斯里兰卡政府因错误翻译致歉_社会生活

斯里兰卡政府因错误翻译致歉

文章来源：未知文章作者：enread 发布时间：2014-02-20 01:59 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

近日，斯里兰卡官方标识和文件的泰米尔语译文出现翻译错误，其中之一是一条“孕妇专座”的标识，斯里兰卡语和英语均正确，但是泰米尔语却错译为“母狗专座”。政府为此致歉。

Sri Lanka's government has apologised for errors in translating official notices and documents into the language of the minority Tamil community.

A number of mistakes have been highlighted recently in local media.

One was of a sign that read "Reserved for pregnant mothers" in Sinhala and English. A mistake changed that to "Reserved for pregnant dogs" in Tamil.

Officials stress that sloppiness¹（凌乱，马虎） was to blame and there was never any intention to insult Tamils.

Sri Lanka emerged from a long civil war between the Sinhala-dominated army and Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009.

'Not fluent'

Minister for National Languages and Social Integration², Vasudeva Nanayakara, told BBC Tamil that the mistakes had been made by people not fluent in Tamil.

"Sometimes, also translations into Sinhala in mainly Tamil areas are wrong, as there are not enough Tamil people in those areas fluent in Sinhala," he added.

Some Tamils say it is quite common to find mistakes in their language.

"Tamils find language errors in name boards on buses, streets and many government official buildings," says a local Tamil rights activist³, S Balakrishnan.

They also allege⁴ that Tamils find it difficult when visiting government offices as many officials can't speak Tamil fluently.

Language policy

The issue of language in Sri Lanka is highly sensitive.

In 1956, the government decided⁵ to replace English as the country's official language with Sinhala, the language of the majority.

But it did not give official status to Tamil.

Many Tamils lost government jobs because they were not fluent in Sinhala.

Although the policy was eventually amended⁶, the decision contributed to a growing sense of alienation⁷ in the Tamil minority.

Confrontation⁸ between the two communities erupted into full-scale civil war in 1983, with the Tamil Tigers fighting for a separate homeland.

'National harmony'

Two years ago, the government started a 10-year plan to implement⁹ what it describes as a trilingual（三种预言的） policy.

It says the aim is to give English official status alongside Sinhala and Tamil, both of which are now official languages under the constitution.

The government will print name boards in all three languages in all government offices throughout the country, according to Minister Vasudeva Nanayakara.

The minister called on people to come forward of their own accord with examples of mistakes in Tamil.

But Tamil activists¹⁰ called on the minister to appoint a group to check for mistakes so they could be corrected immediately.

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收听单词发音

1 sloppiness
n.草率，粗心
参考例句：
The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. 选择佩琳作为竞选伙伴凸显草率。来自互联网 He chided the boy for his sloppiness. 它责怪这男孩粗心大意。来自互联网

2 integration
n.一体化，联合，结合
参考例句：
We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。 This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 activist
n.活动分子，积极分子
参考例句：
He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。 He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 allege
vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言
参考例句：
The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。 Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

5 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 Amended
adj. 修正的动词amend的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。 He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

7 alienation
n.疏远；离间；异化
参考例句：
The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。 As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

8 confrontation
n.对抗，对峙，冲突
参考例句：
We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。 After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 implement
n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行
参考例句：
Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。 The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

10 activists
n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句：
His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。 Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。来自《简明英汉词典》

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