On July 6, Public Television Service’s (PTS) Hoklo-language (also known as Taiwanese) channel started broadcasting from Keelung. Not only was the opening ceremony well-attended, but more than 200,000 people watched the broadcast online. This glorious start marks a new era for Hoklo broadcasts.
In this new broadcasting era, Hoklo-language news is undoubtedly one focus of attention. Aside from PTS’ four Hoklo news broadcasts per day, other TV stations such as Chinese Television System (CTS), Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) and Formosa TV (FTV) also air news programs in Hoklo at regular hours to meet public demand.
That Taiwanese now can watch news in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and Aboriginal languages is a concrete manifestation of the government’s and civil society’s focus on language and cultural equality.
While I am happy to encourage members of the public to watch these news reports, I often hear friends and older people say that they do not understand some of the content.
This problem does not apply only to Hoklo news programs. Hoklo-language audio information in many government departments and museums are also frequently incomprehensible without the accompanying written text. If this situation persists, it would very likely have a negative impact on the number of people watching these broadcasts.
Following are two preliminary ideas on how to handle this issue:
First, a script written in Mandarin cannot be read directly in Taiwanese. This is one of the most common problems with Hoklo-language news broadcasts.
Here are some examples from recent news broadcasts: If Mandarin phrases such as “as much as (several hundred million)” (高達 [數十億]), “will nominate (legislative candidates)” (將提出[立委人選]), “an accident (caused by drunk driving)” ([酒後開車]肇事), and “assign blame” (究責) are read directly in Taiwanese, they will very likely be incomprehensible to the average Hoklo speaker.
Second, the speed with which the text is read must be adjusted.
When reading Chinese words that can be directly understood in Taiwanese, but which might be unfamiliar to some listeners, such as semiconductor (半導體), accumulated precipitation (累積雨量) and motherboard (主機板), they should be read more slowly with clear enunciation. This would be very beneficial to listening comprehension.
If these two points are addressed, comprehension is likely to increase greatly among people who listen to Hoklo-language news.
The next step should be to address Hoklo grammar issues and the TV hosts’ pronunciation. Among the current Hoklo-language broadcasts, the most easily understood is probably the 3pm Afternoon News broadcast on PTS.
Ho Hsin-han is an associate professor at National Taichung University of Education’s Taiwanese Languages and Literature Department.
Translated by Perry Svensson
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing