Translation Focus

COMMON IGNORANCE Once up a time, an old illiterate asked somebody to write a letter for him. He said, "Please write whatever I am telling you." He then began to explain his life while the writer was busy writing. He talked about himself and some hos problems. After he finished, he turned to the writer and said, "Alright. Now read me all you have written." The man began to read the letter. Little by little the old man, listening to the writer carefully, started crying. The writer looked at him surprisingly and said, "These are what you have already explained. There is nothing more in this letter. Why are crying then?" Still crying hard, the old man said, "I practically knew that I was a poor wretched man, but I didn't know it so clearly as you told me today!" TIDAK PEDULI Pada suatu hari, seorang warga emas buta huruf meminta seseorang menuliskan sepucuk surat untuknya. Dia berkata, "Tulis apa yang saya katakan." Dia...

RICH MAN AND POOR MAN Every morning at eleven o'clock a shiny Rolls Royce drove through Central Park in New York City. Inside the car, sat a driver and his master, a well known millionaire. Each morning the millionaire noticed a poorly dressed sitting on a park bench. The man always sat staring at the hotel in which the millionaire lived. One day, the millionaire was so curious about the man that he ordered his driver to stop the car. He walked to the bench and said to the poor man, "Excuse me, I just want to know why you sit here staring at my hotel every morning." "Sir,' said the man, " I have no money, no family, no home. I sleep on this bench, and every night I dream that one day I will sleep at that hotel." The millionaire had an idea. He said, "Tonight your dream come true. I'll pay for the best room in that hotel for you for a whole month." A few days later, the millionaire went by the man's room to see how he w...

THE LEAST I COULD DO Long long ago, an old mother had a son who has disobeyed the then ruler. The ruler was so angry that had sentenced her son to death. The son was supposed to be hanged in the village center in front of all the villagers. On his last night in jail, his mother went to see him for the last time. She talked to him very patiently trying to give him confidence. At the end she said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll go up the old building adjacent to the village square. Just have a look at me up there. If I'm wearing black the soldiers will hang you up. But if I'm wearing white they will not kill you. It means that I have changed the ruler's decision and the ruler is just going to scare the people. You don't need to be worry then." The next day the soldiers took the son to the village center. Lots of onlookers there. The son looked for his mother on the top of the old building. All of a sudden, his mother appeared there wearing white. He theref...

ANCIENT SEAPORT OF SG BATU Wrecks of ships have been discovered in the Sg Batu site in Kedah, pointing to a civilisation said to date back to the first century CE Beneath the pockets of placid, murky waters surrounded by wild bushes and oil palm trees lies a secret hidden for over 2,000 years. A thriving seaport called Kataha once stood at a site which only fish and archaeologists can access now. Archaeologists have spotted wrecks of ancient ships embedded in the muddy floor of what was once an ancient river which flowed through the historical site of Kedah Tua (old Kedah). The site, now known as Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex, is home to the oldest civilisation in Southeast Asia where the remains of the earliest human-built structures have been found. Universiti Sains Malaysia Global Archaeological Research Centre director Professor Datuk Dr Mokhtar Saidin says his team has conducted geophysics analysis at the swampy site. "We discovered the remnants of...

POWER Once upon a time, a very strong lion saw a little cat in a big jungle." He looks like a member of my race. Why is it he is so small? Maybe something unpleasant has happened to him. I must find out the truth." The lion whispered to himself looking at the cat unbelievingly. He called the cat and said, "You look like a lion. Why is it that you are so small and weak?".  The cat thought, "If I tell him that I'm not a lion he will probably hurt me." He then said, "Yes, I belong to your family. I used to be a real lion." Saying this he started crying. The lion sympatized with him. "Just tell me what's happened to you. I'll try to help you. I'm the strongest creature in this jungle," he said, showing off his muscles. The cat said, " I was caught by human being. He tortured me a lot. I became weaker and weaker day after day. I'm now so weak that I can't protect myself." The lion became red with wr...

A Wonderful Computer Scale While Milgrom waited at the airport to board his plane, he noticed a computer scale that would give your weight and a fortune. He dropped a quarter in the slot and the computer screen displayed. "You weigh 195 pounds, you are married and you're on your way to San Diego," Milgrom stood there dumbfounded. Another man put a quarter and the computer read, "you weigh 184 pounds, you're divorced and you're on your way to Chicago." Milgrom said to the man : "Are you divorced and on your way to Chicago?" "Yes," came the reply. Milgorm was amazed. Then he rushed to the men's room, changed his clothes and put on dark glasses. He went to the machine again. The computer read : "you still weigh 195 pounds, you're still married. And you just missed your phone to San Diego!" Alat Timbang Berkomputer Yang Hebat Milgrom sedang menunggu di lapangan kapal terbang untuk menaiki kapal...

Fool or Lost? A   :   Hello, boy. Where does this go? B   :   It doesn't go anywhere. It always stays here. A   :   How far is it to the next town? B   :   I don't know. I never measured it. A   :   (angrily) What do you know? You seem very strange. You a big fool. B   :   Maybe I am fool, but at least I'm not lost. Bodoh atau sesat? A   :   Hai, budak. Ke manakah jalan itu tuju? B   :   Jalan ini tidak ke mana-mana. Ia sentiasa berada di sini. A   :   Berapakah jauh hendak ke bandar seterusnya? B   :   Saya tak tahu. Saya tidak pernah mengukur jalan ini. A   ;   (marah) Apakah kamu tahu? Kamu sangat pelik. Bodoh betul. B   :   Mungkin saya bodoh sekurang-kurangnya saya tak sesat. Diterjemah oleh : Teratai Melur E-mel : terataigenius@gmail.com **For translation services, kindly email to the above email.   **Jika perluka...