang ganda nga. Pero bakit nakatingin siya sa camera, nakangiti pa?
It's beautiful, all right. But why is he looking at the camera, and smiling, too?
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A
Pinakiusapan ko lang siyang tumigil at itaas ang paninda. Masama ba 'yon?
I just asked him to stop and hold up his taho. Is that so bad?
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B
Masama, Allan. Kapag dinirek mo ang tao sa litrato, eksena na 'yan, hindi balita.
It is, Allan. Once you direct the person in the photo, it's a scene, not news.
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A
Hindi ba't totoo naman ang baha? Paano kung wala nang ibang kuha na ganito kaganda?
Isn't the flood real, though? What if there's no other shot this good?
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B
Totoo ang baha, pero gawa mo ang ngiti. Isang beses lang tayong mahuli, wala nang maniniwala sa atin.
The flood is real, but the smile is your doing. Get caught just once, and nobody will believe us anymore.
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A
Paano kung sa page five na lang? Hindi ba't sayang kung walang makakakita?
What if we run it on page five instead? Wouldn't it be a waste if nobody saw it?
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B
Kahit doon, hindi. Pero tingnan mo 'to, bago mo siya tawagin: nakayuko, pasan ang taho, walang pakialam sa camera.
Not even there. But look at this one, from before you called him over: head down, his taho on his shoulder, paying no attention to the camera.
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A
'Yan pala ang pinakamaganda. Hindi ko man lang napansin, kahahanap ko ng ngiti.
So that's the best one. I didn't even notice it, I was so busy looking for a smile.
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