Incompetent Romanization is one element in a vicious circle which leads to ignorance and misunderstanding between foreigners and Taiwanese people. I am appalled that a newspaper of any sort, much less a newspaper of your caliber, would not only avoid its duty in sweeping away misunderstandings, but actually go so far as to prop up the very causes of the vicious circle.
Incorrect Romanization results in foreigners being unable to pronounce Taiwanese names with any consistency. This in turn leads to both foreigners and Taiwanese people thinking that foreigners are unable to pronounce Chinese (in any of its varieties) correctly. This leads both sides to think that there is some sort of insurmountable gulf between the "West" and "China," when in fact none need exist. Every time I see a Taiwanese person laugh at a foreigner's incorrect pronunciation of Mandarin, or a foreigner resign themselves to being unable to learn any sort of Chinese, it makes me more sure that Romanization is part of the problem.
If both Taiwanese and foreigners would learn to correctly spell Mandarin and other Chinese names using the Latin script, foreigners would be able to pronounce words with only minimal training. However, as it stands, the state of Romanization in Taiwan is atrocious, and continues to contribute to misunderstandings, gaffes and even behind-the-back sniping.
This is all a given for Taiwan at the present, I suppose. However, the thing which boggles the mind is that a newspaper -- which should supposedly be a defender of truth in the face of popular misconception -- would actually go so far as to defend as "respectful" a process which results so clearly in so much falsehood. How can you do this with a clear conscience?
Yes, the incorrect Romanizations are these people's "legal" names. So what? If Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) decided to change the name in his passport to read "God-king of Taiwan and all English newspapers," would you respect this wish, too? Or, more to the point, what if he decided to change his name to "Lie Dung-hooey?" Would you respect that sort of thing? Or would you see it as your duty to correct this misconception?
Incorrect spelling of names in the United States is, further, no defense. The immigration officials who used such inaccurate spellings long ago should not be defended. If possible, we should try to determine what the original names were and change the spelling to reflect that. Or, if you're going to say that it's okay to change the spellings of names to make them somehow "easier" to digest, why not go all the way? I vote that Li Denghui's (sic) name should henceforth be "Harry McGillicuddy."
The Romanization of a name is not the name itself; it is only a way to represent the name in written form. You are not changing the names when you spell them correctly; you are in fact making the truth easier to access for those who are unable to read the Chinese characters. Characters which, by the way, you continue to exclude at random intervals, making the whole process rather slipshod.
In sum, let me ask that you please make your paper the model of correctness and truth that it promises to be. You can make a great step towards doing so by always treating the gap between Chinese and English carefully and accurately. If you do so, your newspaper will have the honorable position of having brought Taiwanese people and Westerners one step closer to mutual understanding.
Josh Kronick
Taipei
Paitents must come first
One of the most common problems today regarding medicine and health care is the focus on money and profit. In your article about not reporting taxes from free samples given to doctors ("MOF requests doctors to come clean on perks," Jan. 6, Page 2), the Ministry of Finance appears to have as their focus the regulation of money and ensuring that they get a piece of the financial pie from promotional handouts from pharmaceutical companies.
So often overlooked is that health care is about caring for patients. The partnership between health care providers (ie, doctors, hospitals, home health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, etc.) is essential in assuring that the very best and latest technology and medications are utilized in caring for the patient. With the rapid advance in both technology and pharmaceutical therapies it is impossible for physicians to stay current on all of the latest developments in these areas. The pharmaceutical companies play a fundamental role in not only informing physicians, but also in making these new treatment protocols available.
It is fortunate that there are sufficient resources in place at the pharmaceutical companies not only for research and development but to provide information and samples to health care providers who may not be current on the multitude of new drugs available to their patients. While there will always be isolated cases of abuse, it is infrequent that a physician would place the relationship between themselves and the pharmaceutical company above that of the physician/patient relationship.
In the United States, free samples to physicians are passed on to the patients at no cost. Free medication to health care providers is not new and competition amongst drug companies has never been greater. Drug companies can no longer rely on health care providers alone to support their products and have now resorted to advertising on TV to the general public. The one factor often ignored is that doctors do not make a living from free samples or discounted pharmaceuticals ... the true profit comes from treating patients well. Investigations from agencies such as the finance ministry only dilute the ability of health care providers to really concentrate on the simple task of treating sick patients.
Susan Wolfe
Phoenix, Arizona
Schools are not businesses
Regarding the article on tuition ("Ministry sets stage for flexible tuition" Jan 5, Page 4), it seems that the Ministry of Education is quickly preparing to "liberalize" the university system here. This means that it will become more like a business and delivered over to market forces.
I watched this process happen in the '90s in America. Tuition will certainly go up substantially, as the article notes. Students will increasingly turn to part-time jobs in order to pay for their education, losing sleep and sacrificing their studies in the bargain.
Moreover, students will become more like consumers and the university administration will look for ways to increase efficiency while pleasing the "paying customers." This is referred to as "total quality management.
Meanwhile, in this business, the workers -- that is, the teachers -- will be treated more like ... well, workers. Moves will be made to further minimize the employer's labor costs in order to increase efficiency on the bottom line.
Temporary and part-time faculty will eventually increase, while the more expensive faculty will be "downsized." In America, this process has created a great deal of stress for faculties, and at some places they have formed organizations -- sometimes unions -- in order to protect their interests. So far, however, they have not had much success.
Erick Heroux
National Chengchi University
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