Extras: Olympics Translation Special: Track & Fields

It’s the Olympic season again! YAY! Now, what could be more appropriate than translating anything Olympic? There are 26 sports in this year’s Olympic. They are all regulars. Thankfully, some sports that dubiously looking all but sporty are not included. Unlike that particular Nusantara Games, where sports like ‘balancing with a ping pong ball in a spoon held in mouth, on a wire made of rafia” are held, where participants were most likely assembled ad-hoc-like, AND since the rest of the citizens of participating countries were involved in other similar sports, only 60 and 70 year olds were left to compete. Good God! Here’s your chance folks! Get those viagra out for whatever reasons you might it need for and go! Go! Go! Just don’t end up dead.

One of the more popular sports in Olympics has been Track & Field. It used to be simply called “Olahraga” in Malay. But then there was a confusion with its meaning when our Nusantara neighbor (whom we already know how enthusiastic they can be about anything that maybe misinterpreted or misrepresented). There, olahraga simply means sports in general (we call it sukan) or to compete in whatever as long as the purpose is to defeat the others. Here in Malaysia, it’s slightly different. It’s restricted to competing when there’s a competition that involves one’s physical strength or mainly Track & Field. For all I know Olahraga has been used only in Silat Olahraga other than the usual Olahraga. But “over there”, a competition of, for example, “who can create the most bizarre hairstyle” is also called olahraga. It’s absolutely no wonder why that Games has become such. But, I digress yet again.

Track & Field, was later called Balapan & Padang to concur with its English use. As far as I can remember, it first appeared during the early 80s. Then, our Olahraga team was very popular with athletes who became household names like Marina Chin, Zaiton Othman, Rabuan Pit, V Angamah, Saik Oik Cum, Elron Alfred Angian and many more. Here, to refresh you memory.

They were such stars in those days.

The word Balapan was in regular discussions among friends at that time. Some took the effort of finding its history, and proudly announced it to us that it was an acronym that came from “Baris Lapan” or “Lanes of Eight” as in the eight lanes that made the running track of athletic events. And then we went, “Ahhhhhh….,” with our mouth agaped.

Balapan is the Track. Padang is the Field.

And then, I did not know who were unhappy with Balapan that it was later changed to Trek & Padang. This made me sad really, as I have mentioned this many times before, why is the need to adapt a foreign word when the word that we have perfectly describes the matter? Some blamed it on the TV people for being insensitive towards upholding the Language. I do not want to blame it on anyone, but if we could use some words more regularly, we may make that word popular again. But then, the sad state of Malaysian athletics now doesn’t augur well for the word Olahraga. And when the general masses don’t talk much about a certain subject, its related lexicons simply go into obscurity. 

Balapan remains in the dictionary as what I have explained above. And more… it also means any kind of track that is used for competition not restricted to humans running against each other, for example the horse racing track is called Balapan Lumba Kuda, although there are no visible lanes of eight.

AHAH..!!! Let’s tell this to that neighbor of ours to get their chickens, ducks, rhinoceroses, garudas and what not to challenge each other on a Balapan. This seems valid enough. We have seen them do it with buffalos (sorry but not fun enough), but with other living beings?

Oh, this can be really fun especially if it’s included in that Nusantara Games!

Extras: Buzzes About Buses

1. Here is....

..... a school bus. That's right.




2. Here is....

... a chartered bus. That's right.




3. Here is....

... I don't know. But I can guess what it is. Can you?


It is the same as the number 2 above. But why do they use 'catar'? It's not in the dictionary anyway. So I scoured in it, any way possible and then came this page that says 'catar' is actually 'charter' but the right Malay spelling is 'cater'. 'Catar' is not an acceptable Malay word but frequently used as meaning 'cater' (the Malay word) or 'charter' (the English word).


Yes, we frequently use words that are not words anyway. So, no surprise there. No surprise also from Lembaga Pelesenan Kenderaan Perdagangan (LPKP) or Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board for not taking it serious enough to address the matter. As a person who has seven years experience in driving a taxi in the city, I perfectly understand that. In that seven years, they have created and discarded many rules and regulation at their whims and fancies, for example, colour your taxi according to the company that owns it and later, no you don't have to, you can pick up passengers at the airport and later no you can't, and some taxis can have sports rims some can't. No surprise, no surprise.


I don't know why I like to digress...


Back to the buses. I guess if we used 'Bas Cater' instead, people will think that bus is carrying food maybe. If we used 'Bas Carter' instead, people will think that that bus belongs to the former US President. If we used 'Bas Aziz Sattar' instead, people will think that Aziz Sattar owns all of the 'bas persiaran' here in Malaysia. 


There you go, what is so wrong and ugly with 'Bas Persiaran' that you so abhor using it?


I don't know....

Translate This: damage, damages

Damage  is one English word that you should take extra care when translating. Why should I say so? Because you may inadvertently cause damage to someone’s reputation and in retaliation they may claim damages upon your action.

You   : Crap! They are not the same..??

Me    : No they aren’t, unfortunately.

You   : So which one is which then?

This car is damaged. The owner can claim for damages from the insurance company.

Even English native speakers got confused sometimes. Why, because they are spelled the same, carry a vaguely, closely, nearly, similar meaning. Let’s try to translate some text. Hmmm… those first two sentences look alright to me. The following may be the most possible translation (There are no right or wrong translation, only the more appropriate or lesser one that is):

"Damage" ialah satu perkataan Bahasa Inggeris yang anda harus terjemahkan dengan lebih berhati-hati. Mengapa harus saya katakan begitu? Kerana anda mungkin boleh secara tidak sengaja menyebabkan kerosakan terhadap reputasi seseorang dan mereka mungkin akan membalasnya dengan membuat tuntutan ganti rugi ke atas tindakan anda.

I hope you get it, if you don’t let me explain. The former refers to the direct effect of one’s action including defacement or loss of concrete or inconcrete values of another person’s property such as auto-vehicles, houses, reputations or businesses. All can cause the latter to incur. In other words, damages should always be translated in context of law, except when it is used as a simple present tense of a singular verb e.g. Kamariah’s action damages the company’s reputation (Tindakan Kamariah merosakkan reputasi syarikat itu). The company decided to claim damages from Kamariah (Syarikat itu membuat keputusan untuk menuntut ganti rugi daripada Kamariah). Bear in mind that damages in a law article always refer to monetary equivalent to the damage. Informally, damages can also mean money equivalent to something that is not really damaged e.g “So, what are the damages for that rewiring job on the second floor?” (“Jadi, berapa kosnya kerja pendawaian semula di tingkat dua itu?”).

Confused?

Oh, dear….

Before I can cause serious damage to you brain, I better stop now. But then again, if your brain is already damaged, surely no damages can be claimed because your brain is now considered useless and you now only fit to live in a shrink-house. Let’s just hope your relatives don’t find this article on the computer screen the moment that happened.

Quick! Quick!