◎ 丹布隆 ...[ Dan Bloom ]
翻譯者黃大河
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2010/new/sep/1/today-o8.htm
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bikolang@gmail.com
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養小孩，只鼓勵華語族群嗎？
DEAR EDITOR, LIBERTY TIMES
為搶救生育率，內政部砸百萬要徵一個聽了會想生小孩的口號。七月底公布了百萬「催生」標語入選作品，包括「生！就對了！」「帥哥美女靠創造，不生永遠看不到！」「多生寶貝，寶貝台灣」等二十則，進行一個月的網路票選。但，仔細查看這些入圍的標語（包括得獎的「孩子~是我們最好的傳家寶」），竟然全部是華語作品！筆者看不到任何台語、客語以及原住民語的作品入圍。
在多元種族語言普及的台灣，筆者不相信口號應徵稿中沒有台語、客語以及原住民語的作品。那麼，為什麼內政部的評審大員們單挑華語口號作品入圍供網路票選？
搶救生育率的標語遴選，似乎隱藏著族群歧視的毒手，令身為外國人的筆者深感不安。養小孩，難道只鼓勵華語族群嗎？
（作者漢名「丹布隆」，http://pcofftherails101.blogspot.com/
，美籍資深新聞從業人員；翻譯者黃大河）
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據媒體報導，為搶救生育率，內政部希望再創「口號奇蹟」，砸百萬要徵一個，聽了會想生小孩的口號。內政部在七月底公布了百萬「催生」標語入選作品，包括「生！就對了！」「帥哥美女靠創造，不生永遠看不到！」「多生寶貝，寶貝台灣」等20則，將進行1個月的網路票選，優勝者可獲100萬元獎金云云。但，仔細查看這些入圍的標語，竟然全部是華語作品！筆者看不到任何台語、客語以及原住民的作品入圍。在多元種族語言普及的台灣，筆者不相信口號應徵稿中沒有台語、客語以及原住民的作品。那麼，為什麼內政部的評審大員們只單挑華語口號作品入圍供網路票選？
有不願具名的評審委員認為，入圍前20名都太正經，擔心「選出來淪為樣板」。一位內政部官員私下也表示，既然網路票選對象是年輕人，應該更有創意。
這些意見雖然一針見血，但還是沒點到問題的重心。他們有意或無意，沒查覺到台語、客語以及原住民的作品根本沒有上榜！
搶救生育率的標語遴選，似乎也隱藏族群歧視的毒手，令身為外國人的筆者深感不安。養小孩，難道只鼓勵華語族群嗎？
內政部拼口號，端政策牛肉，但有沒有效? 還是要看台灣其他各族群的年輕夫婦能不能接受這種帶歧視味道的政策牛肉！除非…。
TRANSLATION BY TERRY HUANG, TAIPEI
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15 comments:
Sigh...you are right...
Dear Voyu Taokara Lau,
Thanks for your note above. This letter will appear in the Liberty Times tomorrow. Sept. 1, Wednesday, in the forum page. page 13 i think , section A. i sent to the editor a month ago but he kept ignoring me. Today he promised he would publish it on Wednesday. I do not know why he ignored my letter. I hoped he would publish it in early August so many people could write their reactions to the Liberty Times, but the editor did not think this adaoah's letter was important, i had to call him two times and ask him PLEASE!
Thank you, Dan, for speaking out for us. Being a foreigner in Taiwan, you are a very observant person. I am a Hakka living in the USA now. I have been accused for not being able to
speak Taiwanese, but I have spoken Hakka my whole life time. My question
is ...what is Taiwanese? As far as I am concerned Hakka is one of
official languages in Taiwan also. Hakka people is second or third
rated ? Or there are uncounted?
老美談百萬口號
''Yank'' expat rebukes NT$1 million slogan contest
Dear editor, Liberty Times
Sept. 1, 2010
To boost the
fertility rate, the Ministry of Interior has created a slogan contest to find
a suitable slogan to encourage couples in Taiwan to have more children, with a prize
of NT$1 million for the winner.
At the end of July, 20 slogans, out of more than 20,000 submitted, were chosen by the judges
to compete in a final round, with the winner announced in September.
However, while the 20 slogans competing in the final round are cute and clever and warm-hearted, they
are all in Chinese Mandarin, and not one of the 20 finalists was in Taiwanese, Hakka or any of the many
Aboriginal languages in Taiwan. Why? In a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nation like Taiwan, surely there should
have been some winning entries in the final top 20 selected in Taiwan's other popular languages, no?
Why were only Chinese Mandarin slogans chosen? It does not seem fair or right or just.
Just asking, as a foreign guest of Taiwan who really enjoys living here among the people of this friendly nation.
Dan Bloom
Senior journalist from USA
Dear DanBloom
Well, I don't think it is important to Taiwan gov't because I don't think they care about "others".
