Do'a for the Departed ~ Free Graphic by www.readnwrite.net

I dedicate this Doa for the Departed graphic for free usage and distribution by Muslims worldwide as a gift from me to everyone.

This Do'a @ Prayer is an authenticated prayer from our Blessed Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam and is an authentic Hadith relayed by Muslim.

May Allah bless and guide us all. Ameen.

Reasons why English is not being mastered by Malaysians!

When I started my primary schooling at Jelutong English School [2] in Georgetown, Penang Island back in 1965, the schooling system here in Malaysia was still in a sense having that Colonial British atmosphere to it. 

Although Malaysia was then just 2 years old coming to be formed officially on the 16th of September, 1963, there was no rush to replace the British education system based on the English Language which was prevalent at those times with Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia as it was later called as. 

I studied with my fellow Malaysians from all ethnicities and faiths here back then under a generally accepted English medium primary school. We were taught in English and Malay and were also allowed to learn and master other languages such as Mandarin, Tamil or Arabic as additional subjects.

My attempt at learning Tamil as an additional subject evaporated into thin air when the large sized Tamil teacher slammed her large wooden blackboard ruler very hard and loudly onto the surface of the teacher's table upon entering the noisy class!

I dashed off with my bag and books shocked and surprised at such an alarming entrance by that humongous teacher! Scared to bits of that giant sized Tamil teacher, I vowed to never enter her Tamil class again!

I kept to my vow right up to the 6th year when I entered secondary school! No way was I that brave to rejoin her Tamil class! No sirree!

As a result, I can't read or write in the Tamil language but I have mastered English & Malay to such an extent that I scored 'Almost Native Speaker' level of English when I took the British Council's English Assessment Test. I scored Band 8 which was almost the Native Speaker of English level.

I can't assume that everyone would have a natural inclination or ability to master English the way that I did but can only guess that it must have to do with each individual's internal desire and aspirations.

I knew my situation. That I was a poor boy born to parents who were not educated due to their own circumstances back then where education was only the privilege of wealthier people.

Thus I had to educate myself in any way that was possible for me back in the 1960's. If you watch the old black & white films of the late P.Ramlee you would have an idea of the poverty of the leading character which he featured in films like 'Anak ku Sazali' and others.

If you look at the way some people here in Malaysia speak English, it would sound funny. The person concerned would often have a special accent according to his or her ethnicity and their spoken English would sound Malay if the speaker was one. Chinese, Indian or whatever accordingly.

Why is that so? Well, I can only deduce that while they intend to speak English as they want to, their brain isn't thinking in English as well.

So we get all these funny sounding English interspersed with a twinge of the mother tongue of the speaker. Let me see if I can find on You Tube clips like that?

Well, this sharing by an expatriate English teacher has her audience laughing hysterically with her delivery!

A taste of the local Malaysians speaking in 'English'! Enjoy! :D

Now, sit back, loosen your belt and watch a local Malaysian Deputy Public Prosecutor make a fool of himself by speaking in his Malay version of English! This was the 'Teoh Beng Hock' death inquest.

Your honor, I rest my case. :P

Hell Scrub anyone?

I came across this 'beauty of a typo error in a banner in front of a shoplot advertising wellness services at the Berjaya Times Square, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur recently.

Imagine the horror of getting a 'Hell Scrub'? Hehehehe..quite painful, I must say! 

Such a sign will scare any potential customers away from submitting to such a brutal scrub! :P

Just one small error but what an impact!

Typo Trouble ~ What a missing alphabet can do? Lots of damage!

The internet was abuzz about the typographical error in the current US President Donald J.Trump's official portrait published.

Seems that for a land where English is the main and national language, there still exists a situation like this where proofreaders seem not to have been engaged to ensure that there is no screw up like this!

Don't tell me that the world's 'richest nation or so they say can't afford to pay for a proof reader's service?

Jokes aside on my personal account, I recently had a client send me his assignment to translate his manual on SOP for his customer. I came across a word which was supposed to read 'count' but with a missing 'o'! 

Imagine the brouhaha it would have caused his client if they were going through each word during his initial presentation of the prepared draft of the SOP for a manufacturing factory! :P

Then there was a word which was supposed to be 'assessment' but with the missing 'ment'! Surely made my day laughing out loud as I went through his documents :D

To all those who are serious in their chosen work, professional efforts or in the academic field, do engage my service or those like me in order to avoid such embarrassments! It surely will not cost you a hand or a foot but will suffice to tell your client that they are dealing with someone who knows his or her stuff.

Do email me at editor.readnwrite.net@gmail.com or at mahaguru58@gmail.com. Call / WhatsApp me at +60163969881.

I will strive to fulfill your needs as best as I can. So far I have had many satisfied clients from all walks of life. Alhamdulillah!

Subtitles Screwups! Cheapskate TV Stations.

Have you ever laughed out loud upon reading the ridiculous and sometimes outrageous subtitles that are shown on our various television channels?

The culprits are often the incompetent media content companies engaged by the cheapskate television stations here in Malaysia. I wonder who are the fellows responsible for engaging these incompetent subtitlers in the first place?

Surely not those who are well versed in English and Bahasa Melayu. Hence you get subtitles like the following:

Hahahahahaha! Saya Peter Tempat Letak Kereta! Hehehehehe! Hihihihihi, my funny bones are going click clickety clack! Spiderman would be so furious being identified as a car parking lot! :P

The following subtitling screwup is so outrageous and explicit!

" kau kena racun bunga Chi***? Hahahahahaha! Honest! I do not know of any such flower being so named! Any of you who knows this particular flower, please be so kind as to update me about it! :D

Another spectacular subtitling boo boo follows below:

My name is Noah is spelled 'No Ah'and the spectacular subtitle translation in Malay comes forth as ' Nama saya Tidak Ah!' Hehehehehehe... so funny!