Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published in “Reading EN”

Mixing Languages

Borrowing words is not a sign of any linguistic defect. It is natural response to the need to express new concepts. Rather than weakening a language, borrowing actually strengthens it.

Health Insurance: Asuransi Kesehatan

Insurance terms in Indonesian language can be confusing. Health means kesehatan, the noun form for sehat (being healthy). Insurance can be translated into jaminan or…

‘Bapak’ with the Capital ‘B’?

You should note that when the kinship term bapak (a father) used as second person pronouns (i.e. meaning “you”), Bapak is written with the initial capital B. But…

Pancasila

The shield’s five emblems in the Indonesia’s coat of arms Garuda Pancasila represent Pancasila. Italso spelled Pantjasila, English Five Principles, the  Indonesian  state  philosophy, was formulated by the Indonesian…

Islam and Democracy in Indonesia

Round Table Conference Indonesia Nederland Society The Hague, Senate Building, 25 June 2014 When I was contemplating which thoughts I would like to share with…

The Invention of ‘Lingua Franca’

Language and Indonesian Nationalist Movement by Abdul ‘dubbun’ Hakim, Director of Center for Islam and State Studies Indonesia In the colonial period, Indonesian founding fathers faced…

Indonesia, The Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, was formed as a colony of the Netherlands in 1800 when the country nationalized the Dutch East…

Translating Indonesia

I still remember very vividly the moment I became hooked on the study of Indonesia and on the mystery of translation between Indonesian and English.…

Language is a Business Tool

Corporate and public organisations now operate on a global scale. Whether dealing with an overseas client, colleague or supplier, or exploring a new business partnership.…

Bale-bale – Traditional Seat

Bale-bale, this is the traditional type of seat which is still in demand in modern society in Indonesia. In General Dictionary of Indonesian Language, Bale-bale…

Gemes

This word is difficult to find in the dictionaries because the “proper” form is actually “gemas”. Gemes is the Jakartanese pronunciation. The word describes the…

error: Content is protected !!