Good day to All!
In this post, I would like to throw some light into the limitations of human languages (with Script or without script), themselves and inaccuracy incur during translation. Every word only depicts something and every meaning is just an approximation. If we concentrate on this point enough, it will become clearer. If anyone is familiar with the "Love is.." comic strip which used to run on newspapers, will know how difficult is it to define the word love. On top of that, some say "God is Love", which truly makes things worse, as all four sectors comprising of gnostic/ agnostic, theist/ atheist are not sure about God!
Now, say, take the name of a fruit, and the word will help you to identify that fruit for all practical purposes, but it will never completely define that fruit. And try to use more words to make it explicable, and even after many pages, you won't reach there. And, for that same reason, somewhere beforehand, I mentioned that this writing is going to be an ordeal to me. And that is why I wanted to delay start writing as late as possible so that I may find an easier and accurate method of writing. I am sure I am nowhere near to that stage now. I need all the support from you the readers, to point out my mistakes. I need real criticism and appraisal from you all. And many thanks in advance.
Now the case of translation of languages is still worse! If any of you have seen Jim Carrey's movie The Truman Show, they will know of the life-like replica of a corporation, in which the main character is born and brought and telecast live like a TV serial. So, if we make such one and put, say,1000 people, from a region, knowing only their mother tongue and another 1000 of another, knowing only their mother tongue, how many years will they take to make for, each other understand things( this is only guesswork I made, please point out any mistakes). And how will they know that the system is perfect? There are still points I can suggest, but I feel this should suffice.
I can iterate something happened to me in China, in 1992, when the ship "Gangasagar" on which, I was working, as a junior engineer, was dry-docked at Shanhaiguan. I was only, 26 at that time; young and daring! Initial days, with some crew members, I visited QuinHuangDao, and I liked that city very much. Every day, onboard ship, I used to play table tennis(ping-pong), with a Chinese work supervisor, during rest hours, and I learned the way to the city and how to pronounce the place names so that the local people will understand what I mean. One day I set out alone, to my destination, Quinhuangdao! I reached the next town, Shanhaiguan and started asking around the way to Qinhuangdao. Alas, nobody could understand what I am saying and a taxi driver took me to hotels, some other nice places and even to women who are into sex trade! I refused and keep uttering that, I only want to go to Qinhuangdao. I tried various pronunciations and nothing worked. Then I quit the idea and I wanted to come back to the shipyard. To my shock, now they do not understand that too! I tried drawing the ship on a piece of paper as best as I can and failed all the time. I was at the verge of crying and suddenly a rickshaw fellow appeared and he was like an angel transcended from heaven, and he understood, what I said and I, at last, reached my ship safely! This was the best and worst(from two entirely opposite viewpoints!) experience happened to me in a foreign land, as far as language is concerned!
And at this point, I would like to say that all types of computers work more or less perfect, because the languages implied are suitable respectively to them. And most of the time human failures are due to inefficient communication. And, you try to read any law book, you will notice that the effort put in, to make ideas precise, makes them a jargon! But it is very clear that all laws are based on simple common sense!
So, please, let me carry on and, keep in mind about this language issue, to which I too am very much fallible.
Thanks, best regards,
George A P.
In this post, I would like to throw some light into the limitations of human languages (with Script or without script), themselves and inaccuracy incur during translation. Every word only depicts something and every meaning is just an approximation. If we concentrate on this point enough, it will become clearer. If anyone is familiar with the "Love is.." comic strip which used to run on newspapers, will know how difficult is it to define the word love. On top of that, some say "God is Love", which truly makes things worse, as all four sectors comprising of gnostic/ agnostic, theist/ atheist are not sure about God!
Now, say, take the name of a fruit, and the word will help you to identify that fruit for all practical purposes, but it will never completely define that fruit. And try to use more words to make it explicable, and even after many pages, you won't reach there. And, for that same reason, somewhere beforehand, I mentioned that this writing is going to be an ordeal to me. And that is why I wanted to delay start writing as late as possible so that I may find an easier and accurate method of writing. I am sure I am nowhere near to that stage now. I need all the support from you the readers, to point out my mistakes. I need real criticism and appraisal from you all. And many thanks in advance.
Now the case of translation of languages is still worse! If any of you have seen Jim Carrey's movie The Truman Show, they will know of the life-like replica of a corporation, in which the main character is born and brought and telecast live like a TV serial. So, if we make such one and put, say,1000 people, from a region, knowing only their mother tongue and another 1000 of another, knowing only their mother tongue, how many years will they take to make for, each other understand things( this is only guesswork I made, please point out any mistakes). And how will they know that the system is perfect? There are still points I can suggest, but I feel this should suffice.
I can iterate something happened to me in China, in 1992, when the ship "Gangasagar" on which, I was working, as a junior engineer, was dry-docked at Shanhaiguan. I was only, 26 at that time; young and daring! Initial days, with some crew members, I visited QuinHuangDao, and I liked that city very much. Every day, onboard ship, I used to play table tennis(ping-pong), with a Chinese work supervisor, during rest hours, and I learned the way to the city and how to pronounce the place names so that the local people will understand what I mean. One day I set out alone, to my destination, Quinhuangdao! I reached the next town, Shanhaiguan and started asking around the way to Qinhuangdao. Alas, nobody could understand what I am saying and a taxi driver took me to hotels, some other nice places and even to women who are into sex trade! I refused and keep uttering that, I only want to go to Qinhuangdao. I tried various pronunciations and nothing worked. Then I quit the idea and I wanted to come back to the shipyard. To my shock, now they do not understand that too! I tried drawing the ship on a piece of paper as best as I can and failed all the time. I was at the verge of crying and suddenly a rickshaw fellow appeared and he was like an angel transcended from heaven, and he understood, what I said and I, at last, reached my ship safely! This was the best and worst(from two entirely opposite viewpoints!) experience happened to me in a foreign land, as far as language is concerned!
And at this point, I would like to say that all types of computers work more or less perfect, because the languages implied are suitable respectively to them. And most of the time human failures are due to inefficient communication. And, you try to read any law book, you will notice that the effort put in, to make ideas precise, makes them a jargon! But it is very clear that all laws are based on simple common sense!
So, please, let me carry on and, keep in mind about this language issue, to which I too am very much fallible.
Thanks, best regards,
George A P.
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