LL-L "Help needed" 2002.07.17 (05) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 16.JUL.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Web Site: <http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/lowlands/>
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: "Selma Schepel" <selmaschepel at hetnet.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Help needed" 2002.07.17 (02) [E]

> > This looks an awful lot like the WFrisian word 'ponge' > > Randy
Elzinga.
> ponken = to gather and a 'ponker' is someone who gathers. > Luc Vanbrabant

Heeft de bijnaam 'Poncke' (o.a. bekend van Poncke Princen) hier ook iets
mee te maken?
Groet en bij voorbaat dank, Selma Schepel.

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From: "meyrick" <meyrick at wh3rd.net>
Subject: translation of the phrase "is advertising speaking your
language?"

Greetings to everyone on Lowlands-L,

my name is Meyrick Payne. I am a nineteen year old student living in
Melbourne, Australia, studying art at the Victorian College of
the Arts. The reason I am contacting you is in connection with a public
art project I am currently working on.

The brief (which I have set myself) is to translate into as many
languages as possible the sentence in English "Is advertising
speaking your language?" by this I mean "advertising" as a concept, not,
for example, "this advertisement".

I am writing to all on the list to ask if anyone would be able to help
me in translating this sentence (and the idea behind it) into the
various Lowlands languages for me...

Basically, my intention is to initiate this 'public art' by printing out
these variously translated sentences onto adhesive strips of paper.
The sentences would be printed out deliberately to look like health
warnings that you see on cigarette packets. The "warnings" would
then be put over the top to cover advertisements in public places. I
hope to challenge the views of people like myself who were
unfortunately brought up speaking only English, never knowing the
alternative (and what I believe is the necessity) of being
multi-lingual.

My reasons for doing this are several. The issues are local to
Australia, but no doubt have their equivalents worldwide.
First of all, I feel that the notion that "Australia is a multicultural
society" is a very important thing, but sometimes it concerns me as
a student living here that the rhetoric is merely skin deep. We can see
evidence of this in many different ways, but I feel one of the
most telling is in advertising.

Furthermore, advertising is a bizarre paradox in a society that makes
the important claim of being democratic: it is a form of media
against which there is very little mitigation or moderation. It seems
that in this society, if you wish to have (and present) your view in
public spaces, you must pay the price. If you do not pay this money to
represent yourself, you immediately become a vandal.
Does advertising speak to you? To what extent do you feel guided by its
messages and compelled to follow the examples it sets? I
hope that there are others who are a little bit doubtful of the messages
which we have no choice but to be bombarded by almost
every moment of every day.

I do not think that Australian political issues get much coverage
abroad, so you may not have heard about the Federal government's
plan to axe funding to a program specifically developed eight years ago
for the study of Asian languages in secondary schools. As
our society increasingly takes the easy option of avoiding the time and
effort needed for education and instead constantly reminds us
of how much money they are saving us by cutting budgets, I personally
fear that any true multiculturalism etc will be lost in the face
of ignorance, complacency and disinterest.

Therefore: imagine if you were to get onto the tram or train one day,
and after a few minutes, suddenly realised that all the
advertisements had sentences in foreign languages on them. (you may not
necessarily know that these sentences had been added
on later, or were separate from the advertisement). how would you feel
to suddenly be surrounded in advertising that featured bits of
Hungarian, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Yoruba etc? Perhaps you would
feel alienated, or angered by the fact that you were
surrounded in these messages which you didn't understand.

Alternatively, you may be travelling with friends, and perhaps (as is
often the case among the young in cosmopolitan cities) your
friends come from a variety of different backgrounds. Perhaps one friend
may be able to understand the message written in Chinese,
whilst the other could understand the message written in Arabic... and
in this way, I feel, we would create the beginning of a
multilingual dialogue.

So far my work (and the work of the various contributors to this
project) has been going well. I should note that, of the Germanic
languages, I already have translations into German, Norwegian, Frisian,
and Dutch. These are as follows:

German:            Spricht Reklame deine Sprache?

Norwegian:        Snakker reklame ditt språk?

Dutch:               Spreekt reclame jouw taal?

Frisian:             Sprekt reklame dyn taal?

However, if anyone feels that these translations are inadequate and
could be improved upon, then by all means suggest one that you
feel is closer to the mark.

Best wishes,
Meyrick Payne

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Help needed

G'day, Meyerick, and welcome to Lowlands-L!

Thanks for the introduction to your very interesting and promising
project.  I'd be delighted to hear what reception it gets.  I was
saddened to hear that long- and much-touted multiculturalism has not
sunk in beyond skin-deep back in Australia in all the years I've been
away here in Seattle.  But then again, it shouldn't surprise me that
much, considering that Australians have a history of resistance to
touting, especially if it comes from on-high, which, in my opinion, is a
healthy trait that occasionally gets in the way.  :)  However, it is
heartening to know that you are doing your share to help Australians
understand that embracing diversity leads to wealth of many sorts.

Anyway, here is the sentence in Northern Low Saxon ("Low German,"
"Platt") of Northern Germany:

   Snackt Reklaam Dien Spraak?

Keep on chipping away at it!

Cheers!

Reinhard/Ron

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