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How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:40 pm
by Kung-fu Hillbilly
Image
Orphans studying Khmer in Takeo province, Cambodia. Photo: EPA/Mak Remissa

Simon Roughneen
October 15, 2019


The national language, Khmer, is increasingly treading lexical water, as if about to be pulled under by waves of technological and scientific neologisms.

“It is pretty much challenging in the case of Cambodia where the translation of these keywords into Khmer has been generally slow, fragmented and not widely popularised in daily usage,” Theara said.

“Some researchers have tried to translate the terms into Khmer, but from a practitioner’s perspective, we are generally more familiar, convenient and efficient with using the terms in English per se than the translated ones,” Theara added.

Official Khmer has two reference sources for translation, the Chuon Nath Dictionary, published in 1967, and the National Commission of Khmer Language. But there are, according to Theara, “still a lot of practical terminologies yet to be formally translated and approved by the commission”.

The limitations of language and vocabulary stretch into medicine, with discussions in Khmer typically featuring general or roundabout descriptions of symptoms rather than the precise, scientific terminology more common to clinics in countries that have long since assimilated medical words into their own tongues.

Dr Rithy said that consultations could be more precise if both doctor and patient were able to speak in English rather than their native Khmer. If not, he said, they tried to make do.

Representatives of several of the main foreign business lobby groups in Cambodia did not reply to requests to discuss the role of Khmer in issues such as contract discussions and deal-making, but scholar Filippi said that Cambodia and Khmer present no more of a difficulty in that regard than anywhere else where foreign investors typically wrestle with documents written in – and negotiations conducted through – both a native tongue and a lingua franca such as English.

“My concern is for the future as many of those who belong to the emerging middle classes send their children to international school where they are going to be excellent in English,” said Filippi. “But will they in the end be able to speak Khmer as a working national language?”

full https://southeastasiaglobe.com/how-engl ... -of-words/

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:08 am
by explorer
English words are coming into Khmer. For example, computer. A lot of Cambodians understand yes and no, even the numbers 1 to 10. Hello and bye bye seem to be understood by people speaking many languages.

I think within 2 generations, Cambodia will be like the Philippines, where a lot of people speak English.

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:41 am
by hunter8
explorer wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:08 am English words are coming into Khmer. For example, computer. A lot of Cambodians understand yes and no, even the numbers 1 to 10. Hello and bye bye seem to be understood by people speaking many languages.

I think within 2 generations, Cambodia will be like the Philippines, where a lot of people speak English.
Not Chinese?

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:48 am
by John Bingham
Much as I like the language, it is only spoken by a very small proportion of the world population. The script is beautiful but over complex and does not lend itself to simple translation. It doesn't run from left to right or right to left, it has all these bits underneath and on top and vowels wrapping each end. Computers haven't been invented yet with enough power to effectively translate Cambodian writing into comprehensible English. The design of the lettering is over-complicated. Look at a letter "T" or "L", they only need two lines. Even the simplest Khmer script characters have far more complex structures. I have often had to use the script and ask local colleagues for help, as just breaking a line often involves the whole sense of the message changing, meaning it has to be re-written. And no two people can ever agree on the correct way to do this.
There's no great surprise here anyway, when I came here first almost 20 years ago I was surprised how prevalent the use of English was compared to neighboring countries. Chinese language learning is huge too, French not so much outside of certain circles and the medical people.

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:23 am
by fax
explorer wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:08 am English words are coming into Khmer. For example, computer.
This has little to do with English, see Bic and Casio. It’s the same to say “take a PassApp” as “Google it”. When brands go viral they change how we speak regardless which language we speak. Saying “dumpster” is easier than “garbage bin with a lid and wheels”, and what would you call an escalator or a frisbee if not their trademarked product names?

Changes to language are just signs that the language is used. A language that doesn’t change doesn’t change because nobody speaks it and it is dead.

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:48 am
by Soriya
fax wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:23 am
explorer wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:08 am English words are coming into Khmer. For example, computer.
what would you call an escalator or a frisbee if not their trademarked product names?

Moving stairs and flying disk?

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:27 am
by explorer
fax wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:23 am what would you call an escalator or a frisbee if not their trademarked product names?
The little I have heard escalators being talked about, the word for stairs was used. That is 'gumjoonda.'

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:35 am
by explorer
Another English word in Khmer is passion fruit. They say 'plae passion.' Plae is fruit.

I have mentioned in another post, the Cambodian name for diabetes translates as 'sweet urine.' It would sound more sophisticated if they used the English word diabetes.

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:51 am
by Username Taken
fax wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:23 am
explorer wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:08 am English words are coming into Khmer. For example, computer.
This has little to do with English, see Bic and Casio. It’s the same to say “take a PassApp” as “Google it”. When brands go viral they change how we speak regardless which language we speak. Saying “dumpster” is easier than “garbage bin with a lid and wheels”, and what would you call an escalator or a frisbee if not their trademarked product names?

Changes to language are just signs that the language is used. A language that doesn’t change doesn’t change because nobody speaks it and it is dead.
All non English speaking people in the provinces with a smart phone know 'internet slow'.

Re: How English is winning Cambodia's war of words.

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 6:48 am
by Duncan
What is the Khmer word for carrot ?