The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| NYC’s Occupy Wall Street: Democracy in action Posted: 16 Oct 2011 05:26 PM PDT OCT 17 — When hundreds of protestors were penned in with orange netting and arrested on Brooklyn Bridge earlier this month, I knew something big was brewing out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, now entering its fifth week. More than 700 people were arrested by the New York Police Department on October 1; the largest arrest of non-violent protestors in United States history. Their crime? Having the audacity to draw the world's attention to the inequities of corporate America. For a developed nation the statistics (mostly sourced from the US government's own data) make a sobering read: more than 14 million unemployed; 43.6 million live in poverty (annual earnings less than US$22,000 (RM70,400) for a family of four); one in six lives without healthcare coverage; as many as 3.5 million will experience homeless this year and a national debt exceeding US$14 trillion.  Robert Carlson, who works in New York City's financial district, took a week's holiday to join the movement. — Pictures by Helen Hickey I don't think anyone could have predicted that that first hundred or so people, with their wads of cardboard and Sharpie pen-markers, would spark a mass anti-austerity movement of tens of thousands not just in New York, but across America including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. I grabbed my camera and headed down to the financial district's Zuccotti Park, now renamed "Liberty Square", as thousands — including several major labour unions that had just announced their unanimous support to the Occupy Wall Street movement — prepared to march to New York City Hall a week last Wednesday. I arrived just after noon to a sea of placards, a band playing, and thousands milling around the small private park filled with ad hoc food canteens, spare clothes stalls, tarps, sleeping bags and an increasing number of camera crew. The march was scheduled to start at 4.30pm, just after Wall Street's closing bell marking the end of the business day. The "I-could-lose-my-job-for-having-a-voice" placard held by a young man with an American flag shoved down his back grabbed my attention. Without removing the green one dollar bill taped across his mouth, 25-year-old financier Robert J. Carlson said he had taken a week's holiday to join the movement because: "I want to raise awareness to some very serious economic issues that are happening in the world today, and to get leaders to talk about solutions before it is too late." He told me he had met nurses, doctors, professors, teachers, Wall Street bankers and "even two off-duty police officers" in the crowds over the past few days. These people are all "potentially sacrificing their jobs to participate in this peaceful movement — it's amazing that it has come to this," he added. A healthy cross-section of society; this is what I saw too. Hardly the picture painted by Bill O'Reilly, Fox News, of a movement fuelled by the great unwashed, unemployed or marijuana-smoking hippie-types (OK, I admit there were some). More moderate news outlets like CNN cautiously hedge their bets. While coverage from the traditionally liberal leaning The New York Times has ranged from outrageously dismissive (check out Ginia Bellafante's column of September 23) to the positively respectful, following President Obama's concession in a recent press conference that the movement might have a point: "I think it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel." Dressed in pink scrubs, Tammy Vick, a 49-year-old medical secretary from Connecticut, said: "I've been waiting since the '80s and the [right-wing] Reaganomic-years for this movement to take place." It's finally happened: "I just had to come down here to voice out about the inequalities that is going on in this country." Vick recently lost her job after she lodged a complaint over unfair working conditions. I eavesdropped on an interview with a Californian construction worker wearing a hardhat and sporting a tattoo on his left arm reading "Union Ironworker Built America". Carl Armstrong, a 48-year-old Ironworkers Union member since 1996, joined the movement on Day Three after his job in lower Manhattan was postponed.  