The government invests a lot of effort and money in the annual Speak Mandarin campaign to motivate the Chinese to learn their mother tongue. In recent years, the Promote Mandarin Council has expanded the campaign by encouraging the Chinese to become more knowledgeable about Chinese culture. Nevertheless, learning Chinese culture and passing it on to the next generation is too daunting a task for the yearly campaign to accomplish.
In primary school, pupils are taught by the teacher the proper order of strokes in writing Chinese words. They also learn basic vocabulary and idioms. At the secondary level, the teacher will drill the pupils on forming sentences, grammar, spelling, dictation and essay-writing.
Language is an integral part of culture and the symbol of a race. While stressing proficiency in the language, our policy on mother tongue does not seem to give equal emphasis to the transmission of culture.
At his National Day Rally speech this year, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke about riding on China's economic growth and urged Chinese pupils to learn the Chinese language and Mandarin seriously. He, however, did not touch on the importance of learning Chinese culture.
Being able to write Chinese words and engage in simple conversation in Mandarin by no means indicates that a person understands Chinese culture. Some learn the Chinese language to pass examinations while others do so to close business deals. They are completely oblivious to the rich culture underlying the language.
Picture this： A businessman having a meal with his Chinese client pauses and plunges the chopsticks into the bowl of rice as he continues to converse.
The businessman who knows Mandarin but not Chinese culture is obviously unaware that his behaviour is considered rather rude in Chinese etiquette. The point is, knowing how to speak Mandarin and write Chinese words may not be enough in breaking into, and investing in, the Chinese market. The culture of a people is more than just language, and the contents and value system it embodies are far more significant.
If we choose to learn Chinese culture through another language, would it be equally effective？ While documented cultural material can be translated, some nuances tend to be lost in the process.
Translation may suffer from a lack of accuracy. It may also turn one or two concise words into a long and boring essay.
Take, for instance, the Chinese tradition to paste the word“?！眜pside-down. Anyone familiar with Chinese culture knows that it means“福到”。 But when the meaning is explained through English translation, it may become a long and tedious sentence such as this： The Chinese character“?！眒eans luck and prosperity, and is commonly pasted inverted on the walls because the Chinese word for inverted is“倒”which has the same pronunciation as the Chinese word for “arrived”。 Thus, this practice is used to symbolise the arrival of luck and prosperity in one's home.“
To have a good grasp of one's culture, learning its language is the best way.
People who know the Chinese language but are ignorant of Chinese culture, or do not know the Chinese language but have translated information on Chinese culture, will not be able to truly understand their own culture. In addition to getting Chinese Singaporeans to learn the Chinese language in earnest, the government should also create an atmosphere and institute an education system that are helpful to the transmission of Chinese culture.
Only when we are well versed in both the Chinese language and culture can we truly appreciate the depth of Chinese culture which dates back a few thousand years.
（The writer is a second year student at the School of Communication and Information, NTU. This article first appeared in The Nanyang Chronicle, NTU's school paper. Translated by Yap Gee Poh）
政府年年都花很多心思和經(jīng)費(fèi),推行講華語運(yùn)動(dòng),鼓勵(lì)華人多認(rèn)識自己的母語。雖然說推廣華語理事會在近來也把運(yùn)動(dòng)擴(kuò)展到鼓勵(lì)華人多認(rèn)識華族文化,不過文化的傳習(xí),似乎不是一年的運(yùn)動(dòng)所能辦到的。
