Ling and bling

My Sydney cousin posted this photo on Facebook. She felt the line "You ling, we bling" was either a grammatical error or a rather racist statement. I can't blame her. In today's politically correct world, we really shouldn't be playing up stereotypes.

Well, as it turns out, Miss Chu wrote a very clever tagline and has won a copyright for it! (How do I know? One of my cousin's friends said so.)

While I am all for good grammar, proper spelling, and absolutely NO LAUGHING at someone's inability to pronounce English words correctly, my first thought when I saw the line "You ling, we bling" was more a play up of stereotypes to create maximum impact in marketing and promotion. In this case, it is an Asian (Vietnamese, to be specific) making fun of Chinese people who find difficulty in distinguishing between "r" and "l". Does that make it forgivable? Maybe.

Since the owner of this place is far from offended by this stereotyping, I can safely say the rest of us should not take offence either. After all, she does have a court-approved document to use her tagline!

In the name of fun, why don't "you ling" for some bánh cuốn (Vietnamese rice rolls) and Miss Chu will gladly "bling" them to you. Just make sure you have cash handy to pay for it.

Bon apetit!

Note: This post was entirely inspired by the photo. I have never been to Miss Chu, nor tried the food there; neither have I been paid to write this post.

Open your mouth and speak!

My business partner and I have a contract to teach local Vietnamese staff English. The German company has hired us for three levels of English: basic, intermediate and technical English for managers. Basic and Intermediate classes have just started.

Before we even started, the Human Resource (HR) Manager explained their company's needs and what the foreign bosses expected of the staff in terms of English language skills. She also told us that the staff do not want to attend class because they think their English is good enough. Why is management forcing them to get better at something they are already good at?

Having worked among Cambodians and Vietnamese for some years, I knew the root problem. No one wants to improve. They are satisfied with the status quo. They cannot accept what the bosses are saying. "I'm good enough already. Why bother?" Well, after telling my business partner what we needed to do to make the local staff improve, he sent my comments lock, stock and barrel to the HR Manager!

The HR Manager took the carrot and stick approach by telling the staff in no uncertain terms that they were all to attend class without question. Supervisors had to give staff time off to attend class. Those who did not attend class would have their annual benefits cut completely. It worked. All the staff attended class on Day 1.

Silence from the staff for the first 15 minutes. Suddenly, the barrier broke and it was noisy for the rest of the time. Even in the Basic class, everyone tried to speak English as best as they could, mistakes and all. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. They enjoy learning English! Even the Austrian boss asked the trainer, "What happened to the staff?" Clearly, our approach was correct and effective.

You will never know how much of a language you know until you are forced to speak. Too often Asians are afraid of using their newly acquired language for fear of making mistakes and thus, making a fool of themselves. You have to die to personal pride in order to learn. Once you have made a mistake and someone corrects you, you are not likely to make the same mistake again. Lesson learned for life.

I have an uphill task trying to learn Vietnamese. I know words and phrases. From a written text, I can sometimes guess the meaning but cannot pronounce the words correctly. I am determined to learn. I have wonderful friends who are going to help me in this journey. I will be able to speak fluently someday. In the meantime, I must try to speak as often as I can. The more I try, the faster I will learn. Speaking is key to learning a language. So, get out there and open your mouth!

Have fun learning a new language!

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"Cake" just doesn't describe it

My friend posted this link on Facebook showing drawings of all the different kinds of pastries that we eat here in Singapore. The drawings were so real that it made me want to eat some! Problem is, they're all full of carbohydrates and all the stuff that makes you fat.

Diet aside, what struck me was the choice of a title: "Kueh", which is the Hokkien (Fujian dialect of China) and Malay pronunciation for cake in English. Kueh can be savory or sweet, depending on what kind of kueh it is. "Kueh" is a generic term for a pastry or confection, which may or may not resemble a western cake. In fact, most kueh are not baked. They are either steamed or fried.

In Vietnamese, all "cakes" are called "banh". In Khmer, "cakes" are known as "num". In Thai, it is "khanom". Again, in all these languages, what is being described isn't really a cake in the western sense. It is a generic term for a pastry of some kind.

If you ask an Asian to describe in English what the pastry is like, he will probably start off by saying, "Well, it is some sort of cake." The problem is "cake" just doesn't describe the kind of food it really is. Lost in translation? Absolutely. Is there a better word? I can't think of any.

My solution? Either you learn the language or just enjoy eating the "cake". I opt to do both!

Have fun eating and learning!

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Hotel Arrival this way

Shouldn't this sign read "Hotel Entrance"? I was amused at the English. This is a four-star hotel, managed by Singaporeans, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I would assume the English would be better.

Well, my friend who speaks fluent Vietnamese enlightened me: translation problem. Ha! That's the culprit!

