By Wan Lixin (
Shanghai Daily)
16:21, September 07, 2012
(Shanghai Daily /Illustration by Zhou Tao)
Recently some Chinese scholars have complained that the inclusion of many Englishabbreviations such as NBA (National Basketball Association) in a newly publishedChinese dictionary violates current laws and regulations governing the use of Chineselanguage.
They claimed that the main body of the newly published "Modern Chinese Dictionary"includes 239 entries containing letters from the Latin alphabet, which are treated as ifthey are common Chinese words.
In a joint letter, around 120 scholars said that as an authority on the correct use of theChinese language, the dictionary's inclusion of so many English words is a threat to thepurity of the Chinese language, resulting in linguistic damage probably unprecedentedin modern history.
While the perceived damage is yet to be assessed, I think the threat these scholarsalert us to is very real.
Sadly, their initiative has not gone down well with the general populace. Most of themedia comments call these scholars alarmist, conservatives who are eminently out oftouch with reality, or pedants seeking attention by creating a stir.
'Practical' objections
The objections are "practical": If we're not allowed to use GDP, CPI, or CT, we would behard pressed to find any Chinese equivalents so succinct and expressive. We mightface the dilemma of never being able to suggest these wonderful things.
Or is it because these abbreviations obfuscate so well?
How many Chinese officials enthused about GDP know this metric that has come toencapsulate all that they can aspire to in their political career is no more than some"products."
The same is true of CT. It saves the patient - probably doctors too - the trouble ofknowing what it actually is. In spite of this, enunciating the letters flatters their vanity.
Some say that knowledge is power. Actually ignorance empowers even better. Look atthose chic ladies and girls sporting handbags marked LV, or C, or YSL. Their lack ofunderstanding about what these esoteric symbols stand for actually heighten theirpleasure in exhibiting these handbags.
Similarly, when an economist divulges on the latest PMI, PPI, or EEI, he is spared thetrouble of explaining in what ways these measures concern our daily life.
Due to linguistic peculiarities, much can be lost in translating a Chinese poem toEnglish. But it would be ridiculous to claim that GDP, CPI, or CT are untranslatable.
Any suggestion that the Chinese language is too clumsy to absorb new concepts couldonly have proceeded from ignorance, and a disdain for the language.
We can imagine that if the United States and the United nations were founded today,they would have a higher chance in China of being called by their English original,rather than the cumbersome and slightly misleading meiguo or lianheguo.
Nothing shows the "the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side" mindset better than thelabels and advertisements around us.
If you look around, nearly all the computers, handsets, shoes or toys around us aremade in China. Do you notice how many of them are branded, labeled, or explained inChinese?
A couple of days ago on the Metro, I found the "Emergency Call" sign much moreconspicuous and "dignified" than its Chinese counterpart. Does this practice conform tothe relevant law on language use?
When a thoroughbred foreign label is not available, pinyin can also impress theuninitiated.
Some have observed that part of Haier's success lies in it having a brand name thatmany mistake for German.
Motorola and Nokia have the misfortune of being translated into Chinese, albeitphonetically, but Apple no longer finds it necessary to turn iPhones into Chinese. BothMotorola and Nokia are now in trouble.
In line with this mindset, we are not only abstaining from doing the disservice oftranslating a good brand, we are also beginning to reconsider some fairly establishedearlier Chinese renderings.
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