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!