Zambry advises against 'direct translation' to avoid lingual mistakes (Updated)

IPOH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has expressed dismay over a notice in English at the entrance of the Perak Tourism Information Centre last week that was error-ridden.
The notice had been put up to inform the public that the centre would be closed on Dec 30 and 31 due to problems associated with the internet and air-conditioners.
He said any notice or announcement should be reviewed and scrutinised to prevent any mistake.
Text in English should not be produced through direct translation from any other language or by using the translation engines available on the internet, he said.
Zambry spoke to reporters after a visit to the newly unearthed World War II underground bunker built by the British military near the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport today.
The mentri besar said the incident should serve as a lesson for all government employees, particularly in the state, so that such a mistake did not recur.
He said though the mistake could be assumed to be minor, it reflected the lack of seriousness in the issuing of an official statement or instruction, and led to ridicule.
He also said that the incident also served as a reminder to everyone, both at the senior or lower level, that in official government matters announcements must be made in Bahasa Malaysia.
Meanwhile, he also said the underground bunker built to protect soldiers from air strikes could be a potential tourist destination.
It is the first British bunker below ground measuring 9x9m and 2.5m in height which could accommodate 30 to 40 people at one time.
Based on initial studies, it was built by a contractor from China for the British forces to take shelter.
"It could be turned into an attraction like Green Ridge in Kampar. The bunker could have been built between 1940 and 1941 by the British forces to take shelter from Japanese air strikes," he said.
Green Ridge is the site of a fierce battle in Kampar during the war.
"The structure is in good condition however I have asked Heritage Department and Malaya Historical Group to conduct further study when the validity and when the bunker was built," he added.