The movement attracted a healthy cross-section of society, including this group of musicians. A fresh-faced student, who went by the name of "Sugts", held a placard reading "Wall Street is Stealing the American Dream". The senior, about to graduate in economics and politics from Seaton Hall University, timorously confided that he was joining Wednesday's march because the economy is in such a mess that his "job prospects don't look at all good". He wasn't alone; two other students from the same university stood at his side. A class-action suit has been filed over the mass arrests on Brooklyn Bridge. Occupy Wall Street lawyers argue police invited them to march on the roadway, as opposed to the pedestrian crossing. Rightly or wrongly the NYPD were just doing their job, albeit one helped along by a US$4.6 million gift recently given to New York City Police Foundation by JPMorgan Chase — the largest private donation ever received by foundation. As with this year's Arab Spring uprisings, the more democracy in action is suppressed the bigger the explosion of support. The Occupy Wall Street protests have gone global this weekend. Thousands have marched in anti-austerity protests in Rome, Madrid, Sydney and London. But what will become of this movement? Are we watching history unfold? Who knows. The only certainty right now is that the protestors are not ready to be silenced. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Posted: 16 Oct 2011 04:28 PM PDT 17 OKT — Hakikat yang diketahui umum adalah bahawa karya-karya yang terbit dalam bahasa-bahasa utama seluruh dunia akan segera diterjemah ke Bahasa Indonesia. Langkah ini secara langsung dan tidak langsung membuka ruang serta peluang kepada penduduk di seluruh negara berkenaan membaca kandungan karya dari seluruh dunia dalam bahasa rasmi negara tersebut. Tentu sahaja tidak adil dan tidak wajar untuk membandingkan keadaan ini dengan realiti di Malaysia; walaupun Oktober diiktiraf Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan. Berbalik pada situasi di Indonesia, suatu lagi hakikat yang menarik dan wajar diberi perhatian adalah bahawa karya-karya yang ditulis dalam Bahasa Indonesia turut diterjemah ke bahasa-bahasa lain, khususnya Bahasa Inggeris. Dalam hal ini, saya tidak hanya bercakap mengenai karya-karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Putu Wijaya dan beberapa penulis vateran yang terkenal pada peringkat antarabangsa.  Antologi 'Cultivate the Land Within' dilancarkan di Ubud, Bali. Sebuah lagi buku yang menarik minat saya adalah antologi "Nandurin Karang Awak — Cultivate the Land Within" yang mengumpulkan prosa dan puisi karya 17 pengarang Indonesia yang menyertai UWRF. Majlis pelancaran dan pembacaan teks daripada antologi berkenaan berlangsung pada 9 Oktober di Warung Pulau Kelapa, Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali. Selesai acara, saya berpeluang berbual bersama-sama Toni Pollard, seorang wanita Australia yang merupakan bekas guru Bahasa Indonesia dan kini menjadi perunding serta penterjemah bebas. Katanya, ini tahun keempat beliau terlibat dalam membantu kerja-kerja menterjemah karya Bahasa Indonesia ke Bahasa Inggeris bagi antologi khas sempena UWRF. "Saya bangga dapat memberi sumbangan ke arah memperkenalkan hasil karya penulis Indonesia kepada khalayak lebih besar," katanya. Suatu perkara yang menarik perhatian saya adalah bahawa Toni tidak melakukan terjemahan secara langsung. Sebaliknya beliau menggunakan teknik tertentu yang saya percaya wajar juga dipelajari dan dipraktikkan di Malaysia. "Saya akan membaca seluruh cerpen dan kemudian menulis terjemahannya menggunakan tulisan tangan. Semasa menaipnya kemudian, saya kemaskan lenggok bahasa supaya sesuai dengan gaya penulisan karya Bahasa Inggeris. "Selepas membaca dan menyunting beberapa kali, saya akan serahkan manuskrip Bahasa Inggeris sahaja kepada orang lain untuk perhatikan sama ada mereka boleh membaca dan menghayati keindahan kandungan karya itu," wanita berkenaan menceritakan. Sering kali Toni selaku penterjemah berpengalaman perlu membuat beberapa keputusan penting, khususnya berhubung perkataan-perkataan dalam bahasa tempatan serta istilah tertentu yang menggambarkan budaya setempat. "Ada kalanya saya mengubah judul karya supaya sesuai dengan versi terjemahan dan khalayak pembaca karya Bahasa Inggeris. Ramai juga penterjemah yang selalu meletakkan nota kaki untuk menerangkan perkataan, istilah atau frasa dalam bahasa tempatan. "Saya ingin menasihatkan penterjemah supaya menggunakan terus istilah Bahasa Inggeris kerana nota kaki dan glosari mengganggu proses penghayataan sebuah karya sastera," Toni memberi panduan. Saya yakin pada