Remember what Ma had said to the native people in Taiwan?
He said:"I will treat you as a human being!"
Ha ha....
I think that his gov't treats people like baby producing machines in order to meet their own so-called target.
what I would concern more is how gov't will help people to feed babies and get them educated.
What can gov't promise to people?
Can people trust the "promise" gov't made?
Dear Dan,
According to the dictionary, Yank = Yankee = Americans, especially those from North.
So, ''Lao mei'' in the headline is like some intimate friends call me Lao Chen, no negative meanings.
Yrs
Steven Chen
Yilan
Dear dan
I like your feeling very much!
If you havn't talking most people.
Most people havn't found the question from you!
I think most people approve your feeling.
But why havn't people talking the question ?
Because....
The important is not "We ignore".
The troublesome is " We forget"
Thank you let me and us watch myself.
Teacher Bird,,,,CHIAYI
239 hits on Liberty Times web site
Dear dan
Yes, I read it. I knew.
This government should be in shame,
not appreciating the aboriginal culture.
They are wonderful and unique.
Mr Lin
Taipei
A medical doctor in the USA, born in Taiwan, 65 years old, says....
Good for you, Dan!
Taiwanese of my generation often feel sad that our languages are dying. In medicine and sports, we know muscles atrophies if not used constantly. Taiwanese languages, including Hoklo, Hakka and of course the aboringese have not been used seriously for the last half a century while mandarin progressed with the great cultural, scientific and sociological changes. Both in academic and official business, these languages have not developed sufficient vocabulary. These languages have become almost "pidgin"-like languages. many, if not most of our next generation Taiwanese can not speak good Taiwanese or not at all.
Of course this is the results of more than a half century of deliberative cultural genocide by the KMT , Nationalist Chinese.
I am appreciative that you spoke out on this issue.
Dr. Huang
USA
Good letter Dan,
You are right.
They mssied out an opportunity to promote the agenda using native languages.
David Chen,52
USA
Dan,
Bravo! We, ignorant native Taiwanese, should feel ashamed but thankful for a view from a 老美.
HH
Taipei
The winning slogan for encouraging more babies scoops the big prize
After a month of online voting, Internet users have chosen “Children are our most precious treasures (孩子~是我們最好的傳家寶)” as the winning slogan in a contest organized by the Ministry of the Interior aimed at encouraging couples to have more babies.
Nearly 30,000 people submitted entries from the end of March to June before an 11-member panel selected 20 slogans for an Internet vote last month.
The overall winner was submitted by a 32-year-old Taichung woman, Chang Chih-ching (張芝菁).
Chang will receive a NT$1 million (US$30,000) prize from the ministry and the winning slogan will be printed on government literature, the ministry said.
Second in the online vote was the slogan “Happiness is very easy, baby one, two, three,” followed by “It’s good to have a child.”
The government has been offering various incentives in an unsuccessful bid to boost birth rates, amid growing concerns that a severe manpower shortage will trigger serious social and economic problems.
Taipei, where birth rates dived to an all-time low last year with fewer than 20,000 babies being born, will start paying couples NT$20,000 for every newborn from next year.
The nation’s overall birth rate stood at 8.29 births per 1,000 people last year, the ministry said. That compares with a global average of more than 20 births per 1,000 people, according to the UN.
Last year, 191,310 babies were born in Taiwan, down 3.74 percent from the previous year.
Dear Dan
I have to admit shamefully that I did not study much of Taiwan in my
entire schooling years. For reasons you should
understand by know, I cannot recall I ever learned about Taiwan's
history, geography,literature or Taiwan political science. As long as
we were nice and quiet in school, we were all right; not until I went
to university.
On the very first day of orientation, we { the whole class} were told that we
have to fill out the forms to join the PARTY. It was hard to believe,
but we did unwillingly. I knew the truth from then on {I was able to
wiuthdraw the next day}.
My father was arrested during the 228 event, but God was gracious to me; he
was spared, so I was born. Within our family we knew the story more or less,
which never was talked about in front of strangers. Somehow we just
knew, wisdom was gained
through our family silence.
My father was educated under the Japanese school
system. He could have gone to Japan to further study with the same
teacher, but family duty kept him behind. We the 4 generations lived
together under the same roof, father was the only bread earner, we had
a big garden at the back yard, there were chickens, ducks, geese and
pigs, so I was well fed and well looked after. Subsequently,
my father was able to pay my way to come to Canada to study.
Hakka was a minority in Taiwan. We arrived in Taiwan in 1804. According
to our family history, only the boys came, so they married the local
aboriginal ladies, so I would call myself Metis {equivalent to
Canadian mix between French men and the first nation people, or Scots
and first nation people}. .....when I speak Hakka, some will
accuse me for failing to speak Taiwanese [? what is that].
Signed
Taiwanese woman in USA
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