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Macomb Journal
128 N. Lafayette St
Macomb IL 61455
fax= (309) 833 2346
Jen letero al la redaktoro kiu aperis 94.09.18
WHO REALLY NEEDS ESPERANTO TODAY?
Dear Editor:
Who needs Esperanto?
Even after studying that question for over a week, I still cannot think
of a single soul, except for the pedantic elite, who needs to study an
artificial language. It seems the main excuse for the existence of Esperanto
is to be able to write or translate other written material so that other
afficionados of Esperanto can read it.
What good would it do to teach anyone Esperanto as a second language- if
they cannot read and write and understand their native language? It is like
talking baby talk to a baby learning its first words. The poor child does not
know what words to use, and often will have trouble for years trying to talk
and understand properly.
I have one question about the subject. Is it possible to directly
translate an engineer’s handbook- all ten to 20 pounds of it- into Esperanto
and have it mean exactly the same as it does in English? Or German?
This is one of the sticking points of international cooperation and
trade- the descriptive terms used by each country to describe an object. It
is a serious problem now, so serious that it is easier to teach the engineers
to be adept in the particular language necessary than it is to even try to
translate the necessary descriptive phrases into another language.
How does a person try to describe a widget to a person from Arabia?
Africa? How do you translate widget into Esperanto? Widgeto? Wigeto?
Donald K. McCarty, Vermont
…………………………………….
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