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Q: Mad question... Is China fair dinkum?
Every student in China is compelled to learn English right throughout their schooling years.
At the end of those years none of them can speak or understand English. (Rare exceptions notwithstanding.)
Mainly because there is no English available in China.
Everybody must learn but we'll (gov't) give you no assistance whatsoever.
The World Cup is a case in point. An international event that's communicated throughout the world in English.
But not in this joint.
I mean, what's the problem with displaying the country's name as it appears on international TV? Like this morning. How retarded was that!
Instead we have to guess who's playing. Luckily for me I know every country's flag, but I'm in the minority.
This soccer event is an opportunity for these suckers to give their people some exposure to the language that they compel them to learn.
But they don't.
Why?
Hey Royce ~ the same can be asked about english movies on TV here. Its not enough that they are dubbed into Chinese, but they often also have chinese subtitles!!? WTF!
royceH:
Yeah, that's right. For movies on Chinese tv we do have a choice though....
2nd rate American action movies dubbed into Chinese with Chinese subtitles, and... anti Japanese propaganda movies highlighting Chinese strength and morality.
Some choice...
Properly learning a language doesn't mean your environment has to be filled with the influential global language of the moment. These are two separate things.
You're in China, you are not entitled to complain about seeing anything but Chinese on the streets, on TV and everywhere for that matter.
By the way, there is no "international TV", every country displays its own translation of the country playing in its own official language. Why on earth China would make an exception.
The problem isn't that the World Cup isn't in English, bit's more the fact that people here don't learn how to use a language, they just learn words to write on an exam.
Don't worry..
It will take only a couple hundred's of years for them to get the things straight..
I think state TV, funded by tax money should be in Chinese. I have zero problem with that. The fact that I cannot be bothered to learn some country names in Chinese is my problem.
I am not sure what "retarded" thing you're talking about. Did they overlay their own crap on top of the real feed ? Because then it is just bad producing isn't it. I am sure there would be a feed without English texts on screen, and I am sure, had you asked the Brazilian producers (hmmm, sounds like a lot of producers) nicely, that they could provide a feed with Chinese names on.
The fact that learning English is a joke (teachers, please don't get offended) is another thing.
And. The Chinese dubbed stuff with Chinese subtitles. Well, isn't that just to be nice to those people who are deaf, or those who cannot hear the TV because they are in a noisy restaurant?
I find it annoying all the other crap that is on screen. And in this world of digital TV, choosing original language or dubbed, and choosing if subtitles should be there should be a matter of personal choice.
Coming from a small country, with 2 equally small neighboring countries, I've watched national TV from all 3 a lot. A trademark of small countries is less viewers, so the cost of dubbing becomes too high. I am used to original sound with subtitles. Whenever I sit on my sofa and watch a movie, I favor English subtitles if possible as that makes it possible to still keep track of what Chuck Norris is doing even when the MIL has a fit over almost drinking some room temperature water.
royceH:
The retarded moment occurred when they flashed up the result scores in yesterday morning's replay of the Holland/Australia game 3 seconds before beginning the replay. There they were...the Dutch flag and the Aust flag and the numbers 3 & 2, respectively, under them as the replay commenced.
Now, that's retarded.
So, despite now knowing the result courtesy of that foul up, I watched the game anyway. And most happy that I did. It was the best game of soccer that I've ever seen. Such a pity the tv station spoiled it by showing the scores though.
Here's to more games like that one in the weeks ahead!
Go Holland!
Spiderboenz:
The reason for Chinese subtitles with spoken Chinese is so that everyone can understand it. Pronunciations change with dialect, but the characters stay the same.