Funny English. Happens everywhere.

Have fun with a new language!

Fun Language Tools

Transparent Language Online Vietnamese - great way to learn!

Transparent Language Online is an entirely interactive, entirely online language learning package. Over 100 languages are available, including English as a Second Language. I tried the Vietnamese lessons under the seven-day free trial offer. It is an intense package, but I learned basic phrases that I can use when I visit the country.

If you're a beginner like me, the software recommends that you begin with the Essentials lessons. I did not complete the lessons in this section. However, the software keeps track of your progress, picking up from where you left off the last time you logged in. It also shows you how far along you are in each lesson so that you know how much more you have to go before completing that section, in case you have to do something else at a certain time.

The Essentials section covers, speaking, reading and spelling. While you do not have to learn to write Vietnamese with all the symbols, you do need to learn how to operate the onscreen keyboard. When I first started, I did not know there was an onscreen keyboard. I simply typed in the letters and symbols on my laptop keyboard. What I typed looked exactly the same as the given text, but I was marked "incorrect" every single time. This was a major frustration to me. It would not let me go and never gave me any help to tell me where I had gone wrong. To move on in the lesson, I simply clicked "Accept as Correct" for each one.

The speaking section was fun. First you hear the phrase spoken by a native speaker, then you click a button to record your own voice. The soundwave graph will show you how close or far off you are with the original. I can't interpret the soundwave, neither do I know how to make my pronunciation look like the original. But at least I could move onto the next phrase as I chose to.

Since time was running out on me for the trial period, I moved on quickly to the Byki Quick Start. This was fun and painless. The only downside was the slow download of each lesson. It began with speaking and reading, but there was no recording of my voice. Flashcards helped me recognise phrases and prompted me to mark myself correct or not. If I didn't know a word, I simply clicked "enter" to move on. The software will come back to the phrase after a few other phrases. The word would keep repeating several times even though I had gotten it correct a few times. Repetition is the mother of learning, I suppose.

The spelling section in Byki Quick Start was a lot of fun. The English word on a flashcard will be shown. Then you type the phrase in Vietnamese. A set of five letters will appear at the bottom of the screen. Click on the correct letter and the next set of letters will appear. If you choose the wrong letter, you have to start all over again from the beginning of that phrase. It is infinitely easier than the Essentials spelling section. I felt that I was learning quickly even if I did not know the alphabet at all. It was a matter of recognition, rather than understanding how the words are formed.

In all the lessons that I tried, there was never any explanation of the Vietnamese alphabet or the symbols. The first lesson began with phrases such as "How are you?", "Hello", "My name is ...", etc. I still don't know what the different symbols mean, where they should be placed, how they should be written, which letters have symbols and which do not. Based on the pronunciation of the phrases, I can guess that the symbols tell me what kind of sound I should make, but no explanation can be found anywhere.

What I found strange was the stock photos to accompany the flash cards. Since I was learning Vietnamese, I thought the people in the pictures should be locals. They are not. All the people shown are Caucasians, obviously stock photos. It may not change the quality of the lesson, but I think small touches do enhance the learning process.

While Transparent Language Online is an online package that allows you to learn at your own pace, it is intense. When you buy the package, you buy it by month, six months or a year. Given the time limit of your purchase, you may feel pressured to keep at it every day so as not to waste your money. In that sense, it is a good learning package. Besides, you do learn a lot. However, you may find this stressful, as I did.

Overall, it is a good package to learn a language. While it is not as expensive as Rosetta Stone, it does cater to the learner who can read and write, not a small child. The lessons are systematic and build on one another. It is fun and engaging at every step. I definitely recommend this package.

Have fun learning a new language!

Fun Language Tools

Start language before age three

The Straits Times, Singapore, 11 June 2013

At the recent International Symposium on Bilingualisam held in Singapore, experts say that children learn language best before the age of three. To help them learn a language well at that young age, it is best to speak to the child in the language you are strongest in. If you speak in a language that you are not fluent in, the child will learn all your mistakes and be limited in his/her vocabulary.

At that age, the child is simply a sponge, not a thinking individual. What the experts advise is probably correct. I have heard of children growing up in a bilingual household from birth. One parent speaks to the child in one language and the other parent speaks to the child in another language. As the child grows up, he will speak to either parent in the language he has heard out of that parent's mouth from birth. He becomes effectively bilingual without even realising that he is so.

Miracle? Not really. It's just how we're wired, I suppose. My Filipino friends have lived in Vietnam for many years. Both speak Vietnamese fluently. When their two children were born in Vietnam, they decided to speak English at home, instead of Tagalog, their native language. The children picked up Vietnamese from their domestic help and local friends. When it was time for school, the mother began an uphill battle to teach them Filipino (the national language of The Philippines, known locally as Tagalog). I suppose to their young minds, they saw no need to learn their native language when they live in Vietnam and mix around local people, not Filipinos. Hiring a Filipino teacher to teach them didn't help the process. Should the parents have made a different decision? Only parents can make that decision, not anyone else.

