#onlyincambodia would you hear this…

February 28, 2012 · 12 comments

I’d just finished a very hot and sweaty 5k run late yesterday afternoon and was absolutely exhausted.

Chum Kriel, Kampot

I had completed the run half way up the track to our house and so was walking back the rest of the way cooling off.

As I passed one of the neighbouring houses, two old women were sitting outside watching me. One turned to the other and said knowledgeably,

“Ot komlang”

Translation: “No power“.

The other woman nodded and that was the end of the conversation.

Lovely, as in all honesty there was nothing else to say…

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http://twitter.com/acceleratedstal Maria

Doesn’t seem like they lost anything in translation. In that heat and humidity, if you weren’t out of power by then I’d worry. Ha! Kudos for the run, keep it up!

Betsyb223

ot kamlong actually means tired :) not no power… at plung would be no power!

Simon Oliver

The way it was explained to me was that ‘komlang’ means energy/power/strength. The literal translation is “I have power” or “I don’t have power” which would translate in English as I am exhausted/tired.
‘Plung’ refers to electric power doesn’t it?

Vanny Chhan

Simon, you’re right. I speak Khmer and it’s ot kamlong in the context you’re talking about.

http://twitter.com/legrandvillage Cédric PORET

it’s fun to understand them ! i rediscover cambodia since i catch wath they are talking about…

Simon Oliver

Yes I think it’s both good and bad. To be honest I also like the fact that I don’t understand all of the ‘natter’ as I then don’t have to concern myself with it.

X-expat

I would suggest what they were saying was that you had *used up* your power/energy (by running so far/so hard), i.e. you had tired yourself out by running, rather than not having had any power to start with