Clueless in translation

I spotted this sign in the toilet at a coffee shop in Singapore. While I understood what the Chinese text was trying to say, I was baffled at what the English text was supposed to mean. Another case of "lost in translation". Maybe even "clueless in translation".

Let's first dissect the Chinese text 来也匆匆，去也冲冲.

This is a play of two words having similar sounds. (I cannot say the sounds are the same because the Hanyu Pinyin for 匆匆 is cong1 cong1, while the Hanyu Pinyin for 冲冲 is chong1 chong1. Sounds similar to the untrained ear, but very different when you have to input the characters in a text.) The first part of the sentence 来也匆匆 means "enter hurriedly". The second part of the sentence 去也冲冲 means "flush (the toilet) when you leave". Given that this is a sign in a toilet, it makes perfect sense. A simple reminder to keep the toilet clean for the next user.

But what does "easy come, easy go" have to do with toilet cleanliness? Usually, this phrase is used to describe the difficulty in saving money. This is definitely the wrong context for this phrase. Someone who cannot read Chinese would look at this phrase and wonder what the management is trying to tell him/her. The picture tells me the phrase has something to do with using the toilet. But what am I supposed to do other than just use it?

Perhaps I am reading too much into a sign.

But aren't signs supposed to tell you something clearly?

A picture paints a thousand words. In this case, I have no idea what the picture or the English words are trying to say.

So much for reminding me to keep the toilet clean.

Lost? Clueless? Yes, that's me right now.

Have fun with languages!

"Is this whiskey?"

Obviously a stereotype of Chinese people speaking English. Hmph.

That being said, Chinese people around the world hardly speak English like this! Somehow this stereotype from maybe before World War II, has carried on till today.

The world of spoken English has changed.

Looks like stereotypes need to be updated too!

P.S. In case you are wondering what the joke is all about, this is the text in proper English:

Two Chinese dudes break into a distillery.

One turns to the other and says, 'Is this whiskey?'

The other one says 'Yes, but not as Risky as robbing a bank'!!

(Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153781743927174&set=gm.1537916159833865&type=3&theater)

Confusing? No, not confusing

Dr Tu You You from China has made the headlines this week for being one of the winners of the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Everyone in China is celebrating the win! People around the world are celebrating the win!

When her birthday comes around, her family in China will definitely NOT be singing "Happy Birthday" to her in English. If they did, then this remark would hold true. However, more likely than not, the family would sing the song in Chinese, which would make this joke entirely irrelevant.

Some jokes just do not translate into another language.

I suppose that is part of the fun of cross-cultural communication!

Congratulations, Dr Tu You You! 恭喜你！

Photo credit: 9GAG

Facebook = "no choice but to die"

My Taiwanese friend got a job that requires her to write marketing articles for the bookstore where she works. Among other places, those articles will be posted on the store's Facebook page. Suddenly, posting things on Facebook has become a serious piece of work that must be done responsibly. No more spur-of-the-moment posts. This is what pays her. No more frivolous stuff.

Her first piece of work was given an "ok" by her supervisor, but with a warning that she had to think seriously about what she was writing. Suddenly, writing became such a burden. So she wrote, "我非死不可 (Facebook) ..."

It took me a while to figure out what she was saying. Then it dawned on me! 非死不可 is a mangled Chinese pronunciation of the English word "Facebook". (Loosely translated "no choice but to die".) Of course, it was also a play on the words that she now has no choice but to die to her personal desire to write anything that comes to mind.

Brilliant play on words and translation! It also brings a sobering message that anything posted on social media can be used against you. Post responsibly. Post at your own risk. The whole world is watching. A thoughtless remark can go viral in minutes. It could even cost you your job (as has been in two cases in Singapore).

Writing conveys a message. Write well. Write wisely.

Have fun with words!

Thank you, Britain!

"Thank you, Mr Lee" has been the most spoken and written phrase this past week (23-29 March 2015). Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a giant of a man. Much has been said about him publicly and privately. He was truly great inside and out.

So many Singaporeans displayed this week what Mr Lee had built over 50 years of independence. Around 479,500 people stood patiently in line for hours and hours (the longest being 10 hours) to pay their last respects to our Founding Father. I waited 4.5 hours. Countless volunteers and uniformed personnel worked tirelessly and cheerfully to make sure that order prevailed and people were well fed and hydrated. We picked up trash after ourselves, chatted with strangers, braved the sun and the rain, with nary a contrary word. Mr Lee, our father, taught us all this. And he has taught us well.

