S and L were talking along a walk-path and I happened to use that walk-path too. When I get passed them, S actually stopped his conversation with L and turned to me instead …
S : Nanzi ah, next time when you write email, please don’t use Chinese. Some people can get offended.
Me : Aiyo.. That silly mail, don’t bother lah.
I continued walking slowly, sensing no purpose in continuing….
S : It’s true, it’s true…
Me : Mm.. Ask him or her not to feel that way then.
I walked faster, not interested to listen to his elaboration. As a matter of factly, there were only a few lines of Chinese characters out of a write-out of about 650 words.
Surprisingly, after S finished his conversation with L, he actually made an effort to come to me. I think he was trying to make sure I got his point. I try to recall some parts of our conversation and I felt they can be quite funny. And you can know how naughty I can be at times.
S : Some people do feel unhappy, because there were some Chinese characters in your email.
Me : Why?
S : It should be official. And only English should be used.
Me : But it was a sharing of personal reflection. It was a personally sharing. Nothing official. Okay, talking about being official. How about those official messages written in 4 languages that we see everywhere locally? Do you mean that will make people unhappy too?
S : Mm.. So you translated everything you wrote in those Chinese characters?
Me : No. Why must I? I think certain things can be best expressed in a language that I am more comfortable with, which is Chinese. Besides, talking about translation. Is there such thing as perfect translation? We know the shade of meaning somehow changes along translation.
S : True..
Me : Take it as my limitation, I wish to translate everything, but I lack the ability to. Again, why they need to feel unhappy? Are they worrying that they might have missed something important? Then come to me.
S : How do you feel when someone who is an Indian, for example, feels strongly about something and he writes an email in English, but with some Indian characters?
Me : I feel nothing. If I get interested, based on what he had written in English and would like to know more in those coded message in Indian characters, then I will approach him to find out more. If not I would interpret that those messages along with the Indian characters are not for me and so I don’t bother.
Me : Seriously, if they continue to think in this way, I think they will be so sad most of the time. Ask him or her not to think in this way.
S was speechless.
Me : Furthermore , when P went “大学之道...” during assembly, those people must have gone crazy.
S was speechless, with a facial expression that I felt almost burst out laughing. He left..
Still, I have to thank S for his kind intention to alert me what he think is right. I might have appeared too naughty, too difficult to handle. Mm.. If you are sincere in sharing with me how you think, I believe I have to be equally sincere in telling you how I think or feel.
我又不是要取悦于任何人而写。
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