Letters to the Editor
View(s):A ludicrous English translation at public park patronised mainly by the ‘physically unfit’!
A notice board has been erected last week at the main entrance to the Wetland Park, Nugegoda popularly known as Weli Park prohibiting physically unfit members of the public from patronising the park to the amusement of park visitors, who are by and large physically unfit septuagenarians, octogenarians and nonagenarians in the last lap of their life.
The writer firmly believes that this error has occurred in translating the Sinhala message into the English language giving a totally different message to the public including foreigners. The English message “Vehicle entrance is only for the people who are physically fit” is diametrically opposite to the Sinhala version of the message “Parking of vehicles is only for the public who come for physical exercises”. The translation is chalk and cheese or yoghurt to polsambol in the local context.
Those who can read Sinhala could understand the meaning of the message wherein it says that the general public who come for physical exercise (walking, brisk walking, jogging, running etc,) and also, relaxing, socializing, bird watching, photography, yoga, meditation, etc are allowed to bring their vehicles inside to the car park.
But the gobbledygook translation by the panjandrums of the Low-Lying Reclamation Board and the Urban Development Authority have committed a ludicrous blunder by giving a totally different message to the general public in the English version. There must be errors in thousands of signs. Authorities need to ensure not to hurt our Tamil and Burgher brethren’s minds by poorly worded translations. If we go by the English version, even the President who I believe is a septuagenarian, the architect of the park and a couple of senior Ministers who patronise the park for physical exercises cannot enter the park. What a ridiculous translation.
It is equally true that the genuine users of the park are greatly inconvenienced as the parking slots are used by the customers, employees and shop owners of the ceramic and mercantile and hardware establishments in this locality from morning to evening at their own will, seemingly with the tacit consent of the supervisory personnel of the park.
Over to you, Chairmen of the Low-Lying Reclamation Board and Urban Development Authority.
A.Ranasinghe
Daily visitor (septuagenarian) to the Park
Public toilets more important than international grounds and highrise buildings
One of the Presidential Election promises before the Yahapalanaya Government came to power was to provide ‘tablets’ to all students in Sri Lanka. All less affluent students waited in anticipation but the promise was not fulfilled as there were protests from the then Opposition that the tablets would not help students in their studies and that they would get educated in other areas.
The previous government instead of carrying out activities to resolve the urgent needs of people exhausted billions of rupees on less significant matters. One priority however that the then President drew attention to is the lack of public toilets. Then President Maithripala Sirisena publicly stated that there are many schools without toilets.
A National Water Supply and Drainage Board survey revealed a few years ago that about 1,300 primary and secondary schools did not have proper sanitary facilities. This figure would be much higher now. Two civil society outfits have disclosed that there are schools where students are discouraged from drinking water for want of toilets and this has rendered these hapless children prone to renal complications.
It is also reported that absenteeism is widespread among girls in certain schools during menstruation for lack of proper toilet facilities. This is an indictment on the two main parties which have ruled the country for decades. Functional, hygienic, acceptable toilets have never been on the minds of the politicians because they perhaps do not believe in a ceremonial opening of toilets. What schoolchildren go through is wretched times while in school.
Although tourism is constantly promoted by all governments, there are no clean toilets, for that matter any toilets along roads and towns, apart from those in wayside small hotels which are not at all hygienic. Hence one has to hold on for hours to answer a call of nature. This is appalling indeed.
In complete contrast, as a Sri Lankan fortunate enough to live in Australia, I wish to state that there are more than 14,000 public and private hygienic toilet facilities across the country. This is shown in a national public toilet map prepared by the state. Useful information is provided about each toilet, location, opening hours, availability of baby changing rooms, accessibility for disabled persons and also about parking facilities.
Let alone tourists, Sri Lankans who travel long distances by bus are subjected to stress and anxiety when they need to answer a call of nature. It is time our politicians realise that public toilets are more significant than building international playgrounds, high rise buildings or even airports. The cost too is relatively meagre.
Sunil Thenabadu Brisbane