Malaysians are very gifted when it comes to speaking multiple languages thanks to our multicultural society, but sometimes it can also lead to embarrassing slips of the tongue.
A DAP lawmaker recently came under heavy fire after he made a mistake in translating ‘brain drain’ to ‘longkang otak’ in a written question during a Parliamentary session yesterday (July 3).
Translated ‘brain drain’ to ‘longkang otak’
During question time in the Dewan Rakyat, Sibu MP Oscar Ling posed a written question regarding the government’s efforts to address the issue of brain drain taking place in private higher education options for scholarships under the Public Service Department’s Program Khas Lepasan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Dalam Negara (LSPM).
In doing so however, he made an error in translating ‘brain drain’ to ‘longkang otak’, a phrase which prompted Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa to correct him on.
The translation is too literal. The term used by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) is ‘hijrah cendekiawan‘ [migration of scholars or intellectuals]. ‘Penghijrahan bakat‘ [talent migration] is also used, but that term is not 100% accurate.
In response, Ling explained that the phrase ‘longkang otak’ was commonly used by the public, adding that it was ‘bahasa pasar’ (colloquialism).
However, he acknowledged his slip-up and said that he was referring to brain drain and later used the term ‘kehilangan bakat‘ (loss of talent) while asking a supplementary question, eliciting a chuckle from an MP sitting beside him.
‘Cannot brain this!’
While Ling and Dr Zahila merely laughed the verbal faux pas off, it was no laughing matter for netizens, with one posting a screenshot of Ling’s written question on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: ‘I cannot brain this. In our parliamentary Order Paper today.’
Several others were also triggered by Ling’s translation and slammed him for it.
‘Bro in question is the reason as to why we have a brain drain. Can’t even spend a few seconds to check DBP. Honestly, some people choose to leave because they can’t be bothered to deal with people who can’t even do simple research.’
‘Cannot brain what’s going on in his brain to translate ‘brain drain’ to ‘longkang otak’.
Watch it all unfold from the 47:22 mark:
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