Quah Sy Ren first wrote Invisibility in Chinese in 1996 and it was translated into English by Sim Pern Yiau in 2000.
In the translation to English, some meaning from the original Chinese text is inevitably lost, or becomes invisible to English readers.
For example, when A quotes from ancient Chinese text, the English translation is unable to emulate its rhythm and tone, and even loses some information.
Note that the title of the book is not given an English equivalent. Also, perhaps at the expense of grammar, the chanting quality of Zheng’s words does not make the transition across languages.
The same loss can be seen in the translation of Singaporean Chinese as well. The kind of Chinese spoken by Singaporeans in the play is less formal and more slangy, often interspersed with English and Singlish terms. For example:
The English translation is formal and grammatically correct, in sharp contrast to the highly colloquial, patchwork quality of the Chinese source text.
Some meaning is invariably lost when translating from one language to another. But perhaps even more is lost when a language is spoken by fewer and fewer people. In Invisibility, the character ‘A’ appears to have received a formal Chinese education because he often refers to ancient Chinese history and Chinese historical texts. He is also obsessed with becoming invisible.
Faced with the growing power of English, what can a Mandarin-speaking Singaporean do? In Quah Sy Ren’s Invisibility, we watch a well-educated Mandarin speaker answer this question by trying to disappear.
Source: Revealing the invisible: Heterolingualism in three generations of Singaporean playwrights by James St. André
A’s quest to seek out invisibility through the wisdom of an ancient Chinese master has already set him apart from the other characters in the play. The character ‘A’ alludes to how a Chinese speaker can become invisible in an English-dominated landscape.
According to a 2010 census reported that about 1 in 3 Chinese residents speak English most frequently at home – this is a marked increase from the year 1990, when just 1 in 5 Chinese residents spoke English most frequently at home. In comparison, the proportion of Chinese residents who spoke Mandarin most frequently at home remained relatively consistent at around 46% between 2000 and 2010.
The meteoric rise of the English language set off fears of cultural erosion among the Chinese populace. The Speak Mandarin Campaign, originally conceived in the 1980s to encourage the adoption of Mandarin as a common mother tongue over other Chinese dialects, had to reset its sights since the 1990s on younger Chinese Singaporeans who were speaking English far more than Mandarin or any other Chinese dialects.
Values and language cannot be easily separated. They are intrinsically linked to each other. Values get into our minds and hearts through folklore. For the Chinese these stories and beliefs are preserved in their literature or passed on by word of mouth… A Chinese Singaporean who does not know Chinese – either Mandarin or dialect – runs the risk of losing the collective wisdom of the Chinese civilization.
Source: Mr. Goh Chok Tong’s speech at the 1991 Speak Mandarin Campaign launch
However, the real losers of the language arms race in Singapore appears to be the Chinese dialects. The proportion of Chinese residents who speak Chinese dialects most frequently at home has fallen from about 50% in 1990 to less than 20% in 2010. Chinese dialects are certainly becoming an invisible language in Singapore.
What language do you use to communicate with your family, friends, or colleagues?
Published: 21 July 2015