Yet, as I reflected on this, I realised that we Singaporeans really need to say, "Thank you, Britain" for teaching Mr and Mrs Lee how to be civil and care for the disadvantaged and marginalised. Both Mr and Mrs Lee studied at English schools (as opposed to Chinese schools of the day). They both furthered their education at prestigious colleges in Britain. Their two sons also studied there. It was in Britain that Mr Lee saw how the British treated everyone fairly. Injustice was not tolerated. Standing in line, or queuing, is what Britishers do best.

If you look not too far back in the news, you will have noticed that when the students in Hong Kong protested against China in 2014, they set the gold standard for civil protest. They sat quietly on the streets, many with school work in hand, ate and drank and cleaned up after themselves. Volunteers cheerfully gave out food and drink and collected trash.

From where did they learn civil behaviour? Britain.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore share the same heritage as former British colonies. The British gave us an English education, taught us manners and instilled in us a sense of law and order. Yes, Hong Kong and Singapore have a majority Chinese population. So what? British influence prevails in society, while Chinese values are drilled in us at home. We have become better persons because of the two cultures instilled in us.

So, while the world says, "Thank you, Mr Lee" for all that you have done for Singapore, I want to add "Thank you, Britain" for teaching Mr and Mrs Lee what it means to have the milk of human kindness and how to behave in civil society.

We owe you much. Thank you.

#rememberingleekuanyew

"Sang-kyou"

Some members of a LINE chat group I am part of were sending stickers that had "3Q" as part of the picture. After about 10 different stickers with the same letters appeared, I began to wonder what "3Q" meant. It took me a while.

"3Q" = "thank you".

Huh?

In Mandarin, there is no "th" sound. A Chinese-speaking person will find it difficult to pronounce "thank" with the correct "th" sound at the beginning. Too often, it ends up being "sank" you. The Chinese word for the number three is 三 (pronounced "san"). Put together with the English "you", it becomes the slang version of "thank you" (more likely pronounced as "sang kyou"). Since LINE messages are fun and informal, this is a cute way of expressing our thanks and appreciation.

A Western person will probably never understand the logic, but it does not matter. Cross-cultural communication is always fun. Just don't focus too hard on perfection.

Let's keep the communication going!

Can tables move on their own?

I wondered what this sign meant until I read the Chinese text. What is the restaurant management trying to say?

"Please do not move the tables around"

To "shift" something means to move it. However, "shifting" something infers that the object in question, in this case the tables, move by themselves, without human intervention, as in "shifting sands". In the latter, the sand moves about on its own from movements beneath the surface of the earth. Tables in a restaurant do not move themselves unless there is an earthquake.

When living in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country like Malaysia (where I spotted this sign), we do end up with mastering one language over another, even though we are supposed to be proficient in both. In this case, the manager or owner who typed up this sign is obviously better at Chinese than English, hence the funny English phrase.

While English is not an easy language to learn, it does help to ask for help before putting up signs that embarrass yourself and display your lack of understanding of the language. Learning is lifelong. Let us take every mistake as a learning experience.

Have fun with English!

One word description

Use only one Chinese character to describe your country in 2014. The following list is what countries using Chinese widely have chosen:

Malaysia 航 (aircraft)
Japan 税 (tax)
Singapore 乱 (chaos)
China 法 (law)

If you have been keeping up with world news, a cursory look at this list will not bring surprises. How apt can you get? However, the writer of the article did mention that Singapore is the only country that "chose a character based on domestic and international events." This cannot be helped. Singapore is tiny. Anything that happens elsewhere has a direct impact on the country and its people.

Here's a challenge for you: what word (in your own language) would you use to describe your life in 2014?

Cheers to a year of new language acquisition!

Do you scare cockroach?

When I saw this question, I had a good laugh. The vast majority of humans are scared of cockroaches. I am not one of the majority. I get mad when I see a cockroach. My first reaction is, "How dare you invade my clean house?!" Then, I remove my slipper and whack it till it is dead. (A Hawaiian trait that I picked up after living there for three years.) I do not like cockroaches, but I am certainly not scared of them.

I have never seen a cockroach scared of humans before! The former English teacher in me proceeded to quickly correct the question. It should be:

Are you scared of cockroaches?

As I reflected on languages and translations, it dawned on me that the person asking the question was simply asking a question that is literally translated from an Asian language. In Chinese, the question would be, "你怕蟑螂吗？" (Literally "you scare(d) cockroach?) In the Indonesian and Cambodian languages, the English equivalent is exactly the same: "you scare(d) cockroach?" To make the question sound proper in English, you add "do" at the beginning. Hence,

Do you scare cockroach?

Of course, to the western mind, this would be ludicrous! If cockroaches were afraid of humans, they would not invade our homes and choose to make their home in ours.

