Have confidence in your language

 

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, it goes to his heart.”

- Nelson Mandela.

A few years ago, I went on a backpacking trip with my kids over the school holidays. We were living in KL at the time and so we decided on three great locations easily accessible to us.

The first spot we visited was Klang. Not having been to Klang for donkey’s years at the time, I was overwhelmed at the raw beauty of the town. And so there we were, equipped with our cameras, hitting every street and alley, looking for picture-perfect settings to capture.

After having taken several photographs, I came upon a street called Jalan Pokok Sena where an old building stood majestically. As amazed as I was by the almost vintage look of the row of shophouses, my eyes were glued to a corner shop – a tailor’s.

Now, I must tell you that this wasn’t any regular tailor’s, not like the ones I come across in my hometown Penang, or in the city where I am now based. The shop had old, antique-looking sewing machines in front, rows of old wooden cabinets inside and two huge tables where two elderly tailors were busy measuring and cutting cloth.

It looked like a scene right out of the past and I knew I had to take some shots. So, after enjoying delightful bowls of Klang’s very own Cathay Assam Laksa and a humble bowl of ABC (shaved ice in syrup), I excused myself from my kids and headed to the shop, seeking permission before getting my lenses into action.

“Uncle, can I please take some pictures?” I asked the elderly gentleman busy sewing.

He turned to look at me without uttering a word.

Confused, I repeated. “Can I take some photographs of you and your shop? It’s just for my personal collection.”

He then looked at me grumpily and said, “You tak tau cakap Bahasa ka (Don’t you know how to speak in Malay)? You orang putih ka atau orang Malaysia (Are you white or are you a Malaysian)?”

His tone completely shocked me.

Trying my best not to stammer, I quickly apologised, “Maaf uncle. Saya nak minta izin ambil gambar kedai uncle, boleh ke (I’m sorry. Can I get your permission to snap some photos of your shop)?”

‘Tak boleh (Cannot)!” he snapped as his hand gesture shooed me away.

I left the shop feeling embarrassed. I guess it was my fault for assuming a Chinese uncle would prefer to communicate in English rather than Bahasa. And so, I learnt my lesson – if I came across anyone local on the street, I would speak to them in our national language. My kids thought it was a great idea, not knowing what we had coming our way.

Tanjung Malim and Ipoh

The next day, we arrived in Tanjung Malim, Perak. After settling our accommodation, we headed to an Indian restaurant for some good old Indian food – too much dim sum in Klang left my Indian tongue begging for some spice.

“Roti canai dengan kari ikan dan teh halia (Roti canai with fish curry and ginger tea),” I ordered proudly in Bahasa.

“Nambo mozhi le peise ma, yain nattan mozhi le pesseringge (Speak in our language, why use the language of others)?” the ‘anneh’ who was taking our orders replied in Tamil.

I stared at him for a mere second, my mind completely blank, before continuing to place my order in my mother tongue, Tamil.

“Tamil vaaruthele, appo yain Malay le pessenom (There, you can speak Tamil fine, so why use Malay)?” the anneh shot me a funny look and walked away.

My kids looked at me and started laughing. I shook my head, totally embarrassed.

Okay, I learned a valuable lesson (again!) and made a mental note – speak in my native language to people of the same ethnicity and use the national language when speaking with others. And once again, the kids agreed it was a good plan (yeah right!).

On the following day, we arrived in Ipoh. After yet another long day walking around the city snapping pictures, we found ourselves a nice hotel to stay for the night.

“Hello miss,” said a Malay guy at the reception counter.

“A Malay guy – can use both his native language AND national language,” my son whispered, giving me a thumbs up.

“Hello. Saya nak satu bilik untuk malam ni, katil besar ya (I would like to book a room for one day, make it a big bed),” I smiled politely.

“One double bed, deluxe room. Can I have your IC?” the receptionist asked in very formal English.

I continued speaking in Malay as I handed over my identity card, “Berapa caj untuk satu malam (How much is per night)?”

“RM85 with a RM50 deposit. And if you want the air-conditioner remote control, that will be another RM20 deposit,” he continued, still ignoring my effort to speak in his mother tongue and our national language.

I handed him the cash and said, “Terima kasih.”

He smiled and uttered, “You are most welcome.”

I smiled as I walked away from the receptionist, realising too well that sometimes it isn’t so easy to know a person’s language of preference.

Communication tool

That backpacking trip we took years ago taught us a good lesson - language is a communication tool. Language is not about the preference of the speaker, instead it should be about delivering clear and correct messages successfully to the listener.

Today, we are often reminded by the government to use our national language in our daily lives to improve the sanctity of the language. At the same time, we get reminded at school and in the workplace of the importance of English as the international language.

On a personal level, there has always been a series of reminders coming from the elderlies in the family, emphasising on taking pride in one's own mother tongue, fearing they would be long forgotten in this modern era.

What many fail to understand is the fact that all these languages can co-exist, we can take pride in using, improving and mastering them all at the same time. Using English as a medium does not mean we do not take pride in Bahasa. Upholding our mother tongue doesn’t mean we are abandoning our national language.

What we should be aiming for is to have great communication skills, be it in our national language, English or in our own mother tongue. - Mkini

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FA ABDUL is a multi-award winning playwright and director in the local performing arts scene, a published author, a television scriptwriter, a media trainer and a mother. Her ultimate mission in life is to live out of a small suitcase.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.