VLVL 4: War, politics and love

[Terrance]

> If you meant that you don't understand how a spanish native speaker can
> understand "veterano de la jungla" in the triple meaning I'm pointing out,
> I'd say that "veterano de la jungla" is usually used metaphorically for
> "survivor". 



Somebody living in a farm, earning his living out of his kid's
> catching crawfish may be called "a jungle veteran", meaning both living in
> the woods and making his living by regretable means, and, for this reason,
> socially marginal. 

Thanks. A very odd phrase.  Where is the phrase used in this sense? By
whom? Can you give me an example? And, why, if the phrase would be
understood in this sense was the 
translator obliged to use the the words "negotiate marginal" to 
reinforces the idea of the socially marginal means of living? 




If "veteran" is taken in its military meaning is rather
> clear that "jungle veteran" may mean "vietnam veteran" (and you can fairly
> take this military reading since P. mentions the name changing "since the
> war").

Well, it wasn't clear to a few of us (not immediately anyway) reading it
in English. 





 RC may be a "survivor" of the war and still a "survivor" by any means
> (making his kids work for him and depending on Zoyd to "distribute" the
> crawfish, living almost out of nothing).



> And no, the word "Bush" hasn't made its way into spanish and since George
> Sr. has only meant "dangerous moron" up today. 

I've been told that it has. Might be worth looking in to.  And the word
hippie too. 

Maybe "veterano de la jungla"
> is not a literal translation of bush vet, but it is still a good one. And
> you are right that you can call, rather ironically, "veterano de la jungla"
> a tour guide if the tour is pretty dangerous, maybe an Amazonas tour guide.

OK. 

> 
> The spanish translation goes this way: "[Zoyd] se dirigía a una pequeña
> granja en la carretera del arroyo, donde tenía un negociete marginal de
> venta de cangrejos de río a medias con un veterano de la jungla y su
> familia"  (Note that the words "negociete marginal" -marginal
> pseudo-business-, reinforces the idea of the socially marginal means of
> living of RC).
> 
> And, Terrance, I haven't understood a single word of your comment to Dave.
> Is it some kind of joke? 

Yup.