Learning languages is fun. Learn to laugh at yourself. You will not forget the lesson.

Here's to exterminating cockroaches!

35 years of Speak Mandarin Campaign

2014 marks 35 years of the Speak Mandarin Campaign in Singapore. Quite an achievement for a country that turns 49 years old in August 2014.

Singapore began life as a trading port made up of Malay natives (who spoke only Malay) and immigrants from many parts of Asia and Europe. The British came to lay claim and made it a colony for a number of years. Due to the multi-ethnic make-up of the population, people spoke their own language of home, plus a smattering of whatever other languages that their friends and neighbours spoke. Communication between races and ethnic groups was made up of a mixture of each one's different language. Did it matter that grammar rules were thrown out the window? Certainly not. Communication was effective and efficient. Everyone got along quite well with each other.

After China chose to unite the entire country and ethnic groups in one national language, Mandarin, Singapore chose to follow suit. Being that the older generation spoke either fluent English, or whatever Chinese dialect they grew up speaking, or both, the big push to get all Chinese Singaporeans speaking Mandarin was quite a task. Yet, look at us today!

Singaporean leaders have a working proficiency of Mandarin and a firm grasp of English. While we may not be able to conduct a government-level negotiation in Mandarin, we can converse socially in the language, thus warming us to the Chinese hosts.

Language is more than just a communication tool. Learning a language means learning about a culture and a people. Speaking the language of your host touches his heart and opens doors that you never thought possible.

Want to touch a heart? Go learn his language.

Here's to multi-lingualism!

Eat potatoes or sweet potatoes?

In the Singapore context, when a Chinese person wants to make a point that he cannot speak Chinese, he will say in Hokkien (or the Fujian dialect) that he is "jiak kantang" or "eat potato". The interesting thing about this phrase is that "jiak" means "eat" in Hokkien, but "kantang" is a borrowed word from Malay (correct spelling in Malay is "kentang") meaning "potato". Uniquely Singaporean expression.

Since Asians eat mostly rice and westerners eat mostly potatoes, I suppose that is how this phrase came about. If you eat potatoes, then you must be western-trained and therefore speak English.

Chinese people do eat potatoes, but most prefer sweet potatoes instead. If you are Chinese in Singapore and can speak Chinese, you would not refer to yourself as being a sweet potato eater. For that matter, there is no equivalent expression for those who are proficient in Chinese. A derogatory term for those who are educated in Chinese but speak little English is "Chinese helicopter", meaning that he speaks English haltingly or with a stutter (the sound of which is like the whirring blades of a helicopter).

An evangelist friend from a Chinese-speaking church commented that there is a dearth of local Chinese-speaking pastors and evangelists. In fact, many of the pastors here were once English-educated and have crossed the language divide due to a need. This made him call us "Jiak kantang cho huan zi kang" (吃马铃薯，作番薯工）or "eat potatoes but do sweet potato work". This is not ideal because communication is more than just being able to speak the language. Communication involves understanding the other culture, nuances and expressions. Just because I speak basic Chinese does not mean I understand the Chinese person's psyche. For someone like me who grew up "eating potatoes", this is definitely true. However, being a lifelong student always opens the door to another's heart. Sincerity will always win the day.

Regardless of what kind of staple food you eat, let's be open to another culture and language. Our lives will be so much richer for the education.

Here's to celebrating diversity!

Learn Chinese, not French or German

Finally, David Cameron seems to have woken up to the fact that more of the world speaks Chinese than French or German. OK, maybe I'm biased. I speak Mandarin. I don't speak French or German. But, how likely is it for you to bump into a French- or German-speaking person outside Europe? I think there is a higher probability of chancing upon a Chinese-speaking person outside of Asia!

Since China is one of the two most populous nations of the world (the other being India where most people speak English anyway), I think we should be sitting up and paying attention to them. You agree?

Since China has decided that English is not that important in their country, I think it will be worth our while to learn Chinese. I am quite sure my Chinese friends will agree.

Have fun learning any new language!

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Life and death in a name?

Today's post is not morbid by any means. I was inspired to write because of what I saw on the side of a van.

There was a funeral taking place near my home. On the side of the van was painted the name of the company: XXX Casket Company, XXX 寿板. I walked by thinking the Chinese name to be a bit puzzling.

In Chinese, "casket" is 棺材. Using the literal word "casket" in a company name may be considered crude or rude, since it refers to death, which often is a taboo subject in Chinese society. Chinese often will use a pseudonym instead, to soften the tone, yet make it sound acceptable to the grieving family. In this case, the company chose 寿板.

