thegreencarousel:reimenaashelyee:andunetir: reimenaashelyee:A comic about my complicated feelings
thegreencarousel:reimenaashelyee:andunetir: reimenaashelyee: A comic about my complicated feelings for Bahasa Malaysia, my country’s national language. Happy Merdeka to all my fellow Malaysians. I’m very late, but to those asking for a translation: I got you. This post hit hard, and a large part of that is thanks to the bilingualism and code-switching. The disparity between the way the artist speaks in English vs BM is stark and nuanced in a way that translation just doesn’t do justice. Then there’s the cultural aspect to consider: years of memories embodied by the shattered kopitiam cup, the school exercise book, the hands bent in dance. I’m glad people who aren’t Malaysian (or who are, in one way or another, estranged from the country) have found something beautiful and poignant in this comic. That speaks to how powerful it is as a piece of art. I can’t give you all the context that makes it extra special to me, but I hope this translation helps to fill in some of the gaps. Translator’s comments in italics. If you’re on desktop, I recommend pulling up the comic in a separate window/tab so you can read it side by side. @persephonification Keep reading Oh hey! Thank you so much for creating such a well-thought out translation for this comic. (Which I admire and super appreciate. I wouldn’t know how to translate my own bilingual comic lol since, as you pointed out, the emotional impact comes from understanding both English and Malay and on top of that the specific Malaysian cultural nuances re: those languages) Non-Malay speakers, please take a look at this translation if you’re interested in a better understanding!! Woah this smacks really differently when you’re Chinese Malaysian but was born in neighbouring Brunei. Growing up I’m used to hearing “balik ke cina!”. And I really wanted to reply aku bukan daripada cina aku orang malaysia but they’re right I am still a foreigner in my country of birth so what can I say. And also am I really orang Malaysia? I’ve never lived in Malaysia other than holidays. Am I even allowed to say I’m orang malaysia? I’m fluent in malay just so I can graduate high school but there was a sense of bitterness in being more fluent in it than my own mother tongue. And let’s not mention the extra layer of being far more fluent in English even if it was my third language. Now that I’m living overseas away from Asia however I do feel nostalgic because it was my culture, even if there are some that didn’t want me to have it and it was tinged with bitterness. And this comic captured that complex feeling perfectly, that I’ll always have a complicated relationship with BM as my bahasa malaysia and the language used to ostracise me in my country of birth. And that’s fine. The bitterness is part of the package but it is mine. -- source link
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