"Hey you, can you give me this information?"

"你能告诉我什么什么事情吗"
And that person understands perfectly well what they want

而这个农民完全明白他在说什么
but they identify some person coming,

但他认为这个人
speaking French, as a tax collector

说法语一定是个收税官
or a military guy or something like that,

或是军官诸如此类的
and you're apt just to give that secret smile

农民便神秘地朝他笑笑
and pretend like you don't understand a damn thing,

假装不懂法语
just a secret smile. And then they go back and they write,

不过是个神秘的笑容军官回去就写道
"Boy, I've never--these people here they can't speak french at all,

"天啊这里的人完全不懂法语
they are hopeless,

他们落后得无可救药了
they are out of date, they are plooks,

他们跟不上时代的脚步是土包子
they are bumpkins," And all of that.

是乡巴佬" 诸如此类