寿 (shou4) means life. It is often used to wish an elderly person on his birthday, wishing him a long life e.g. 寿比南山 or "May you live longer than the southern hills".
板 (ban3) means a wooden board. In this case, it refers to the wooden coffin.

What made me puzzled was the pairing of the two words meaning "life" and "coffin", signaling death. Seems like an oxymoron to me!

I got onto Google Translate and laughed even more! Google Translate gave this: 寿板 = "life board". Huh? What's that supposed to mean? I have never really trusted Google Translate to begin with. This just confirms my suspicions. Do not trust electronic translation systems. Trust the human being instead.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to learn a new language. That way, you will not have to rely on a tool or another person to translate and explain the meaning.

Start learning a new language today!

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Is learning English not as important today?

Is English not the universally important language anymore? While many in the non-English-speaking world are frantically trying to learn English, China has decided that English is not as important as other subjects for the university admission test or 高考 as it is more commonly known. Perhaps the focus on English has led to lower grades in other subjects? Highly possible, since the Singapore Education Ministry has deemed this so, only in reverse. In Singapore, the focus on Chinese language can cause so much stress to parents and children that the latter end up scoring poorly in other subjects such as mathematics and science, subjects deemed easier than Chinese.

Granted, not everyone has a knack, talent or flair for languages (whichever word you may prefer). For some, grammar and spelling are enough to drive one crazy. For others, being able to communicate in another language sends them on a high. Whichever type of person you may or may not be, language is essential to life. Even the deaf and hearing-impaired have their own language.

Chinese in China are going everywhere around the world. Although they study English in school, most of them cannot speak a word of English. Understanding spoken English is also close to zero. China expects the world to learn Chinese instead. Much of the world agrees. After all, China is a huge market.

Whatever your view may be, the fact is that both English and Chinese are gaining popularity around the world. If you speak either language, you can easily communicate with someone somewhere in the world. If you speak both languages, even better! You can probably travel anywhere in the world and find someone who can communicate with you.

Learning English and/or Chinese may be tough, but communicating with someone and seeing his face light up just because you speak a language he understands, is most rewarding. Learn a language today!

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Please tell me where I went wrong

More on butchering the English language. This time it is pronunciation.

Japanese does not have distinct "r" and "l" sounds. The Japanese speaker of English is often confused with words containing "r" or "l". This is why Halloween ends up being pronounced "Harrowing"! I have to say it is quite appropriate in this case. Halloween is a harrowing experience for everyone, apart from being scary.

Mandarin Chinese pronunciation does have "r" and "l" sounds, but depending on which part of China you or your ancestors come from, you may or may not be able to distinguish between the two. This is why many Americans make fun of Chinese people trying to speak English. "Fly lice" instead of "fried rice" is a cliche now. For the Chinese learner of English, it is not funny. It's painful.

Yesterday, my Taiwanese friend was spelling out her Facebook name so I could add her as a friend. Taiwanese have a unique way of pronouncing certain letters of the English alphabet:
"H" is pronounced as "a-chy" or almost like "itchy"
"L" is pronounced as "el-lo"
"S" is pronounced as "es-see"

For that matter, Hong Kong friends who speak little English also pronounce words containing "s" in the same unique way. For example, "strawberries" is pronounced as "see-tor-berry-see".

Enough said.

Every learner of English has his own unique way of pronouncing English words. Some of them are hilarious to the native English speaker. Should we laugh out loud at them, and risk insulting them to the face? Or should we be polite and gently correct them? Personally, I do not mind being laughed at, but please, after you have stopped laughing, tell me what the correct pronunciation should be. I am trying my best to learn your language. The last thing I need is to be made fun of publicly and not know why. Language learning is painful enough without having to suffer public humiliation in the process.

Let's be kind to one another and help each other in our language learning journey. A little encouragement goes a long way.

Have fun in your language learning!

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Learn Chinese for better job prospects

Mr Wang is a Chinese Muslim from Yunnan, China. He went to Kelantan, northern Malaysia, to study Arabic. At the end of his course of studies, he landed himself a job in a local Muslim school in Kelantan, teaching Chinese and Arabic to school children.

Kelantan's population is mostly Malay, yet they have the highest number of Malay students learning Chinese, compared with any other state in Malaysia. Why the interest in Chinese and not English? Better job prospects. English is already taught in the school, even though the government is trying to raise the standard of English education across the country. Lao parents in the the countryside are sending their children to Chinese lessons. China is an economic power to be contended with. Everyone's attention is drawn to China today.

