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!

Construction or contraction?

My friend spotted this sign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His comment was, "No wonder they are hard at labor."

The words in Khmer say, "Under Construction". This is correct. The one who provided the English text needs to go back to school. It's probably a man, since men do not have contractions.

Maybe his English is under construction, or under contraction so he can't think straight.

Whichever the case, it always pays to check a few times before sending the final text for print.

Have fun with English!

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

Don't label women!

International Women's Day is on 8 March annually. While not widely celebrated around the world, it still is an occasion to celebrate women for who they are.

In the Chinese-speaking world, International Women's Day is known as 三八妇女节 (literally "three eight Women's Festival). The numbers come from the Chinese way of writing dates, stating the month first, then the day (the eighth day of the third month of the year).

Most people will probably not read too much into the Chinese name of the day. However, the Chinese name has not sat well with me. You see, a gossipy and naggy woman is described as 三八婆 (read "san ba po", literally "three eight old lady"). If you find your female friend too naggy for comfort, you would say to her, "妳很三八!" (roughly translated as "you are such a nag", but the description is "three eight"). In short, 三八 or "three eight" carries a negative connotation.

So, to call International Women's Day 三八妇女节 instead of just 妇女节 ("Women's Festival") does not sit well with me. Why should a day to celebrate women include nagging and gossip?!

Maybe we Chinese-speaking women should start the change by leaving out 三八 and just call the day 妇女节 and make a big celebration out of it!

Cheers to all women around the world!

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!

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!

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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Test of proficiency for translators in Singapore

How accurate are translations? It varies. Everything depends on the skill of the translator and the editor. Does he know both languages well? How proficient is he in each language? Very seldom is someone equally proficient in both languages unless he has grown up speaking both equally. Even then, one language may be stronger than the other by reason of use.

I know a few friends who grew up speaking Mandarin, went to Chinese-medium schools for basic education, and have had to re-learn Mandarin as an adult. What happened? They went to university using English exclusively, worked in offices that spoke and used only English, and ended up building a family that spoke only English at home. After more than 10 years of hardly speaking or hearing Mandarin spoken, they had to almost start all over again. However, their journey is made easier because they do have the basic foundation buried somewhere in the recesses of their minds.

Just because you speak both languages, it does not mean you can translate. I do a decent job with oral translations, but my written Chinese is pathetic. All my school days I scraped through compositions in Chinese because I wrote in Chinese the way I think in English. It just does not work, nor does it make sense. Then I took Japanese classes in university. As I progressed to higher levels where we had to write essays, my Japanese teacher often did not understand what I was trying to say. Fortunately, she had studied Chinese. She told me many times that she would translate my Japanese sentence into Chinese to make sense of my work.

We have seen many instances of strange and funny translations all over the world. There are even websites dedicated to such pictures. Signs aside, translations can either make or break a deal. A wrong nuance changes the entire meaning of a sentence, and dare I say, the entire document. Accuracy is crucial in translation work.

Is there a way to assess the skills of a translator? Singapore will be instituting a test to check proficiency of translators soon.

Translators in Singapore are excited over this prospect. The test and subsequent certification will lend some credibility to their profession. However, some translation companies are sceptical. Tests can only cover so much ground. Technical language is not included. Translation is just too broad an area to be able to test accurately.

Regardless, some form of testing is better than none at all. "Lost in translation" is not funny. If I took the test, I will at least know where I stand in comparison with others in my field. I rather find out from an objective test than rely on feedback from my audience.

Regardless of where I am in my language learning journey, there is always room for improvement. I am committed to learning languages for the rest of my life. Will you take up the challenge with me and start learning a language today?

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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!

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Khmer-English Electronic Translator - translator, dictionary in your hand

D-8 Cambodian (Khmer) English Electronic Translator Dictionary is a handy device to learn English and Khmer. It is designed to teach the English speaker the Khmer language, and is equally useful for the Khmer speaker to learn English. It talks and translates both languages with real human voices speaking at normal talking speed. Pronunciation is clear and by native speakers.

Translated text is in both English and Khmer letters on a black and white screen. There is no colour screen, but this a plus point because it uses AA batteries, so battery power can be extended. Romanised script for the Khmer word and sentence appears below the Khmer writing, so that you can read along with the pronunciation, if you can't read the Khmer writing.

In built in the device are two English dictionaries: Oxford American English Dictionary and the Collins British English Dictionary. This is useful as Cambodians tend to prefer American English, but all books teaching English at beginner and intermediate levels come from the United Kingdom. The learner of English will benefit from having both dictionaries at his fingertips.

The keyboard uses the Qwerty layout for English. Printed on top of each key is the Khmer letters. The layout of the Khmer keyboard is similar to the Khmer Unicode or Limon input systems. Anyone who can type in Khmer will be able to use this very easily. Since the Khmer alphabet is phonetic, with a bit of effort, even the beginner learner of Khmer will be able to type in a text after a few lessons.

Thousands of words and phrases, verb conjugations, noun and adjective inflections for English are included in this pocket device. It also functions as an organiser: calendar, calculator, measurement converter, six games, ebook reader. No internet connection is required for it to function. You can even take it to a remote jungle and use it, as long as you pack some spare batteries with you.

Business travellers, tourists, Khmer or English language learners will all benefit from this handy electronic device. Legal terms and governmental words can also be found here. Most useful and reasonably priced. It is considered a best-seller for Khmer and English languages.

Buy your device here today!

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Is Matt Redman Chinese in his thinking?

Matt Redman and his Grammy awards

Contemporary Gospel music singer and song writer, Matt Redman, recently won two Grammy's for his song "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)". I love this song. I sing it often and have heard many groups sing it too. What struck me last Saturday as we were singing the song was, "I wonder if Matt Redman is Chinese?"

Silly thought. Of course not!

What triggered that thought was his use of the phrase "10,000 Reasons". In Chinese, we use the number 10,000 or 万 to describe "everything", "all", or anything uncountable. We do have words for numbers greater than 10,000, but somehow, 10,000 is good enough to describe what cannot be counted, which is precisely what Matt was trying to describe. We have an infinite number of reasons to bless God.

I remembered my friend had posted a link for the Chinese translation of Matt's song. I hunted it down and found it. The Taiwanese did an excellent translation, as they always do. Since "ten thousand" has way more syllables than 万 in Chinese, they used 上万 instead, which simply means "tens of thousands". How good can it get? Whichever word you use, it still means the same. There are infinite reasons to bless the Lord.

Matt Redman is definitely not Chinese, but the way he writes song lyrics certainly is! So, who said English (west) and Chinese (east) may never meet?

Have fun learning a new language to bless the Lord!

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Is your language corrupted?

A professional translator was lamenting to me recently. He is upset over the quality of younger translators who think they know their own language, Indonesian, well enough to translate from English to Indonesian orally. However, these youngsters actually don't know their home language well enough to speak a full sentence without using an English word somewhere. What's the problem? They studied in an English-speaking country for a few years and got so used to speaking English that they've forgotten how to string a proper sentence in their home language.

Let me give you some examples.
English speaker: The Gospel cannot be stopped.
Indonesian translator: Injil ini tidak bisa di-stop.

Why use the English word "stop" when you can use the Indonesian word "berhenti"?

Another example:
English speaker: I want to encourage you today.
Indonesian translator: Hari ini, saya mau men-encourage anda.

We feel sorry for the listeners who know no English. How will they understand the entire speech? Will they get anything out of it? Another Indonesian friend said to me that young people in the big cities of Indonesia will be able to understand English words used here and there, but those in the small towns or remote areas will have no clue what is being said. So, for their benefit alone, we should speak proper Indonesian, not corrupted Indonesian.

Language today is evolving. As the world becomes increasingly global and English is widely spoken everywhere, it is inevitable that our native languages end up being peppered with English words, instead of using the correct local equivalent. The question that must be asked then is "how pure can we keep a language?" What is the purpose of language to begin with? Is it simply for communication? If yes, then what form of communication? Written? Oral?

I think everyone will agree that written work should be kept pure, free of foreign words that have a local equivalent. A piece of written work is a formal piece of writing. Apart from typographical errors which must be avoided at all cost, the language used should be pure and unadulterated by foreign words.

If the communication is oral, then so too should be sentences be purely in that language. Do not "Indonesianise" words to make them sound "correct". An example would be in the second example above: "men-encourage". What's that? All the translator did was add the local prefix "men" to the English word "encourage" to make it sound right. Wrong. It just shows his lack of proficiency in the Indonesian language.

As we travel on this journey of language learning, let us do our best to learn a language well. Let us not show our laziness or refusal to go the extra mile, just because. At the end of the journey, we will be able to proudly say, "I can speak (language)!"

You can do it! Happy learning!

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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

Are you an orangtua or an orangutan?

Parent? or Gorilla?

I was translating an at Asian conference last week. At one of the track sessions, the speaker began his presentation with a question. This is nothing unusual, but the three of us translators in the back of the room had a big problem from the start.

You see, the speaker is a white American with a Javanese wife. He has lived in Indonesia for almost 30 years. He is fluent in the local language. Since the conference was held in his "home ground", he was very comfortable speaking in a mixture of English and Indonesian, switching effortlessly between the two languages. The translator into Indonesian standing beside him had a hard time keeping up. I could follow along fairly well, but the Thai and Japanese translators often had no clue what was going on. They do not understand Indonesian at all! Their job is to translate from English to their language.

Here's the opening question as presented by the speaker both orally and on a slide:

Are you an orangtua or an orangutan?

The speaker then proceeded to translate the question into English as:

Are you a parent or a monkey?

The original question uses the Indonesian equivalents of "parent" and "monkey" because it is a play on words. Anyone who understands Indonesian would immediately laugh at the question. In English, the question is neither funny nor sensible. I am sure it will be the same in Thai and Japanese, since the original question will have been translated from English. Humour is very often lost in translation.

So, if you are speaking through a translator, here's some tips that I have compiled to help you get your message across clearly:
1. Speak in complete sentences, using a simple sentence structure.
2. Use simple words.
3. Do not use puns or play of words. These do not translate well.
4. Do not crack jokes that are unique to a specific culture e.g. telling a joke from an American sitcom. No one will know what you are talking about.
5. Use short sentences and pause so that the translator knows when it is his turn to speak.
6. Keep your entire message with translation to a maximum of 45 minutes. Listeners tend to fall asleep when they only understand half of what is being said.
7. Use visual aids as much as possible. A picture speaks a thousand words.

You may never be a translator, but the advantage of being multilingual will allow you to appreciate everything that is being said in another language. You may even be able to explain what is being said to another person. You have an advantage because you will get the full meaning of what is being said. No loss in translation for you.

Have fun learning a language!

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When words fail, use your body

Body language must be the most effective means of communication when language fails. Kim Ji Woon speaks no English. The Hollywood actors and actresses he chose for his movie speak no Korean. Hire an interpreter would be the obvious choice. But "lost in translation" was the result. How did they manage to make the movie?

When the other side can't understand what you're saying, show them.

It was so effective that the above comment was expressed!

"Don't tell me you love me, show me!" Common expression that women say to their husbands or boyfriends. This could not be more true in this case. But what was being shown was not love. It was a work directive. Effective? Yes! Was everyone happy? Yes! What more can you ask for?

I'm not advocating that we all stop talking and start gesticulating instead. Language is necessary most of the time. But when you just can't get your message across, try using your body or drawing a picture. After all, a picture paints a thousand words.

Happy communicating!

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