Beep!
Dhrrrr..... Dhrrrrr .....Dhrrrr
The mobile phone put on silent mode started jumping inside the pocket signalling the arrival of a new text message.
Despite being in an important meeting one could not help but check what was the message.
"What would be the Manipuri translation of
1. USER CENTRIC DESIGN;
2. USABILITY and
3. INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE.
Need this info as soon as possible. Please send if you know, thanks in advance".
On the face of it, the message looked innocous. One felt for the younger brother, a techie, who needed to translate those words into Manipuri for his office project.
Having given him the benefit of doubt, for he spent more time solving geometric progressions and calculus and trying to understand why like charges repel, one had assumed that younger brother would not be that strong in literary Manipuri.
So, in the middle of the meeting there began the exercise of searching the Manipuri meaning of those words. There was no RK Shitaljit's Anglo-Manipuri dictionary for help, only the piece between the two ears to bank upon.
USER CENTRIC DESIGN: sijinnabana nungaigadaba mawong...?? is it??
USABILITY: sijinnafam....really?
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE: khanghanbagi sakfam....Am I correct?
A self doubt beagn to appear. All of a sudden, there seemed to be a blank space in that portion of memory which had stored Manipuri language.
A moment of shame, considering how one went through those days of 'Kyamgei leihao leiba lamni', 'Masi policeki huini' and learning that 'Amamba Ahing Houkhre, Nongpok Chingkhei Hullakley ....' by heart.
For someone who had taken pride in explaining those Hijam Nganghal's writings, Kabi Chaoba's poems in class during high school days, the inability to find Manipuri meaning to a few seemingly easy English words was inexplicable.
Yet when reality struck, there was the situation....unable to relpy the SMS.
In a self consolatory mode, one said...perhaps the Manipuri language has not developed or rather evolved as the technological progressions.
Just to do a little bit of ego massaging one asked, what's the Manipuri word for Radio, Television, Computer..... let alone your C++, Unix or Java.
Pengba Aruuba Eshingee , a pseudonym , writes regularly to e-pao.net
You can email the writer at [email protected]
This article was webcasted on 28th September 2006.
|