My aunt and uncle bought many DVDs to teach children Mandarin for their granddaughter who has heard nothing but English since birth. The little girl had no interest in watching Mandarin lessons, preferring to watch DVDs on ballet and orchestra performances. One day, she suddenly pointed to one of the Mandarin DVDs and asked to watch it. That was the point of no return. At 10 now, she attends Mandarin lessons once a week and can write quite a few Chinese characters from memory, including her own name. While she may never be fluent since her home environment is purely English-speaking, she has an interest that could be pursued more aggressively in the near future.

If you want your child to be exposed to more than just one language or culture, start early. You may not know another language, but you can use children's DVDs, picture books, or even introduce your child to a foreign friend in your neighbourbood to get started. A whole world awaits you out there!

Happy learning a new language!

Fun Language Tools

Learn Vietnamese fast

Are you an expatriate living and working in Vietnam? Or are you living among many Vietnamese immigrants in Europe or America? Maybe you're like me with many Vietnamese friends studying in your country. Wouldn't it be nice to communicate with the Vietnamese in their own language? I think so!

This book with CDs sold separately is excellent. Vietnamese for Beginners: Second Edition is exactly what it promises. It is for people who know very little Vietnamese or none at all. At the end of the course of self-study, you will be able to speak, listen, read and write Vietnamese!

This is the only Vietnamese self-study package that teaches southern Vietnamese language. As you listen to the audio CDs, the instructor will make distinctions between the northern and southern words and pronunciation. This is useful since people in different parts of Vietnam have different pronunciations and accents. Depending on whom you speak to, opinions are divided as to which accent is the accurate one. I think what's more important is that you are understood by the locals, rather than be concerned about being "proper".

Lessons focus on sounds, tones and alphabet. Southern Vietnamese grammar is clearly explained with exercises to reinforce learning. It helps that the author is an American living in Ho Chi Minh City. His approach is simple and clear. It is also a very affordable package for both the book and the CDs, which are sold separately, as compared to Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone's and Talk Now's Vietnamese packages are entirely northern accent and usage. Both packages can be a heavy investment if you are just starting out wanting to "get by" in Vietnamese. If you are around southern Vietnamese and wanting to communicate with them, Rosetta Stone will not help you. It could also alienate you from the people you are trying to befriend, since deep-seated feelings exist among Vietnamese from the north and the south. Learning a language is not just about being able to communicate; it is also embracing a new culture. The cultural lesson will take a lifetime to learn and understand.

As with learning any language, you may wish to use two different packages at the same time to speed up learning. If you're that kind of learner, then you can use Pimsleur with Vietnamese for Beginners. Pimsleur is also an audio with book package that will get you speaking fast.

Enjoy learning Vietnamese! The tones may make you stumble at first, but you will have fun!

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It just doesn't translate correctly!

Some English words just don't have an equivalent in another language! Translators have such a hard time when English speakers use a word that just does not exist in the native language.

I sat with five experienced Indonesian translators over lunch. These are the cream of the crop of translators from English to Indonesian and vice versa. They are fast and accurate when translating for speakers at seminars and conferences. One of them suddenly asked, "Hey, Indonesian translators. What is the Indonesian word for 'excellence'?" One replied immediately, "Unggul." A quick retort, "No. 'Excellence' is not 'perfect'." Then came a string of synonyms in Indonesian for the English word 'perfect'. The faces around the table showed frustration.

English speakers like to use this phrase:

We must be excellent because our God is an excellent God!

Completely impossible to translate into Indonesian! My Indonesian is far from perfect, but I can tell you that there is no equivalent word in Khmer either! What a headache!

I used to teach a lesson entitled "Excellence in the Workplace". The material was three pages long, but explaining the concepts took an hour or more. At the end of the class, I would just hope they got it. When you live in a culture where the general idea is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", then how do you instill in the young that mediocre just isn't acceptable? Language is the way to communicate, but sometimes language just fails us miserably.

Maybe body language or "show and tell" really is the way to go when communicating to someone of a different culture and language. Sometimes "show and tell" is best even in your own culture. My young Vietnamese friends were trying to explain the ring tab of a drink can to their Vietnamese classmate. After a few minutes, their friend was still puzzled as to what they were talking about. He thought they meant the cover of a canned drink (what's that?!). Finally, I showed him my small collection of ring tabs, and he understood immediately.

