More on Inuktitut and war, a CBC article!
I got this from CBC North: http://north.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=mar21nun-iraq03212003
"FINDING THE WORDS FOR WAR
Around the world, people are being bombarded by information
about
the war. However, for the thousands of Inuit who don't
speak
English, the images beamed to them by satellite from the
Persian
Gulf can be confusing and disturbing. For journalists
working in
Nunavut, getting the words of war right is a demanding and
complicated job.
FULL STORY
http://north.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=mar21nun-
iraq03212003
CBC Radio is the prime source of news for most Inuktitut
speakers
in the territory. For the staff of the bilingual station,
work on reporting
the war to their Inuit listeners started long before the
hostilities broke
out. In a land of snow and tundra, where living by hunting
or fishing
is still common for many, there are no words for "mass
destruction"
or "Scud missile". It's the unenviable job of CBC staff
like Jeannie
Arreak to bring modern words of hate and death into her
language's
lexicon.
But Arreak shrugs off the thought, saying it is more
important to get
the story out.
"It is hard work, and it's not really our job, but we are
just tyring to
meet our operational needs," she says. New words, or ways
of
describing concepts, are worked out by the staff weeks in
advance.
Arreak says it's important that the on-air hosts use the
same terms
for the same concepts, and the terms are as accurate as
possible, to
avoid confusion and alarm.
But it's not easy. There is no dictionary to use as a
guide, and little
precedent in the experience of the people to draw from.
Concept-
phrases or words are achieved by common sense and consensus
around the story meeting table.
While words like "troops" ("an armed force on the land", in
Inuktitut)
or "air attack" ("dropping bombs and missiles from a
plane") are
reasonably straightforward, some concepts are more
difficult to
shoehorn into an ancient language tied to the land.
"Biological
warfare" becomes "a weapon to destroy your physical
anatomy".
"Collateral damage" becomes "loss of life and other items
of value"-
or at least, something close to that. You can't literally
translate
Inuktitut translations of English words. But the effort is
well worth it,
say CBC staff. Joanna Awa, host of the morning show in
Nunavut,
says people like her father deserve to understand and be
able to join
in the debate about the war. "Just because he doesn't speak
English
doesn't mean that he can't be kept informed," she says.
"He's got
every right to know what's going on in this world as any
other
Canadian." One of the hardest jobs in the Iqaluit newsroom
these
days belongs to Annie Ford, who has to quickly and
accurately
translate endless English scripts from around the world.
She does
daily updates on the Eastern Arctic's afternoon show
Tausinni.
"There are people out there who think this is the Third
World War.
It's important that we get the facts out there as much as
possible,"
she says. Arreak agrees, saying they are especially careful
not to
alarm the elders in their audience, who fear the war could
come to
North America. One specific word-phrase is banned from use
in the
station, one that would give the meaning that it is indeed
a third
world war. "We have to specify that it is the United States
and
England attacking Saddam Hussein," says Arreak. Arreak says
she
hasn't heard much reaction to the way they've had to fit
Inuktitut into
a modern-day war. But their words are heard. On the streets
of
Iqaluit and all over the Eastern Arctic, Inuit are
listening closely to the
events transpiring a world away, and joining the
international chorus
of concern, with protests and demonstrations against the
attack.
Nunavut may be a far from the conflict, but concern still
hits close to
home.
Words of War
Weapons of mass destruction:
suraktirirjuarutiit qaaqtajuut
(bombs that create mass destruction)
missiles:
qaaqtajuut
(bombs)
Scud missiles:
qaaqtajuut qarasaujaqtigut imminik qangatajunnaqtut
(bombs computerized to hit a specific target)
cruise missiles
(computerized bomb that cruises to hit a target)
air attack:
qangatasuukut katagaijut
(dropping bombs from an airplane"
C-ko
"FINDING THE WORDS FOR WAR
Around the world, people are being bombarded by information
about
the war. However, for the thousands of Inuit who don't
speak
English, the images beamed to them by satellite from the
Persian
Gulf can be confusing and disturbing. For journalists
working in
Nunavut, getting the words of war right is a demanding and
complicated job.
FULL STORY
http://north.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=mar21nun-
iraq03212003
CBC Radio is the prime source of news for most Inuktitut
speakers
in the territory. For the staff of the bilingual station,
work on reporting
the war to their Inuit listeners started long before the
hostilities broke
out. In a land of snow and tundra, where living by hunting
or fishing
is still common for many, there are no words for "mass
destruction"
or "Scud missile". It's the unenviable job of CBC staff
like Jeannie
Arreak to bring modern words of hate and death into her
language's
lexicon.
But Arreak shrugs off the thought, saying it is more
important to get
the story out.
"It is hard work, and it's not really our job, but we are
just tyring to
meet our operational needs," she says. New words, or ways
of
describing concepts, are worked out by the staff weeks in
advance.
Arreak says it's important that the on-air hosts use the
same terms
for the same concepts, and the terms are as accurate as
possible, to
avoid confusion and alarm.
But it's not easy. There is no dictionary to use as a
guide, and little
precedent in the experience of the people to draw from.
Concept-
phrases or words are achieved by common sense and consensus
around the story meeting table.
While words like "troops" ("an armed force on the land", in
Inuktitut)
or "air attack" ("dropping bombs and missiles from a
plane") are
reasonably straightforward, some concepts are more
difficult to
shoehorn into an ancient language tied to the land.
"Biological
warfare" becomes "a weapon to destroy your physical
anatomy".
"Collateral damage" becomes "loss of life and other items
of value"-
or at least, something close to that. You can't literally
translate
Inuktitut translations of English words. But the effort is
well worth it,
say CBC staff. Joanna Awa, host of the morning show in
Nunavut,
says people like her father deserve to understand and be
able to join
in the debate about the war. "Just because he doesn't speak
English
doesn't mean that he can't be kept informed," she says.
"He's got
every right to know what's going on in this world as any
other
Canadian." One of the hardest jobs in the Iqaluit newsroom
these
days belongs to Annie Ford, who has to quickly and
accurately
translate endless English scripts from around the world.
She does
daily updates on the Eastern Arctic's afternoon show
Tausinni.
"There are people out there who think this is the Third
World War.
It's important that we get the facts out there as much as
possible,"
she says. Arreak agrees, saying they are especially careful
not to
alarm the elders in their audience, who fear the war could
come to
North America. One specific word-phrase is banned from use
in the
station, one that would give the meaning that it is indeed
a third
world war. "We have to specify that it is the United States
and
England attacking Saddam Hussein," says Arreak. Arreak says
she
hasn't heard much reaction to the way they've had to fit
Inuktitut into
a modern-day war. But their words are heard. On the streets
of
Iqaluit and all over the Eastern Arctic, Inuit are
listening closely to the
events transpiring a world away, and joining the
international chorus
of concern, with protests and demonstrations against the
attack.
Nunavut may be a far from the conflict, but concern still
hits close to
home.
Words of War
Weapons of mass destruction:
suraktirirjuarutiit qaaqtajuut
(bombs that create mass destruction)
missiles:
qaaqtajuut
(bombs)
Scud missiles:
qaaqtajuut qarasaujaqtigut imminik qangatajunnaqtut
(bombs computerized to hit a specific target)
cruise missiles
(computerized bomb that cruises to hit a target)
air attack:
qangatasuukut katagaijut
(dropping bombs from an airplane"
C-ko