A+ | A- | Reset

==> Pls visit new site at http://malaysia-today.net/ <==

Home

The Blogs

Letters/Surat

Why English should not be taught in Bahasa Malaysia

Posted by admin

Sunday, 12 July 2009 09:18

By SKBBJ

The standard of English has really gone down because of the tendency to "teach English in Bahasa Malaysia".

I was surfing the Universiti Malaysia Sabah's website because of the news splash about the launching of the so-called UMS website version 3.0? It is really embarassing to find out the many weaknesses of the so-called Website version 3.0.

The information is all static. The pages should be dynamic. There is actually nothing great about the new Website version 3.0 compared to the old version. In fact, only colour changes and the information on the Vice Chancellor had been updated. Basically, this is just a case of "angkat kaki" by some officers. Other than that there is nothing there. I was told that the person got promoted after showing the VC the so-called Website version 3.0. As I surfed the Website, I can see that the Website does not have English-only pages or Bahasa Malaysia-only pages. It is all mixed. How do you expect foreigners to understand BM and English at the same time? I mean, there should be English-only pages to enable the UMS website to cater for the international surfers, and BM for local consumption. Go take a look at the website at http://www.ums.edu.my and you'd probably be embarassed as well.

Go to http://www.ums.edu.my/webv3/go.php?sect=fstud&p=studrep and you'll find the translation flawed.

The BM version reads as follows:

MAJLIS PERWAKILAN PELAJAR
SESI 2005 / 2006

VISI

Mewujudkan budaya integrasi nasional dikalangan mahasiswa dan memperjuangkan hak mahasiswa.

MISI

Memastikan hak mahasiswa terbela dan mencapai integrasi nasional.

MOTTO

" MAHASISWA PEMANGKIN KEGEMILANGAN BANGSA "

DASAR UMUM:

1. Menjadikan Rukun Negara sebagai landasan aktiviti kemahasiswaan

2. Membantu Mahasiswa mendapatkan hak sebagai mahasiswa.

3. Menjadikan PMUMS sebagai medium perantaraan Mahasiswa dan Pengurusan universiti.

4. Ke arah mewujudkan pengurusan yang sistematik dan kemantapan berorganisasi.

5. Membudayakan Mahasiswa yang seimbang dari segi intelek, rohani dan jasmani.

MATLAMAT

Menjadi satu medium interaksi bagi menyalurkan suara mahasiswa kepada pihak universiti dan kerajaan demi mempastikan hak mahasiswa terbela dan menyediakan aktiviti-aktiviti kemahasiswaan untuk melahirkan mahasiswa cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang

OBJEKTIF

1.	Mendengar dan mengenalpasti permasalahan mahasiswa.
2.	Mengutarakan isu-isu mahasiswa kepada pihak yang berwajib.
3.	Mencadangkan penyelesaian terhadap isu-isu yang telah diutarakan.
4.	Mempastikan isu-isu yang telah dipersetujui dilaksanakan.
5.	Mengkaji keberkesanan pelaksanaan dasar-dasar yang membabitkan kepentingan mahasiswa.
6.	Menerapkan nilai-nilai murni dan sifat kepimpinan kepada mahasiswa dalam mengorganisasikan setiap aktiviti.

FUNGSI

1.	Menjadi landasan utama suara mahasiswa.
2.	Merupakan medium pengantara mahasiswa universiti dan kerajaan.
3.	Meneliti dan mengenengahkan isu demi membela kebajikan mahasiswa.
4.	Mengeratkan integrasi nasional di kalangan mahasiswa.
5.	Mempastikan mahasiswa mendapat manfaat dalam setiap aktiviti yang dijalankan.

CABARAN

1.	Kurangnya komitmen dan penglibatan mahasiswa terhadap aktiviti yang dianjurkan.
2.	Kurangnya kerjasama mahasiswa dalam mencadangkan dan menyelesaikan isu serta pelaksanaan dasar.
3.	Keputusan dan pelaksanaan dasar yang melibatkan kepentingan mahasiswa tidak mengambilkira pandangan daripada wakil mahasiswa.
4.	Penekanan pihak universiti dan kerajaan untuk menerima isu dan cadangan yang telah diutarakan.
5.	Karenah birokrasi yang wujud menyebabkan cadangan penyelesaian masalah yang diputuskan gagal dilaksanakan sepenuhnya.

And the translation at http://www.ums.edu.my/webv3/go.php?sect=fstud&p=studrep&lang=_en reads as follows:

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
SESSION 2005 / 2006

VISION

To form national intergration culture among the under-graduates and to fight for under-graduates' right.

MISION

To ensure the right of the under-graduates to be define and to achieve national intergration.

MOTTO

" UNDER-GRADUATES AS ENHANCEMENT OF NATION GLORIOUS"
("MAHASISWA PEMANGKIN KEGEMILANGAN BANGSA")

GENERAL POLICIES:

1. To occur 'Rukun Negara' (National Principle) as a base to under-graduates' activities.

2. To assist under-graduates to get their right as an under-graduates.

3. To occur PMUMS as a medium between under-graduates and university's management.

4. Toward to form a systematic management and stable organization.

5. To form an under-graduate's culture with equality in intelectual, spiritual and physical aspect.

TARGET

To be a medium of interaction to transfer the voice of under-graduates to the university and government for ensurance under-graduates' right being defend and to prepare under-graduates' activities to produce excellent, glorious and famed.

OBJECTIVE

1.	To listen and to ensure under-graduates' problems.
2.	To state under-graduates issues to related parties.
3.	To suggest solutions against the issues that being stated.
4.	To ensure the issues that been agreed being enforce.
5.	To study the efficiency of the policies enforcement include under-graduates' importance.
6.	To engrave moral values and leadership to under-graduates in organising every activity.

