M

arch 9, p22

An ongoing project to translate the works of Indonesia'€™s literary masters into English and German has been welcomed by publishers and authors.

'€œThe government, which previously turned a blind eye to literary works, has been left with no option but to pay serious attention to the project,'€ said author Okky Madasari.

Your comments:

The fee for translating into Indonesian is an absolute joke. No wonder the translations are of such poor quality. One can only imagine how the original authors might feel if they knew how little care was taken in presenting their efforts to a foreign market.

Ketoprak

A quality translation center is needed in Indonesia. Not only for writers translating from Indonesian, but also if not mainly for translating into the Indonesian language. In particular this is important for medical reference works that doctors, scientists and students need. While most of them privately do make it a priority to study English for this reason, the Indonesian government should take responsibility for it too. Computer translation programs cannot be relied upon.

Tamu

Not only is a translation center needed, but English within this country really needs to improve, to become globally competitive. The language of Indonesia is of no use outside the country, unless communicating with Indonesians. Indonesia takes a backseat globally, primarily because of its people'€™s inability to communicate in the language that the majority of the world understands and uses to some degree.

Willo

How silly I am! I have been helping students, lecturers and friends for free for over 6 years. No one told me I could make money from translating.

Pante