Translate This: Turquoise, Pink and other strange colours

Translating colours should be easy. Red is merah, blue is biru, green is hijau. Eezy peezy. That is until you're deluged with a plethora of colours that even English native speakers find them hard to remember. The following examples, legally, are colours. But as you can see, they are actually named so as a result of their natural occurrence. 

Turquoise is called turquoise because that's the natural colour of turquoise (pic) - it's chemical composition can be checked here. In Malay, turquoise (the colour) is called biru firus because turquoise (the gemstone) is called batu firus. Thank god such gemstone was already available here in those times. Otherwise and most likely it will be called terkois and can be easily confused or typoed as terkuis.

Vermillion is another chemical substance that gives vermillion (the colour) it's name. It is actually mercuric sulphide. Guess, what's it called in Malay? Merah menyala? No. It's merah merona. To be honest, that was the first time I heard it. I do not know what merona is. It's not explained anywhere in the dictionary. But googling it takes me to a host of Indonesian webpages, so I deduced that we just borrowed it whole from them. It then makes me wonder, could it be that that makes them Nengs prefer vermillion lips? Like this....

Vermillion lips are so sexy!

Pink guava.

Pink is another simple colour that seems easy to translate. Similar to that with English, because it occurs naturally in pink guava (a variant of guava (jambu batu) that has pink flesh), so it's called merah jambu. Wait. Wait. So, red is merah, guava is jambu batu and pink is merah jambu. Wouldn't pink guava end up being called 'jambu batu merah jambu' then? I am so confused. Aren't you too?

Oh! Wait again. Here's a solution by ingenious lexicographers paid by some ingenious company.

It's sooo valid...!

Translate This: Installation

I come to write about this topic just so because I had a new wiring installation done on my little stationery/sundry shop back in my hometown in Teluk Intan. Just for the fun of it, I looked into the dictionary for its Malay translation. And fun it was! There are actually two different but almost similar words that come out as its translation. One is "pemasangan", the other "pepasangan".

If you don't know how to do it, don't do it.

While the former looks a valid Malay word with correct affixes with the letter 'p' from 'pasang', meaning install, was substituted with the letter 'm' as a result of the prefix [pe+....+an] (correct according to the prefixing rule), the latter looks like an incorrect spelling of the former. Or is it really?

No, it's not an invalid or incorrect word. Although both carry the same meaning, the big difference is the former refers to the actual work of the installation (it's a noun that refers to the verb) and the latter refers to the finished work or what has been installed (it's a noun that refers to the noun). To make it clear to you here are two examples that look similar but different:

English 1: The electrical wiring installation for the living room took almost two weeks to complete.
English 2: The electrical wiring installation for the living room constitutes half of the total cost.

Compare the two sentences, and adjust yourself as if you are a Malay speaker, you will find that in example 1, the installation actually refers to the actual work thus the verb part of it, while example 2, refers to the noun part of it which is actually the wires, lights, switches and what have ya that has been installed and in place. So, the most appropriate translation that I may present you is as follows:

Malay 1: Pemasangan pendawaian elektrik untuk ruang tamu mengambil masa hampir-hampir dua minggu untuk disiapkan.
Malay 2: Pepasangan pendawaian elektrik untuk ruang tamu memakan separuh daripada kos keseluruhannya.

Now, can you see the difference? I hope you can. Because if you still can't, let me take you to the times when you were still in school where every year there would normally be two 'peperiksaan' (examinations) were held every year until you sat for the big one, the SPM. Normally, 'pemeriksaan kertas jawapan' (the marking of the papers) will be done over three months after you last sat for it. Clear?

One reminder though, and this is a very serious one, mistakes especially and unintentionally done if you are not really well versed in Malay: although the coronation of a new king or queen is also called the installation of the new king/queen, one should not translate it as 'Pemasangan DYMM Yang Dipertuan Agong', or you will be sent directly to 'pemasungan'. Here is how you would look like getting 'dipasungkan'.

The right word should be 'Pertabalan'.

These days though, those who have a leaning towards sado-masochism even love to be 'dipasungkan'. Add whips and chains. Hmmmm...

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!

Translate This: Commensurate

There shouldn't be much of a problem to translate this word. The translation of it can be found in many reliable English-Malay dictionary, most of the time they put the meaning as: setara, sepadan.


But I would like to highlight one habit of many Malaysians that I suspect that their confusion may be due to how the word is spelled. Many English words that end with -ate normally indicate that they are a verb, but not in this case. It is an adjective not a verb, therefore it doesn't take a tense.


Here are some examples of how Malaysians would use 'commensurate' in a sentence:

Here is an example of a correct sentence using the word commensurate:

I just thought that this is a very good subject matter to be highlighted somewhere, and why not here.

Admittedly I had thought it was a verb too.

Grammar Matters: Merbahaya or Berbahaya?

There are more than one mistakes in this picture.
But for now, let's just look at 'merbahaya'.

We are all born with one particular organ in our body that is naturally lazy. But that laziness understandably, may be culminated from tens of thousands of years of effort to create phonetically correct sound to naming things, describing acts, categorizing things/acts and so on. I am talking about our tongue, the only inside-body organ that you can see moving without any visual aid. (As a digression, try looking at it in the mirror and move it about, imagine it as a creature from some scary alien movie stuck in your mouth. Gross?)

What I’m trying to say or what I suspect is ‘merbahaya’ has been the result of our lazy tongue. It may have to do with the dialect of certain group of the population but generally it has spread and become common in all of Malaysia because everybody thought it was the correct one. Unfortunately it was not. ‘Berbahaya’ is the correct word. Unlike for example, in the state of Perak, where they pronounce durian as ‘deghoyan’ (‘gh’ is very Frenchy sounding ‘r’ as in Rue de Savoy) but so far it remains and stays a Perak dialect.

‘Berbahaya’ is a derived adjective (kata sifat terbitan) that comes from the root word ‘bahaya’, a noun that means danger, prefixed with ‘ber’ which in this case means ‘to have’ or ‘to contain’. Further corroborates this explanation is the fact that there has never been the prefix ‘mer’ in Malay. There isn’t really. ‘Ber’ becomes ‘mer’ here simply because it’s easier to pronounce it although the difference is only subtle. To prove it, do this yourself: Repeatedly, utter those two words one after another. You’ll notice ‘merbahaya’ is the easier one. So, it looks like all the hard work of our ancestors to have certain rules in naming things just goes down the gutter because of our laziness. These days it gets worse. Vowels have gradually become useless. This is completely embraced by the new generation, thanks to technology.

Fortunately: Many Bahasa Melayu teachers now realize that and begin to emphasize its importance through the many blogs they now operate. I am one who visits them regularly for updates and references.

Unfortunately: ‘Merbahaya’ is still in Kamus Dewan, although it is actually a lazy version of ‘marabahaya’ and not ‘berbahaya’. Take note and don’t get confused.

In the end, our tongue suffers from our lack of attention to take care and use it the right way. If only man takes care of it the way they take care of another particular prized organ of theirs, and the way they splash portions of their monthly income the moment they realize its function and performance weren’t as explosive as when they were young, things wouldn’t be as complicated.

I am not talking about organs with black and white keyboard.