УРОК 5. Why do We Need a Global Language?

1. Translation has played a central (though often unrecognized) role in human interaction for thousands of years. When monarchs or ambassadors met on the international stage, there would invariably be interpreters present. But there are limits to what can be done in this way. The more a community is linguistically mixed, the less it can rely on individuals to ensure communication between different groups. In communities where only two or three languages are in contact, bilingualism (or trilingualism) is a possible solution, for most young children can acquire more than one language with unselfconscious ease. But in communities where there are many languages in contact, as in much of Africa and South-East Asia, such a natural solution does not readily apply.

2. The problem has traditionally been solved by finding a language to act as a lingua franca*, or ‘common language’. Sometimes, when communities begin to trade with each other, they communicate by adopting a simplified language, known as a pidgin, which combines elements of their different languages. Many such pidgin languages survive today in territories which formerly belonged to the European colonial nations, and act as lingua francas; for example, West African Pidgin English is used extensively between several ethnic groups along the West African coast. Sometimes an indigenous language emerges as a lingua franca – usually the language of the most powerful ethnic group in the area, as in the case of Mandarin Chinese. The other groups then learn this language with varying success, and thus become to some degree bilingual. But most often, a language is accepted from outside the community, such as English or French, because of the political, economic, or religious influence of a foreign power.

3. The geographical extent to which a lingua franca can be used is entirely governed by political factors. Many lingua francas extend over quite small domains – between a few ethnic groups in one part of a single country, or linking the trading populations of just a few countries, as in the West African case. By contrast, Latin was a lingua franca throughout the whole of the Roman Empire – at least, at the level of government (very few ‘ordinary’ people in the subjugated domains would have spoken much Latin). And in modern times Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, French, English, Hindi, Portuguese and several other languages have developed a major international role as a lingua franca, in limited areas of the world.

4. The prospect that a lingua franca might be needed for the whole world is something which has emerged strongly only in the twentieth century, and since the 1950s in particular. The chief international forum for political communication – the United Nations – dates only from 1945. Since then, many international bodies have come into being. Never before have so many countries (around 190, in the case of some UN bodies) been represented in single meeting places. At a more restricted level, multinational regional or political groupings have come into being, such as the Commonwealth and the European Union. The pressure to adopt a single lingua franca, to facilitate communication in such contexts, is considerable, the alternative being expensive and impracticable multi-way translation facilities.

5. Usually a small number of languages have been designated official languages for an organization’s activities: for example, the UN was established with five official languages – English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. There is now a widespread view that it makes sense to try to reduce the number of languages involved in world bodies, if only to cut down on the vast amount of interpretation/translation and clerical work required. Half the budget of an international organization can easily get swallowed up in translation costs. But trimming a translation budget is never easy, as obviously no country likes the thought of its language being given a reduced international standing.

6. The need for a global language is particularly appreciated by the international academic and business communities, and it is here that the adoption of a single lingua franca is most in evidence, both in lecture-rooms and board-rooms, as well as in thousands of individual contacts being made daily all over the globe.

(Crystal D. English as a Global Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003. P. 11–13)

Задания и упражнения

1. Прочитайте текст. Выпишите все незнакомые слова и ключевые термины и переведите их.

2. Определите значения следующих слов и словосочетаний: bilingualism, lingua franca, European colonial nations, Mandarin Chinese, the Commonwealth, the European Union, translation facilities.

3. Кратко изложите основное содержание текста.

4. Найдите в оригинальном тексте соответствия следующим вариантам перевода:

· в общении людей

· вели международные переговоры

· одно из решений проблемы

· незаметно для себя

· один из местных языков

· языки ‘со стороны’

· размер территории

· обеспечить взаимопонимание

· на ограниченных территориях

· на более низком уровне

· многосторонний перевод

· более низкий международный статус

· особенно ощущается.

5. Выпишите из англо-русского словаря значения следующих английских слов и объясните, в чем может состоять трудность их перевода: individual, community, apply, prospect, survive, body, pressure, anecdotal.

6. Переведите на русский язык следующие предложения:

I

a. The rights of an individual are perhaps the most important rights in a free society.

b. Do social pressures make it hard for us to become individuals?

c. The President met leaders of black community during his visit to Chicago. (community work, community leaders, community center, community college).

d. Keep streets clean for the good of the community.

e. The job of a politician is to serve the whole community.

f. The rule does not apply in your particular case.

g. I am afraid there is not much prospect of the work being finished before the weekend.

h. Few buildings survived the fire.

i. The government is unlikely to survive the next election.

j. Should this information go in the main body of the text, or in the notes at the end?

k. The House of Representatives is an elected body.

l. We are trying to put pressure on the government to change the law.

m. He works best under pressure.

n. He only agreed to cut down on the Budget under pressure.

II

a. The theory relies more on anecdotal evidence than genuine statistics.

b. There is evidence, albeit largely anecdotal, of a growing number of suicides among high-achieving young people.

c. There are no comprehensive statistics on the extent of the air pollution problem, but anecdotal evidence suggests that Hong Kong’s children have been hit the hardest.

d. Mexico city – the story here is the crime. […] Practically any Mexican you meet (who does not travel under armed guard) has anecdotal evidence.

e. Many communities have turned to private security companies.

f. He was respected around the Gettysburg region, where he had bought his farm, but was never a member of the community.

g. Boys are hardwired to love the rough and tumble but need attention from their family and community.

7. Переведите текст.

8. Дайте оценку перевода следующего предложения:

The other groups then learn this language with varying success, and thus become to some degree bilingual.

В этом случае другие группы населения постепенно и с переменным успехом учатся говорить на нем и таким образом в той или иной степени становятся двуязычными.

9. Переведите заголовок текста.

ЧАСТЬ III