FUNCTION

1.	To be the main base of under-graduates' voice.
2.	As a medium among under-graduates, university and government.
3.	To pay attention on the issue for under-graduates' welfare defendance.
4.	To tighten national intergration among under-graduates.
5.	To ensure under-graduates obtain benefits in every organized activity.

CHALLENGE

1.	Lack of commitment and involvement of under-graduates in organized activities.
2.	Lack of under-graduates' co-operation in suggesting and issue solving with policy enforcement.
3.	The decisions and policies enforcement of student representative which related to under-graduates' importance not entertained.
4.	To emphasizing and against university and government to accept issues and suggestions that had been stated.
5.	Bureaucracy evidence that exist caused the suggestion of problem solutions that decided fail to fully enforce.

Comments (14) Add Comment

...
written by Urangsabah, July 12, 2009 09:29:29

What to do......Malaysia wah, broken Ingerris ok wah call it Manglish.

If you want your children to speak and write good english just like our PM and his Minister sent you children overseas.

Just my 2 cts bit, this is what you get when Educationist are also Politician.

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 34

...
written by batsman, July 12, 2009 09:35:52

What makes you so sure that if English is attempted in our education system that it can be significantly improved? What makes you so sure that both the above versions in BM and English will not be mangled?

Clean up the political system first. Trying to clean up anything in a rotten political system is an exercise in futility.

report abuse

disagree 1

agree 10

...
written by smalluncle, July 12, 2009 10:14:42

My point is, UNless, unless government guaranteed all students who did well academically a place in local university, it will be unfair to murder the student by not giving him the necessary language proficiency to pursue his study overseas which are mainly using English as the medium.

So, YB, do consider this valid point. Hope you YB will not say "WHO CARES" as most of your kids are educated overseas. smilies/shocked.gif

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 9

...
written by SiHangChai, July 12, 2009 10:36:45

Bodoh betul BN yang gostan balik ke B. Melayu. Sekarang kita sudah balik zaman purba. Malu betul kita ada kumpulan yang kata mempertahankan mutu pendidikan negara tapi ada muslihat lain. Adakah kita mahu pelajar kita cakap bahasa inggeris macam bahasa loghat kelantan-inggeris? Mutu inggeris kita di peringkat universiti susah macam pasar, ini pulak falsafah si Najib dan muhidyyin?

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 8

...
written by Krepot, July 12, 2009 10:38:39

They have used DEB/NEP to deny quality students from public universities,
they have systematically destroyed competition in universities
and every donkey passes, even if they can't speak a word of English.
Look around, WHO WOULD EMPLOY THEM? Only the public sector - the rotting sector!

Welcome to Malaysia, the boleh-land!

report abuse

disagree 1

agree 14

...
written by coolandy, July 12, 2009 11:26:59

SKBBJ and Malaysia Today are all wrong.

How can and how dare you say that our standard of English is low?

After all, most of them scored A in the subject.

Hidup UMS. Your standard of English is actually higher than Oxford's.

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 8

...
written by my oumrie, July 12, 2009 12:01:58

I confess I know English 100% better than my mother tongue, but for the life of me, I can't understand the above English version at all. Its all gobbledygook to me! If we're going to improve the standard of English in schools and institutes of higher learning, replace the ministry of education with Kirkby trained teachers lah!

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 7

...
written by Fatcat, July 12, 2009 14:33:23

walau the england vely powderful ooo. smilies/grin.gif

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 1

...
written by by2020, July 12, 2009 15:10:36

Many people laugh at Chinese when they first started the English translation frenzy few years (probably 5 to 6 years) ago.

I guessed their translation is about the same as what we have read here... So nothing special when someone trying to translate their native language to English!

But they have improve tremendously..! We are just slowly catching up with them!

The only problem is probably our curve is heading the different direction...! But who cares?

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 0

...
written by AsamLaksa, July 12, 2009 16:06:39

A lot of direct translation word by word. Unfortunately, translating does not work that way. Translating a sentence is about retaining the meaning and presenting it in a grammatically correct way. This means oft times the length of translated sentences may be different from the original and many of the words itself do not directly translate from the original words.

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 0

...
written by Richfyf, July 12, 2009 16:18:46

In malaysia everything and anything can be thought in bahasa melayu, Science, maths, etc...Anything as long as NOT the Bible. Incase the malay or muslim get confuse.

That is the BN policy on what the Rakyat should do

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 4

...
written by hanisma, July 12, 2009 16:38:15

my oumrie, there are very few Kirby trained teachers who are still 'very energetic' now and that will not solve the problem at our MOE! I would like to suggest that all English Language teachers, irrespective of whether they are in schools or in institutions of higher learning, should undergo refresher course and diagnostic test on that subject. Assistance from old timers (English teachers/lecturers) should be welcomed and also, English grammar should be taught in isolation as what had been done in the 50s to the late 70s (before the implementation of the KBSR/KBSM). On a more positive measure, the whole Malaysian education system should be revamped!!

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 0

...
written by Wisdom above, July 13, 2009 10:04:53

I just laughed until my stomach ached ?
Without 1960s educational system, we are DOOMED to SHAME ?

report abuse

disagree 0

agree 1

...
written by Zorro, July 13, 2009 11:10:26

Go go our undergraduates!

Now, Top Gun is "Senapang Atas" and Silence Of The Lambs is "Diam-Diam Kambing Biri-Biri"

I rest my case.

report abuse

disagree 0