Approximately one-sixth of the world's population lives in China, not counting all the Chinese diaspora spread across the globe. Granted, many overseas Chinese no longer speak Chinese or adhere to Chinese traditions. Yet, we cannot deny that China is a huge market that must be taken seriously. What better way than to begin by learning the language at a young age? Kelantan Malay parents have foresight. Kelantan Malay children have Chinese friends. They chatter in Chinese, without thinking about what race they belong to. What better way to promote race relations than by learning the language?

Do you speak Chinese? Get started today! Learning a language is a lot of fun!

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Knowing English is still important

After so many years of pushing aside English as the main medium of instruction in schools, Malaysia is trying to reverse the tide of poor English. The first step is to re-train the teachers who are not proficient in English.

This is an uphill task. English is not an easy language to master. My friend is trying for a certificate to teach English as a second language. She is despairing now because she has completely forgotten all the grammar rules. Yes, her English is good. Yes, she uses English daily. But to explain what the rules are and how they work is another story altogether.

While much of world today speaks Chinese, English is still widely used anywhere in the world. In fact, most Chinese from China want to learn English. Many of them speak very well, with little trace of a Chinese accent. Much of the information over the internet today is in English. Being able to speak, read and write English is a very useful skill to have. We cannot run away from this fact.

I wish the Malaysian Education Ministry all the best in their endeavours to bring the standard of English in the schools back to where it used to be and maybe even better.

If you can read and understand this blog post, then you do have a good grasp of English. Why not add Chinese to your stable of working languages?

Happy learning!

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Is Chinese taking over as the universal language?

Is Mandarin becoming the universal language over English? Maybe not yet, but much of the world does speak Mandarin, especially considering that China's population is already one-sixth of the world. That does not include all the Chinese diaspora all over the world!

This article tells us that Lao villagers may not have much money, but education is a priority. What is more important is that, to the average Lao parent, learning Mandarin is more important than learning English. Considering what a great influence China has on Lao economy, what Lao parents are doing is probably wise. After all, China is a huge market both domestically and internationally.

A Malaysian businessman in Vietnam told me that he sent his children to a Taiwanese international school and gave them extra lessons in English. He felt that English and Mandarin (or Chinese) were essential to their ability to succeed in life. Today, his son is studying in America and his daughter has just completed her time in Europe. She is also learning French.

Every parent wants the best education for his children. In today's fast-changing and fast-moving global economy, it looks likely that Chinese is catching up with English as the universal language of the business world. Thousands in China attend classes to learn English. Chinese students are all over the world in the quest to get ahead.

In South Korea alone, there are 80,000 students from China studying there. A Chinese pastor living in Seoul commented that sometimes he thought he was in China, rather than in South Korea. All around him he would hear Chinese being spoken.

While knowing one language is good, being bilingual or even multilingual is even better. Effective communication is a fact of life. We all want to avoid misunderstandings. Being able to communicate in another language helps cut down the risk of miscommunication. Knowing Chinese will help you communicate with much of the world! Why not start learning Chinese today?

You can find many different packages to learn Mandarin here.

Have fun learning Chinese!

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Chinese is an ancient language

The Chinese language is an ancient language. The discovery of Chinese classical literature written on bamboo strips shows that Chinese writing has existed for thousands of years.

Learn an ancient language today! Learn Chinese! Find a suitable package here.

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Revive Chinese dialects, find my roots

Chinese dialects (or languages native to specific regions of China) are fast becoming lost languages. In China, the nationwide promotion of Mandarin has caused a generation of young adults who cannot speak the language of their grandparents and ancestors, unless their parents have made an effort to preserve the language at home by speaking it to their children.

In Singapore, the push for "Mandarin as a Second Language" in schools and the "Speak Mandarin Campaign" has almost wiped out dialects among a younger generation of Chinese citizens. Those born in the 1960s and earlier grew up with either Chinese or English education. The Chinese-educated maintained their ability to speak dialects. Those of us who went to English-medium schools ended up largely monolingual i.e. can only speak English and nothing else. I was that way until I was forced to learn other languages for survival. Today, I am an ardent advocate of multi-lingualism.

Now a handful of young adults are trying to revive the learning of dialects, even if only spoken. After all, all Chinese languages use the same writing. Why? Perhaps this generation realises that something is missing from their lives. They've lost the language of their ancestors, making them a generation of Chinese with a missing link in their identity. While the older generation is still alive, there is still a chance of saving and reviving Chinese dialects. Good for these young ladies. May they succeed in their endeavour.

If you don't have a language of your ancestors, you can still benefit from learning another language. It will open up a whole new world to you! Find a package to fit your needs and learning style today!

Happy learning!

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