小學(xué)上華文課,老師傳授的是筆劃的正確寫法以及一些基本的詞匯和成語。升上中學(xué)后,華文老師教的還是造句、文法、聽寫、默寫和作文等。
語言是文化的一部分,也是一個(gè)種族的主要象征與代表。然而,新加坡的母語教育在強(qiáng)調(diào)語言掌握能力的同時(shí),對文化的傳承卻似乎沒有給予相同的重視。
吳作棟總理在國慶群眾大會演講時(shí),以“幫助進(jìn)軍中國市場”為理由,鼓勵(lì)華族學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)華文華語,卻始終沒提及學(xué)習(xí)華族文化的重要性。
會寫華文字和以簡單的華語交談,并不代表一個(gè)人了解中華文化。有些人為了考試能及格,生意能談妥等理由學(xué)習(xí)華文,卻對語言背后蘊(yùn)藏的文化一概不知。
試想一名商人與中國客戶邊吃飯邊洽談生意,中途將筷子直插在飯碗里,還不知情地繼續(xù)滔滔不絕。
這名只懂華語,不懂文化的商人,并不知道這種舉動(dòng)在中華文化里是非常沒有禮貌的。要到中國做生意,開拓中國市場,會講華語和寫華文字還不一定足夠呢。一個(gè)種族的文化背景包涵的不僅是文字,更重要的是其中的內(nèi)容和價(jià)值觀。
這么說來,如果我們選擇用其他語言學(xué)習(xí)華族文化,會否達(dá)到一樣的效果呢？雖然被記載下來的文化資料可以翻譯成英文,以方便對華文不熟悉的人參考,但有些意義往往就在翻譯的過程中流失了。
經(jīng)過翻譯的文化資料可能少了一份精確性,把原來精煉的一兩個(gè)字譯成冗長乏味的長篇大論。
以華人傳統(tǒng)把“?！弊值惯^來貼來說：對中華文化有認(rèn)識的人一看便知道是“福到”的意思。但是翻譯成英文后,它可能成為這樣一個(gè)冗長的句子：
The Chinese character“福”means luck and prosperity, and is commonly pasted inverted on the walls because the Chinese word for inverted is“倒”which has the same pronunciation as Chinese word for “arrived”。 Thus, this practice is used to symbolize the arrival of luck and prosperity in one's home.“
要準(zhǔn)確并清楚地了解自己的文化,對那門語言有所認(rèn)識還是好的方法。
無論是認(rèn)識華文卻對中華文化一概不知,或不懂華文卻有英文版的中華文化資料,都無法真正了解自己文化背后的意義。除了強(qiáng)調(diào)學(xué)好華文以外,政府也應(yīng)該多提倡與建立有益于母語文化傳習(xí)的教育制度與氣氛。
只有在同時(shí)了解與熟悉語言和文化兩方面時(shí),生為華人的我們才能真正欣賞中華文化幾千年歷史的奧妙。
。作者是南大傳播學(xué)院二年級學(xué)生；原文發(fā)表于南大學(xué)生報(bào)紙《南洋紀(jì)事報(bào)》。
In primary school, pupils are taught by the teacher the proper order of strokes in writing Chinese words. They also learn basic vocabulary and idioms. At the secondary level, the teacher will drill the pupils on forming sentences, grammar, spelling, dictation and essay-writing.
Language is an integral part of culture and the symbol of a race. While stressing proficiency in the language, our policy on mother tongue does not seem to give equal emphasis to the transmission of culture.
At his National Day Rally speech this year, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke about riding on China's economic growth and urged Chinese pupils to learn the Chinese language and Mandarin seriously. He, however, did not touch on the importance of learning Chinese culture.
Being able to write Chinese words and engage in simple conversation in Mandarin by no means indicates that a person understands Chinese culture. Some learn the Chinese language to pass examinations while others do so to close business deals. They are completely oblivious to the rich culture underlying the language.
Picture this： A businessman having a meal with his Chinese client pauses and plunges the chopsticks into the bowl of rice as he continues to converse.
The businessman who knows Mandarin but not Chinese culture is obviously unaware that his behaviour is considered rather rude in Chinese etiquette. The point is, knowing how to speak Mandarin and write Chinese words may not be enough in breaking into, and investing in, the Chinese market. The culture of a people is more than just language, and the contents and value system it embodies are far more significant.
If we choose to learn Chinese culture through another language, would it be equally effective？ While documented cultural material can be translated, some nuances tend to be lost in the process.
Translation may suffer from a lack of accuracy. It may also turn one or two concise words into a long and boring essay.
Take, for instance, the Chinese tradition to paste the word“?！眜pside-down. Anyone familiar with Chinese culture knows that it means“福到”。 But when the meaning is explained through English translation, it may become a long and tedious sentence such as this： The Chinese character“?！眒eans luck and prosperity, and is commonly pasted inverted on the walls because the Chinese word for inverted is“倒”which has the same pronunciation as the Chinese word for “arrived”。 Thus, this practice is used to symbolise the arrival of luck and prosperity in one's home.“
To have a good grasp of one's culture, learning its language is the best way.