I love learning languages. I am far from being a polyglot. I am still learning to be more fluent in some of the languages I speak. The journey will go on until the end of my life. The more I learn, the more I find how limited our languages can be. One of those five translators around the table said, "You know, Indonesian is only one-third of English." We had a really good laugh when he said, "Lord, we thank You for your mercy, grace and compassion." While this prayer is common among English speakers, it is a nightmare for the one who is listening to his prayer being translated into Indonesian. You see, the word for "mercy", "grace" and "compassion" is generally the same: "kasih karunia". You can use "anugerah" or "kemurahan", but in general, "kasih karunia" will suffice for the general audience. So, the translator risks being labelled as "no good" when it is not his fault.

"Lost in translation" is a very real thing. However, it motivate us to learn more languages and learn them well, rather than make us throw up our hands in surrender. Being able to communicate in another language even at a basic level brings satisfaction that cannot be described.

Here's to learning a new language! Fun Language Tools

Women paid less?

Male/Female divide

My friend in Vietnam mentioned in a conversation that females in Vietnam, especially in the north, earn about 50% less than their male counterparts. This is especially true in these professions: school teacher, university professor and female trainer. He was rather taken aback at this startling revelation. He's lived in Europe for most of his life. Gender inequality is rather foreign to him.

So I went on a Google hunt and found an article to prove the statement. The statistics in the article show a smaller wage gap between males and females, but it does prove a point. The Vietnamese workforce comprises a high percentage of women, higher than any other country in the world. Yet, their efforts do not seem to be appreciated in monetary terms.

Culturally, Vietnam is very much Asian. In the past, Asian women were considered second class, compared to men. However, Communism in China changed all that. Men and women are equal. Although Vietnam adopted Chinese Communism and still runs under that system, it seems that the average family still follows the traditional mindset.

You can take a country boy to the city, but you cannot take the country out of the city boy.

This statement rings true anywhere in the world. Some people change and adapt. Others do not. I suppose Vietnamese mindset has not changed, despite Communism. Women throw equal weight in terms of contribution to the economy, yet they are paid less. Coming from a Western standpoint, this is unfair. Do Vietnamese women feel this way? Perhaps quietly they do but do not have an outlet to express themselves, unless they choose to work for the private sector.

Gender inequality cannot be changed overnight. It must take both external and internal forces working together to change generations of mindset. Can we do something about it? It is certainly worth a try.

Here's to change for the better!

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New Year - time for family togetherness

It's the second day of Chinese New Year! Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Why is this festival called Chinese New Year, when it's not limited to the Chinese community around the world? Vietnamese celebrate this festival too! They call it Tet. It is based on the Lunar calendar, so technically, it should be called Lunar New Year, not Chinese New Year.

Then the Chinese in China call it Spring Festival or 春节 because this is the time they welcome Spring, even though most times it is still winter and sometimes snowing in some parts of the country.

Regardless of what you call it, it's a time for the family to get together. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the whole family gathers together from wherever they are living in the world. Special food is served, each dish symbolising a good wish for the new year. It is probably the one time of the year when the whole family gets to see each other and catch up with what has happened over the past year. For some, it is the first time meeting a new member of the family, whether by marriage or birth. In short, it is a heart-warming time for everyone.

In every culture, there seems to be at least one festival that brings the whole family together. In western countries, it is Christmas. For the Chinese and Vietnamese, it is the Lunar New Year. For those from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, it is the Buddhist New Year. We may all be culturally different, but one thing remains the same for the entire human race: family togetherness.

Whether you are celebrating the Lunar New Year or just starting another week, here's wishing you and your family a time of love and togetherness!

Fun Language Tools

Tonal languages - breeze or bane?

Are you tone deaf, or think you might be?  Really, tonal languages are not that hard to master.  

I'm no language expert, but I can tell you how many tones these languages have:
Mandarin - 4 tones
Thai - 5 tones
Cantonese - 9 tones
Vietnamese - 8 or 9 tones, depending on whom you ask

I'm not tone deaf, but Vietnamese is a really tough language to learn!  I can manage words, order food, count from 1 to 10, bargain a bit when shopping, and overall, get by without being cheated, esp since I look like a Vietnamese.

I may be a Cantonese, but sometimes my tones and inflections still get mixed up.  I definitely don't get enough speaking and listening practice.  Reading is completely out for me.  I read and type in Mandarin, not Cantonese!  Cantonese is a strictly oral language for me.

My very strict Thai teacher, Mr Kim Song, taught me how to speak proper Thai clearly. He drilled me over and over again until I got the sounds right.  For that, I am eternally grateful.  I may speak Thai slowly, but I've got the right accent.  It was so hard, though!  

I learned Thai as an adult and managed to function quite well in the language, being able to follow meetings, church services, and conversations without problem. 

Tones?  They're a breeze only after you've put in sweat and effort to get them right.  Bane?  Only in your mind.  Get down and cracking, if you really want to learn a language.  Nothing comes easy, but the rewards are immeasurable.