At the beautiful Gangothri Glades cricket stadium in the city that produced English language wordsmiths of the calibre of R.K. Narayan and R.K. Laxman, Raja Rao and U.R. Anantha Murthy, H.Y. Sharada Prasad and T.S. Satyan, a small epitaph to the gigantic ocean of learning, Manasagangothri, behind it.
Also read: So that your childrens doesn’t learn English
An advice to those chaps who take pains to blacken English billboards and Name Plates in our city: Patronize and engage these university guys to write those boards. Your purpose will be achieved with handsome rewards.
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I think he used an online translator!
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To begin with, let us appreciate the thought behind the message. I cant see any plastic behind the board in the photo atleast.
I wonder who is responsible for the mistakes – the donor Mr. Sanjeev Shetty or the university.
2 minor mistakes in kannada as well, which I find more disturbing. “Swachchate” and “Plastic” are written wrongly. A caring mysorean should talk and get these mistakes rectified both in Kannada and English. If no one does that, then this will be a case of empty breast beating.
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Hmm.. In its eagerness to pointout the gramatically incorrect englsih sentence, churmuri has not pointed out that even the kannada sentence (plasic) is not correct .
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The message from this message board picture is very clear. We should write in only in Kannada and stop using English. These mistakes are unavoidable as English is not their mother tongue (or first language as it is called), and elite bloggers keep mocking at them. I ask thousands of English bloggers from Karnataka to translate one English quote correctly into Kannada and write it without mistake.
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Let us announce some prize for killing English effectively!
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The Pakis said the evidential documents in the 26/11 episode, submitted by our MEA were in Marathi and hence they are unable to proceed further. I think we should send the translator of this sign board to Islamabad to clear the confusion and Pakis will never again ask for a translation. Further he should be made the Translator General of Karnataka!
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lol Vinay exactly my thoughts! ROFL!
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I have seen people (comming from hifi english medium schools) unable to speak kannada properly?
Aren’t they ashamed?Why look things in one eye ?
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The message is clear, isn’t it?
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I don’t think it’s such a big deal, though it shows articulation problems faced by copywriters, but only in English not in Kannada.
The point of the board is not to show off English language skills but to request that people maintain cleanliness. For those who can read Kannada, the top part of the board should suffice. For others, they can get the message from the rest of the board. But I sincerely hope no one makes that as an excuse to litter the place.
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Who cares about the grammar and the litterateuratis . The sponsor of the message has made an effort in spreading awareness and I hope is also doing things to practice it.
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Vinay good one.
I actually like the kannada prose but it is a misfit here. I think it was written for anti-speeding campaign.
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what a classic! my saashtaanga namaskaara for manasagangothri.
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Not too bad if you consider it as a literal translation from kannada to english.
Anyway hotel sringar is probably not patronized by monocle wearing english speakers.
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Just shows that English is, after all, not the quintessential element in daily life yet. Why bother!? Also that this board has been there from sometime, shows that most of the passers-by of this board seldom took a look at the lower half of this board, satisfied with the information they obtained from the upper half, which happens to be in Kannada.
I say most, because a paltry few had cameras in their hands, and the time in their lives, to snap it up for Churumuri!!
The point here is – One day, whether its good or bad English, will we care?!
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You could have sent it to The Hindu, Saturday edition. You would have earned a meal.
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a classical case of lowest quotation management!
But they know that Oxford dictionary is flexible and will regularise this style sooner or later!
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Well, atleast the “mess”age wasn’t this:
” And learning the life leads, Life and Death is very necessary to human life. The Plastics using, Please maintaing the clean is dangerous to Environment. But it is not to end today.”
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Now now. those goons will want brandnames on products to be written in Kannada.. it is evident the way they go about blackening the boards and advertisements. Hyundai should start writing “Santro” in Kannada on its car! rubbish brains indeed!
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Ees it a cerous mystik? mescaj iss morre ymporrtant if itt ees undresttood.
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In response to Keshav from 19 June:
“The message from this message board picture is very clear. We should write in only in Kannada and stop using English….I ask thousands of English bloggers from Karnataka to translate one English quote correctly into Kannada and write it without mistake.”
Keshav, your own English is flawed (look again at what you wrote) — but instead of being gracious and excusing you for what was hopefully a very human error, I think I’d much rather take your hardline approach and reinforce your rationalisation in suggesting that you translate your electronic advice into Kannada now — and on a keyboard, since you’re evidently more educated than the poorer masses who only paint signboards.
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Typos and such don’t matter much when we are writing in English. It is not our language, and often even those who teach it are not well-versed in it.
It is Kannada that we need to worry about.
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Rub(bish) it aside Rama! What you’re trying to insert into this discussion, is indeed the rubbish part.
Who in this debate ever talked about boards being blackened? Your seemingly pessimistic thinking seems to be guiding your pre-determined commenting! You’re fitting your pre-concocted comments into the situation, and just using the words of some other commenters here to make it sound logical!
The point here is clear. The board in the foto seems to have done the job pretty well, and the guy who put that up, has at least thought of a few who wouldn’t understand the Kannada Lipi. There are some other stubborn people around us who after having migrated into this land, “expect” people who’ve been living here since ages, to suddenly speak this migrant’s tongue! That expectation is worse civil behaviour than blackening of public boards.
Anyway, you’ve got the message, both here, and on that board. So read on. Don’t start a dual that you don’t want too!
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Very Good Azhar.
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