How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
At the conference he [Gen] spoke in Greek for Mr. Hosokawa and his associates, spoke in Japanese to them, and was, in all matters, intelligent, quick, and professional. But it was not his presence that Mr. Hosokawa was drawn to, it was his lack of presence. Gen was an extension, an invisible self that was constantly anticipating his needs. (1.51)
When we hop in the car or answer the phone, we don't notice if the car starts or the phone works. We only notice if the engine makes an awful noise or the phone goes dead. Communication through language is like that too: we don't really notice if it's going right, just if it's breaking down. That's why Gen is such an amazing translator; he can make communicating across a language barrier as simple as answering the phone.
Quote #2
At the sound of her [Roxane's] voice he [Father Arguedas] felt his first wave of disappointment. Not in her, never, but in himself. English. Everyone said it would be important to learn English. What was it the tourists said? "Have a nice way?" But what if that was an inappropriate response? What if it was in some way hurtful? It could be asking for something, camera film or directions or money. He prayed. Finally, sadly, he said the only word he was sure of, "English." (3.30)
Imagine you could help your idol, but then actually you can't because you don't speak the same language. That's sort of what Father Arguedas is going through here. It's one of the many moments where the book reminds us that communication can't be taken for granted, even when people desperately want to communicate. But Roxane and Father Arguedas do find some ways to share their thoughts or feelings, in the few words of English or Spanish they have in common and in nonverbal ways. It's a hint that communication is bigger than language in this novel.
Quote #3
Even though Gen translated, a clear and simple word-for-word translation, every person in the room understood what she [Roxane] was saying without him, in the same way they would have understood her singing Puccini in Italian. (3.89)
As an opera singer, Roxane has to communicate to audiences in a number of different languages, some she doesn't even speak herself. And when she tells the terrorists to let the dying accompanist go, everybody gets what she's saying. Throughout the novel, Roxane is particularly good at nonverbal communication, partly because she can communicate through music and partly because she's also good at things like gestures and body language. Those come in handy as an opera singer, and as it turns out, in a hostage situation, too.
Quote #4
"What the hell. It isn't like I'm so busy I can't tell him myself. Does he not speak English? Well, you'll translate. You're the only one of us around here who has a job now. Are there any languages you don't speak?" (3.141)
Yep, the translator's going to be popular around here. Lots of Bel Canto emphasizes that there are ways to communicate beyond language, but lots of other moments remind us that language sure is useful if you want to ask someone how to cook a chicken or negotiate between terrorists and the government or describe every last detail of how you're feeling. This statement Roxane Coss makes to Gen when she first wants to talk to Mr. Hosokawa is one of those times.
Quote #5
Mr. Hosokawa nodded. He spoke to her with great honesty, the kind two people use after a lifetime of knowing one another. But what was a lifetime? This afternoon? This evening? The kidnappers had reset the clocks and no one knew a thing about time anymore. Better this once to be inappropriate and honest as the burden of his guilt was tightening a string around his throat. (3.148)
The intensity of the terrorist takeover actually improves communication among the characters in Bel Canto: people are honest in ways they might not be at other times and places. So even though they have to use a translator, they're closer to real communication than they might be in real life.
Quote #6
The Japanese man [Mr. Hosokawa] would hum something and she would listen and nod and then, in a very quiet voice, she [Roxane] would sing it back to him. What a sweet sound. (3.182)
Ever met someone who knew all the same music as you? Doesn't matter if it's Taylor Swift or the Beatles—it can almost feel like you know them already. That works for Roxane and Mr. Hosokawa here, just after they've met. Though they can't speak the same language, they have a common language in music, and they can communicate in a deep way almost instantly because of it.
Quote #7
The felt-covered hammers tapped the strings gently at first, and the music, even for those who had never heard the piece before, was like a memory. From all over the house, terrorist and hostage alike turned and listened and felt a great easing in their chests. (4.105)
Music doesn't need words or even an opera singer with great nonverbal communication skills to give people a common experience. When Kato starts playing the piano for the first time after the accompanist dies, everybody has the sensation that they're revisiting a shared memory—even the ones who have never heard of the Chopin piece he's playing. The moment really reinforces the idea that music on its own provides a way for people to understand and communicate with each other.
Quote #8
When one of them [Roxane or Mr. Hosokawa] had something to say they would call to Gen, but what was surprising was how rarely they needed him. He was a comfort to her. In the absence of language, she believed that he agreed with her completely. She would hum a little of the scores quietly so that he knew what she was looking at and then they would look at the pages together. Mr. Hosokawa could not read music but he accepted that. He did not speak the language of the libretto, the singer, or the host. He was beginning to feel more at ease with all he had lost, all he didn't know. Instead, he was astonished by what he had: the chance to sit beside this woman in the late afternoon light while she read. Her hand brushed his as she set the pages down on the couch between them, and then her hand rested on top of his hand while she continued to read. (5.197)
Here Bel Canto comes out and says what it's been hinting at all over the place: you don't need language to communicate, or to find community with someone through music. You don't even need to be skilled in the nonverbal communication of an art form like opera or experienced in reading music. You can connect through the experience of the music itself, whether you're the singer or the listener.
Quote #9
Carmen wished that she could see inside his [Gen's] mind. She wondered if it would look crowded with words, compartments of language carefully fitted on top of each other. Her own brain, by comparison, would be an empty closet. He could refuse her and what would be the harm in that? She wouldn't have anything less than what she had now. All she had to do was ask. (5.206)
Let's get one thing straight: Bel Canto isn't dissing language, even if it does spend a lot of time emphasizing that there are other ways to communicate. Carmen first approaches Gen because she knows that learning to read and write in different languages will make her life much richer. Language has a lot of power in Bel Canto as a way for people to communicate and form relationships, even if it's not the only way to do that.
Quote #10
Father Arguedas adopted a "translator optional" policy in regard to confession. If people chose to confess in a language other than Spanish, then he would be happy to sit and listen and assume their sins were filtered through him and washed away by God exactly as they would have been if he had understood what they were saying. If people would rather be understood in a more traditional way, then they were welcome to bring Gen along if it worked out with his schedule. Gen was perfect for the job, as he seemed to have a remarkable ability not to listen to the words coming out of his own mouth. (8.97)
Music, spirituality, and visual art are all things that allow some sort of connection beyond language in Bel Canto. Plus, they provide a way of experiencing something beyond normal human life that connects people to each other. That's why Father Arguedas isn't worried about whether he can understand the people making confessions to him. If they're connecting to God through him, there's something important going on that goes beyond ordinary human language. Pretty swell, huh?