Translator please

[Gayle]

It's a huge minefield Willow. We've chosen Urdu because it is the most commonly spoken language in the ethnic community around Hyndburn.

Doug, if we represented all languages there would be no room on the poster for anything else. The reason we put one, very very simple, line in Urdu is so that people who speak an Asian language (ANY Asian language) recognise that they are not being excluded from the event. It's then assumed that the people in question will then ask someone who speaks English to translate the rest.

Also, Doug, you're making the assumption that people can not speak English if they can not write it. That's not always the case!

I too would agree that if someone comes to live in England it would be preferable if they spoke English but it is well known fact that that is not the case. So it is important to not exclude these people any more - in fact, by including them there is more chance that they may make the effort to learn to speak a few words of English.

[Doug]

I produce documentation, Policies and Procedures for a Care Company, under National Minimum Standards I have to make provision for producing those documents in the chosen 1st language of the service user. or their carer.

If you are I go to any other county in the known world we are expected to make the effort to learn the language or pay for an interpreter.

I don’t object to doing this, and I suppose it’s what I get paid for, but the pendulum should swing both way’s, and the day might just come when you single line is the one in English.

[mani]

u shud've just pm'd me gayle wud've done it for ya. but since u already got sommet...

i'd also like to come to apoint made by soemoen that many of hte asian women cant read anyway and get a fella to read. yes where as that is true for the older ladies i'm talkin 60+ the ones below that just generally cant b arsed to learn urdu. i know lots of u will jump on this and say y bother etc but there are those that do want to read and do want to mingle.

i'm a volunteer in a help group and its mostly based in blackburn and recently we organised a nice lil charity event and i was surprised by how many women actually do bother to know about these things and volunteer their time. one asian woman i met via this help group was recently put up for a major national award yet she admits herself that without the support of literature available in her first language she wudnt have been able to get half as much done.

these things do get noticed and do take effect. maybe it doesnt have the effect that one wud like it to have but ppl do realise and do participate

u just gotta give it a chance. and yes i do play the lottery. and no i havent won anythign in a whole year. and yes i do want to win it. *sigh*

[WillowTheWhisp]

I'm now wondering why, if Babelfish can manage to translate into Chinese and Japanese, why it can't translate into Urdu. Mind you, I'd be wary of trusting in Babelfish having seen some of the French and German translations it comes up with!

Mani, do you think a time will come when all Asian women will be able to speak/read English or Urdu or do you think there'll always be a few first generation immigrants who can't?

What about the Eastern European immigrants Gayle? Do most of them learn English before they ever get here? I'm quite curious about this now. I know we had a lot of Polish people and others from neighbouring areas here after the war and we had a next door neighbour who came here as a child and when he grew up he married a woman from "back home" in the Ukraine. She couldn't speak a word of English when she first arrived and was very shy but gradually she learned more and more and by the time she had a daughter starting school she was able to read everything in English. I suppose having a similar alphabet helps though.

It always used to be regarded that the English were far too lazy (or maybe arrogant) to learn a foreign language. Are we getting any better at that do you thnk?

[Gayle]

Originally Posted by mani

u shud've just pm'd me gayle wud've done it for ya. but since u already got sommet...

It would still be really useful if you could check it over for me please. I've used the website recommended by Bazf (thanks Bazf) and it came up with this as the sentence.I presume the structure of the sentence will be following the English structure and so not necessarily correct for Urdu.Thanks Mani

[Debbie J]

Quite a few years ago there was an Asian lady who summoned up the courage to come to the Church I used to go to. I got to know her quite well. The Lady went to night classes at the old grammer school to learn English, but found them very condescending so she stopped going. I taught her instead We both enjoyed it as I learned bits of her language (though I have forgotten most of it) and she was able to read books in English.
Some want to learn but either don't have the confidence to make the first step or when they do find the teachers condescending/patronising.

[Gayle]

Thank you for the help given to me on this thread. I knew that someone, somewhere would have the knowledge needed.

Fantastic - just shows how good this site is!

Gayle

[mez]

debbie how right you are ... i found that to be true when i went to learn welsh at night school whilst living in wales ... what bigotted people there are , they just laughed at me as i was trying to communicate with them in their language...... so you give up.

[wellbeing]

you all seem so pathetic gayle was asking a simple question!How to translate something!to be honest i feel it comes down to racism if gayle was asking how to translate something into spanish or greek u wud be all their helping but instead you are all being picky!
Some1 asked why do we need a sign for the british but not every1 can speak english so if thet see a sign in english they wouldnt know what it said and they would miss out on the day but because it is in urdu and english all ethnic minorities can attend!
so stop being pathetic n dont answer the post unless u have something useful to say!!!!!

[lettie]

Originally Posted by wellbeing

you all seem so pathetic gayle was asking a simple question!How to translate something!to be honest i feel it comes down to racism

I would beg to differ on the racism thing. There's always one who will cry racism when people have differences of opinion. I would argue that it is merely patriotism. After all this is England. I have no objection to anyone wanting to live and work here regardless of nationality, but the language here is not French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Bengali or Mandarin. It is English and if people want to live here then they should be encouraged to learn the language. My Polish great grandparents had to learn it when they moved here, and didn't have the option of foreign language leaflets and signs. Whenever I go abroad (which is several times a year), I make the effort to try to communicate in the language of the country where I am staying. I am not fluent in any language but my own, but people love a trier and making the effort breaks the ice.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by wellbeing

because it is in urdu and english all ethnic minorities can attend!

So you think all ethnic minorities can read urdu do you?

Originally Posted by wellbeing

so stop being pathetic n dont answer the post unless u have something useful to say!!!!!

I know you are a fairly new member and the forum rules are hard to find so I will help you out with one of the rules. No text speech please. Like Mick likes to say "you have a full keyboard so use it"

[Gayle]

Just as a point of detail - the most commonly spoken ethnic language in Hyndburn is Kashmiri - this is a dialect of Urdu. Kashmiri (and I think I've got the spelling right) is not a written language. Therefore, Urdu is a fairly safe language to put on the posters - people who speak any sort of dialect will identify that there is an ethnic language on the poster.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by lettie

I would beg to differ on the racism thing. There's always one who will cry racism when people have differences of opinion. I would argue that it is merely patriotism. After all this is England. I have no objection to anyone wanting to live and work here regardless of nationality, but the language here is not French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Bengali or Mandarin. It is English and if people want to live here then they should be encouraged to learn the language. My Polish great grandparents had to learn it when they moved here, and didn't have the option of foreign language leaflets and signs. Whenever I go abroad (which is several times a year), I make the effort to try to communicate in the language of the country where I am staying. I am not fluent in any language but my own, but people love a trier and making the effort breaks the ice.

Thank God for common sense............

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Doug

Thank God for common sense............

Which God?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

Which God?

She who must be obeyed.