Modlingua brings to you the special interview with Professor Bell in 2009 where he shares his views on different topics like motive of a translator, Indian English and the linguistic situation in Malaysia. The interview, apart from being informative also presents the viewers with an alternative view of the multilingual language situation in India.
It was indeed a proud moment for Modlingua when Professor Bell described the presence of our director Mr Ravi Kumar as indispensable in the formation of Indian Translation Association. Being described as ‘unstoppable’ by a man of such intellect speaks itself about the dedication and commitment of Mr. Ravi Kumar who has not only been active internationally but by organizing summer internships also promotes the cause of translation locally.
As a starting point of a debate, Professor Bells thinks that the amount of precision a translator or interpreter should aim for in his work should be the same as that of any doctor or lawyer. Indeed, any professional should make it a responsibility to deliver the task to the best of his abilities. Commenting on the situation of multilingualism in India, where the three language formula has been into existence in school since the 1960s, Professor Bell considers Indian situation to be an extraordinary one but denies something like an Indian instinct for translation. The strategy like the three language formula means that most Indians are either bilingual or speak more than two languages from early on. However, this doesn’t make them translators or language teachers by birth. The art of translation is learned through practice or like Professor Bell puts it is a ‘combination of both nature and nurture’. India certainly has a large pool of potential multilingual to draw from.
English has been around for a long time India and therefore the term Indian English has made its way in Indian life and sociolinguist context. Some scholars argue that this is an established variety with developing standards. Others assert that many socially and geographically varied varieties of English are spoken in India, and these cannot be termed as one variety. Professor Bell very aptly gives the analogy of a European English fulfilling varying needs in this context. He cites an example of one of his students from Italy who wanted to learn English to be able to chat with Scandinavian blondes coming on holiday in summer in Italy. Thus, like in India English acts as a link language in Europe apart from being the language of the youth.
Lastly, having spent a long time in Malaysia, Professor Bell also tells us about the linguistic situation there. As with any other country, even in Malaysia, the dominant linguistic communities of the Malays enjoy greater privileges than the minorities. While the government provides schooling at the primary level in each of the three major languages, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, the languages of other ethnic groups which are represented in smaller number are not given precedence.
This brief interaction with Professor Bell is thus enriching for language lovers, as in a short time they get to know new facts and different viewpoints. I thus encourage the listeners to give this interaction a go.
