Free Translation Service For Bed Engish Readers

I provide Malay-English and English-Malay translation. Although my English is not top-notch yet, I'm a competent Malay language writer, so translating English documents into Malay will not be a problem.

It's the other way around that can prove to be a problem. But I'm learning; and eventhough I may have to take more time to translate Malay documents into English, I should be able to deliver to job, provided the subjects are not too complicated.

I can't do rocket science translation though, whether in English or in Malay. This also applies to complex articles for medical journals or legal documents. Other than that, I'm yours. Signed, sealed and delivered. I'm yours.

If you feel I can be of any service to you, feel free to contact me at jaxonsblog at gmail.com. I'm providing this service as part of my learning process, so it will be free-of-charge for documents of up to 600 words per 24-hour day.

Here's the deal. I'll take one translation job per day but if you have a long article, say 2,000 words, I can still translate it for free but I'm going to need some days to do it. That will work out to be around four days.

But what if I receive translation requests from many people at the same time? If that is the case, I'll still be sticking to my schedule of one job per day. So it will be on first-come first-serve basis. I will try as far as possible to accomodate every request though.

Is there a catch? Yes, but it's not binding. It's only that if you find my service to be of any commercial use, then we can of course work out something. A deal of sort that is not too straining for both sides.

Translation: Pemulihan Cara Kerja/Terapi Cara Kerja

I was searching high and low the other day for the correct translation of the Malay phrase pemulihan cara kerja which is also known as terapi cara kerja. If you translate it literally you will end up with work methods rehabilitation or work methods therapy or the closest will be, work rehabilitation or work therapy.

Basically it's about efforts to rehabilitate the disabled so that they can either work or resume working after a period of disability.

Then the word just came in. It's occupational theraphy or occupational rehabilitation. I managed to find the correct translation after Google-ing the Malaysian Health Ministry's website.

When I keyed in the phrase "cara kerja therapy" in the search function, it came back with a list of jobs and one of them is Occupational Therapist, if I was not mistaken. Then I Google again the term occupational therapy just to double check and bingo! It's the right translation.

English And Patriotism

I'd be going for an English copy-editing class in about 30 minutes, so here's a quick post of a story from the Malaysian national news agency, Bernama, about speaking in English and patriotism.

You know, in Malaysia, there is this whole issues of English being the language of our former colonial master, the British. Here's the news:

Using English Doesn't Make One Less Patriotic, Says Raja Zarith

BANGI, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Having a good mastery of the English language does not make a Malaysian pro-British or less patriotic, says the wife of the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofia.

Rather, she said, fluency in English and a good and strong command of it as a language was necessary in the 21st century, whether in daily life, at social gatherings or at work.

"It has nothing to do with being pro-English or pro-British, or with glorifying our British colonial past.

"It has nothing to do with us being any less nationalistic or patriotic," she said when delivering her lecture entitled "Going Global: The Use of the English Language in 21st Century Malaysia" at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia here today.

Raja Zarith Sofia said she chose to speak on the topic as she felt it was an important and timely issue.

"Last year, we celebrated our 50th year of Independence after having been a British colony since the 19th century." [Source: "Using English Doesn't Make One Less Patriotic".]

Hmmm... I agree with her completely. I mean, since when knowing less English was an act of patriotism?

Belajar Bahasa Inggeris Melalui Blog

Percaya atau tidak, sebahagian daripada penambahbaikan dalam penguasaaan Bahasa Inggeris, yang telah saya capai sejak beberapa bulan kebelakangan ini, adalah hasil daripada minat saya menulis dalam blog.

Blog memberi saya ruang untuk melatih-tubi penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris, yang walaupun pada ketika ini masih lagi boleh dikatakan lemah, tetapi telah menunjukkan perkembangan yang memberangsangkan.

Menulis dalam blog juga memaksa saya memerah otak untuk meluahkan apa sebenarnya yang ingin saya perkatakan.

Bahasa Inggeris memanglah bukan satu bahasa yang mudah untuk dipelajari. Sememangnya setiap bahasa asing akan sukar untuk dikuasai kecuali kita berkali-kali menggunakannya dalam sehari.

Baca sebanyak-banyak

Kita perlu membaca supaya kita akan berjumpa perkataan baru dan dengan itu otak kita akan disedarkan dengan kewujudan perkataan itu, dan bagaimana perkataan baru itu berfungsi dan hidup di kalangan perkataan lain dalam satu ayat.

Membaca membolehkan kita menemui perkataan baru dalam habitat semulajadinya -- iaitu antara perkataan dalam satu struktur ayat.

Jangan lepaskan peluang untuk menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris

Selepas membaca seluas-luasnya, seseorang yang ingin menguasai Bahasa Inggeris perlu menulis sebanyak-banyaknya.

Tetapi pada kebanyakan orang, persekitaran kerjanya tidak memerlukan dia menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris setiap hari. Oleh itu peluang untuk menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris hampir tidak ada.

Di sinilah blog dapat mengisi ruang kosong itu. Blog, atas sifatnya sebagai laman web yang perlu dikemaskini secara berkala dalam tempoh dua atau tiga kali seminggu, akan "memaksa" seseorang itu menulis. Jika tidak blognya akan mati dan layu.

Bertutur sebanyak-banyaknya dalam Bahasa Inggeris

Bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris merupakan satu lagi cara untuk memperdalamkan penguasaan dalam bahasa ini.

Di Malaysia bagaimanapun, kita tidak ada ruang yang banyak untuk bertutur dalam bahasa asing ini. Jika adapun, Bahasa Inggeris yang kita pertuturkan hanyalah Bahasa Inggeris rojak atau apa yang dikenali sebagai manglish.

Malangnya ramai orang tahu cara untuk belajar Bahasa Inggeris secara percuma -- tulis, baca dan tutur -- tapi ramai yang hanya menggoyangkan kaki tanpa berbuat apa-apa untuk memperbaiki penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris mereka.

Sambil itu mereka terus mempersalahkan langkah kerajaan kerana menggantikan Bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa pengantar dengan Bahasa Melayu pada suatu ketika dahulu.

Barangkali ungkapan "malangnya" tidaklah tepat untuk menggambarkan sikap yang sebegini. Barangkali ungkapan yang paling tepat ialah "padan muka".