People who know the Chinese language but are ignorant of Chinese culture, or do not know the Chinese language but have translated information on Chinese culture, will not be able to truly understand their own culture. In addition to getting Chinese Singaporeans to learn the Chinese language in earnest, the government should also create an atmosphere and institute an education system that are helpful to the transmission of Chinese culture.
Only when we are well versed in both the Chinese language and culture can we truly appreciate the depth of Chinese culture which dates back a few thousand years.
（The writer is a second year student at the School of Communication and Information, NTU. This article first appeared in The Nanyang Chronicle, NTU's school paper. Translated by Yap Gee Poh）
政府年年都花很多心思和經(jīng)費(fèi),推行講華語運(yùn)動(dòng),鼓勵(lì)華人多認(rèn)識自己的母語。雖然說推廣華語理事會在近來也把運(yùn)動(dòng)擴(kuò)展到鼓勵(lì)華人多認(rèn)識華族文化,不過文化的傳習(xí),似乎不是一年的運(yùn)動(dòng)所能辦到的。
小學(xué)上華文課,老師傳授的是筆劃的正確寫法以及一些基本的詞匯和成語。升上中學(xué)后,華文老師教的還是造句、文法、聽寫、默寫和作文等。
語言是文化的一部分,也是一個(gè)種族的主要象征與代表。然而,新加坡的母語教育在強(qiáng)調(diào)語言掌握能力的同時(shí),對文化的傳承卻似乎沒有給予相同的重視。
吳作棟總理在國慶群眾大會演講時(shí),以“幫助進(jìn)軍中國市場”為理由,鼓勵(lì)華族學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)華文華語,卻始終沒提及學(xué)習(xí)華族文化的重要性。
會寫華文字和以簡單的華語交談,并不代表一個(gè)人了解中華文化。有些人為了考試能及格,生意能談妥等理由學(xué)習(xí)華文,卻對語言背后蘊(yùn)藏的文化一概不知。
試想一名商人與中國客戶邊吃飯邊洽談生意,中途將筷子直插在飯碗里,還不知情地繼續(xù)滔滔不絕。
這名只懂華語,不懂文化的商人,并不知道這種舉動(dòng)在中華文化里是非常沒有禮貌的。要到中國做生意,開拓中國市場,會講華語和寫華文字還不一定足夠呢。一個(gè)種族的文化背景包涵的不僅是文字,更重要的是其中的內(nèi)容和價(jià)值觀。
這么說來,如果我們選擇用其他語言學(xué)習(xí)華族文化,會否達(dá)到一樣的效果呢？雖然被記載下來的文化資料可以翻譯成英文,以方便對華文不熟悉的人參考,但有些意義往往就在翻譯的過程中流失了。
經(jīng)過翻譯的文化資料可能少了一份精確性,把原來精煉的一兩個(gè)字譯成冗長乏味的長篇大論。
以華人傳統(tǒng)把“?！弊值惯^來貼來說：對中華文化有認(rèn)識的人一看便知道是“福到”的意思。但是翻譯成英文后,它可能成為這樣一個(gè)冗長的句子：
The Chinese character“福”means luck and prosperity, and is commonly pasted inverted on the walls because the Chinese word for inverted is“倒”which has the same pronunciation as Chinese word for “arrived”。 Thus, this practice is used to symbolize the arrival of luck and prosperity in one's home.“
要準(zhǔn)確并清楚地了解自己的文化,對那門語言有所認(rèn)識還是好的方法。
無論是認(rèn)識華文卻對中華文化一概不知,或不懂華文卻有英文版的中華文化資料,都無法真正了解自己文化背后的意義。除了強(qiáng)調(diào)學(xué)好華文以外,政府也應(yīng)該多提倡與建立有益于母語文化傳習(xí)的教育制度與氣氛。
只有在同時(shí)了解與熟悉語言和文化兩方面時(shí),生為華人的我們才能真正欣賞中華文化幾千年歷史的奧妙。
。作者是南大傳播學(xué)院二年級學(xué)生；原文發(fā)表于南大學(xué)生報(bào)紙《南洋紀(jì)事報(bào)》。