panduan dan saranan yang diberikan oleh wanita berkenaan kerana beliau berpengalaman sebagai guru Bahasa Indonesia selama 44 tahun di beberapa sekolah menengah di Australia. Toni juga menjadi pensyarah selama 12 tahun di University of Western Sydney, sebelum bersara enam tahun lalu. Sejak itu, beliau menjadi penterjemah profesional. Satu lagi sikap terpuji Toni adalah bahawa beliau menjadi tenaga sukarelawan bagi menjayakan UWRF dan penterjemah karya bagi antologi "Cultivate the Land Within". Antara karya dalam antologi itu yang diterjemah oleh Toni adalah "Weddings of Defiance" iaitu petikan novel "Nika Baronta" karya Alan Malingi dan "Hongkong" iaitu petikan novel "Sebongkah Tanah Retak" karya Rida Fitria. Toni turut menterjemah "Surat Berdarah untuk Presiden" tulisan Jaladara sebagai "A Blood Stained Letter to the President" dan petikan novel "Rumah Debu" karya Sandi Firly iaitu "The Long Night". Cerpen "Lali Panggora" karya Saut Poltak Tambunan pula diterjemahkannya menjadi "The Hawk That Heralds Death" kerana bagi Toni, judul dalam versi Bahasa Inggeris perlu sesuai dan menepati kandungan cerita. UWRF kali ini disertai sekitar 130 penulis dari 27 negara dan hampir 170 acara berlangsung di 57 lokasi. Walaupun khalayak yang menghadiri majlis pelancaran dan pembacaan teks "Cultivate the Land Within" tidak ramai, penerbitan buku itu amat bermakna. Tambahan pula, pengasas UWRF, Janet De Neefe berkata, antologi dwibahasa berjudul "Reasons for Harmony" (2008), "Compassion and Solidarity" (2009), "Harmony in Diversity" (2010) dan "Cultivate the Land Within" (2011) terbitan Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati dengan kerjasama HiVOS dihantar ke pelbagai universiti, pusat penulisan dan perpustakaan di Indonesia dan seluruh dunia. "Saya amat suka melakukan kerja-kerja terjemahan kerana memang mencabar untuk 'mencipta' semula sebuah karya seni atau sastera seorang pengarang ke dalam bentuk lain atau bahasa lain untuk dihayati khalayak dengan latar budaya yang lain," kata Toni yang tinggal di Paddington, New South Wales.  Toni Pollard berasal dari Australia. Maknanya, pembaca perlu berupaya membaca, memahami dan menghayati karya berkenaan tanpa perlu membaca atau memahami karya dalam bahasa asal. Sebagai pembaca tegar karya-karya sastera yang diterjemah ke Bahasa Inggeris daripada bahasa-bahasa utama dunia, saya amat bersetuju dengan pandangan dan pendirian Toni dalam hal ini. Mungkin ada pihak yang mengatakan bahawa Toni (dan saya) "membunuh" keaslian karya asal kerana menyokong usaha terjemahan "konteks" cerita berbanding terjemahan "perkataan demi perkataan". Dalam hal ini, saya ingin melihat secara khusus pada pengarang yang karya mereka dimuatkan dalam antologi "Cultivate the Land Within". Saya berpeluang bertemu mereka serta mendengar mereka berkongsi pengalaman menerusi beberapa sesi diskusi. Rata-rata mereka bukan menutur dan pembaca karya Bahasa Inggeris. Mujurlah mereka memahami bahawa apabila karya yang mereka tulis dalam Bahasa Indonesia diterjemah ke Bahasa Inggeris, aspek "pemahaman" khalayak perlu diambil kira. Kita perlu faham bahawa khalayak yang membaca karya dalam versi terjemahan itu mungkin tidak tahu Bahasa Indonesia dan mungkin tidak tahu adat, budaya dan latar masyarakat di Indonesia. Maka, Toni bukan setakat "menterjemah" karya-karya itu supaya sesuai bagi khalayak pada peringkat antarabangsa. Sebaliknya, beliau "menyesuaikan" dan "mengadaptasikan" karya berkenaan supaya mampu dibaca, difahami dan dihayati masyarakat di seluruh pelosok dunia. "Saya tidak bermaksud hendak 'membunuh' karya itu. Sebaliknya saya berusaha membantu khalayak umum memahami kehebatan karya dan budaya Indonesia," katanya dengan penuh bersemangat. Betapa baik jika semangat yang sama dapat dikongsi pelbagai pihak (individu dan organisasi) di Malaysia dalam usaha menterjemah karya Bahasa Tamil dan Mandarin ke Bahasa Malaysia; serta karya ketiga-tiga bahasa itu ke Bahasa Inggeris. Saya yakin bahawa semangat "Nandurin Karang Awak" UWRF yang dipetik daripada sebuah gaguritan (puisi tradisional) karya sasterawan terkenal Bali, Ida Pedanda Made Sidemen, boleh turut memberi inspirasi kepada penduduk pelbagai kaum dan agama di Malaysia. Selamat menyambut Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan! Om shanti shanti shanti. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Penulis Indonesia gemar menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan. |
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