This is the explaination from Coach Li's (In Chinese) Hi, everybody I wanted to translate this letter from Chinese to English, but I thought I was not the right person to do this. If you guys listen to Coach Li's explaination you will understand more. I believe that the best man to do this job should be the owner of this forum or the person we all respect in this forum if he/she understands Chinese. 不配专业翻译不接受采访 李永波“质疑”国际羽联 虽然小组赛首战中国羽毛球队顺利过关，但总教练李永波的心情并不是很愉快。 比赛当天的晚上，李永波出席中外记者新闻发布会的时候对IBF(国际羽联)的工作人员大放厥词：“我英文不好，当地语言更不懂，让我们怎么沟通啊。” 事情的起因是这样的：此前，李永波总教练跟中国记者约好每次比赛前都要召开一个小型新闻发布会，当然都是中文采访。但有国外记者就拿这个事情说事，质疑李总：“为什么你总是喜欢接受中国记者的采访，对外国记者这么冷漠。”李总对这个事情显得很无奈，因为此次国际羽联给中国队指派的翻译并不是一个专业人士，据记者了解，只是一个当地电台的主持人，记者也曾经与这名翻译接触过，她的中文确实很一般，当年只是在北京大学进修过。 李总确实也是“一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳”。当时李总接受采访时表示：“印尼、马来西亚、中国、丹麦都有希望获得汤杯。当然，作为中国队来讲更有信心。”就是这两句话，翻译却没有把第一句翻给外国记者听，导致了外国记者误会了中国队，形容中国队总教练牛气冲天等等。 李总自然而然不再轻易通过翻译接受外国记者采访了。比赛当天晚上的新闻发布会上，李总就严肃地同IBF(国际羽联)工作人员进行了交涉，要求为中国队配备专业翻译，不然他不会轻易接受非中文的采访。 Thank you!
Some mistakes. Pls read edited version. Here are the comings and goings of the case. Previously, Coach Li had an agreement with the Chinese journalists to hold a small press conference before every tournament. Some foreign journalists then asked Li why he was so enthusiastic about giving interviews to Chinese journalists but not to foreign ones. Coach Li felt that there was little he could do about this matter simply because the interpretor provided him - whom this journalist (ie. the one writing this report) has also spoken to - is merely a local TV compere whose Mandarin is only so-so, having done some studies at Beijing University.
Thanks Adel, did you translate that during the excitement of the TC I'm impressed that yu did not get distracted during the translation
Owwww ****. I edited some mistakes and accidentally deleted my first translation. Can someone else please do it? I'm too tired. And yes Cheung, I actually translated the whole article when my heart was shattering to bits watching live scoring bwt PR and SS.
- Odd I thought the key issue is " My English is no good".Anyway I wont read more as 1) My Hua Yu is half cooked 2) I wouldnt want to create more mis-translations and misundedrstandings 4) I dont believe everything I read 5) I think li Yong Bos trade secrets and Chinese badminton are his own internal family matters which should only be heard by people who think like Chinese so as not to create misunderstanding.
It is the key issue. Like I said, the translation is only half done (I wasn't summarizing the case... tt was the 2nd para)... his English wasn't good enough and the interpreter's Chinese sucked too. Oh btw, as far as I'm concerned 1) My Chinese is pretty good, if I may say so myself 2) I try to be as accurate as possible in my translation, even accounting for the discrepancy in choice of words 3) I don't believe everything I read either but I'm only trying to do a job here 4) Li Yongbo can say or do as he likes - so long as he takes home the Cup, or both cups in this case, he has done his job as a coach. Sorry if I sound retarded but I am drunk and my lungs are saturated with half a pack of fags.
The real sentence that Coach Li said was " No professional Translator, no interview". Hi everyone , From what Coach Li said to the reporters, The reporters translate to " No Chinese, No interview" They just made it up. What Coach Li really said was " no professional Chinese Translator, No Interview" Coach Li already complained about that to IBF.
Wasn't able to read Adel's translation. Thank you for your explanation as it clears things up. Don't get too worked up, never get too serious on whatever you read in the newspapers. China badminton is always in the spotlight whatever the reason.
- What's more the Chinese newpapers in Malaysia carry pages and pages of comments of Li but there is none in the Star or NST? Only snide remarks.
That's the most important part IMO, LYB's done his job as he sees it. He may not be promoting or furthering badminton to the wider world, but I doubt that'd be in his job description. PS I don't think you sound retarded Adel, defensive maybe.
- Then I'll be leaking a lot of valuable information to the rivals.it is a coach 's prerogative to keep secrets close to his chest to outwit rivals.I'm sure all companies or countries competing do that., do companies give away reearch and trade secrets free for promotion?
Sorry, I did not understand your comment - you mentioned that Li's comments were in the Chinese media but none in Star/NST. If they were published in the Chinese media, isn't it already in the public domain? I really did not understand what you meant by secrets!!
li yongbo? hello sorry i am late in giving comments, but i just wanna tell about my personal experience with li yongbo. i am a chinese myself, but i can't speak chinese cos i have been living in indonesia all my life. people say that chinese people are nice to fellow chinese, but not in li yongbo case. i've seen him, i've talked to him (oh let's correct it -- i've tried to talk to him) and yes..i think he's one super arrogant coach. i am sorry if any of you get offended by me saying this, but that's just how i felt during TC/UC maybe it's only my opinion, maybe other journalists think other way but i personally think he's arrogant. he once held a press conference and all the journalists have flocked into the pressroom. but he said the presscon was only for chinese journalists cos he would be speaking in chinese...?? well ok..some malaysian journalists also spoke chinese but they were not allowed in the room either. it was mad, many journalists were angry (including foreign journalists) and lindsay bell (from IBF) had to talk with li yongbo. finally after that..we were allowed to go inside the press conference room. that's one of my bad experience with him
- I think I have a solution how to cure Li of his illness. Get him to stay in Jakarta for 2 years, subject him to the fear, discrimation and intimidation of living in Soth East Asia and make him feel 2nd class. Dont allow him to speak his own language,or practise his own culture and heritage, then he'll slowly get to know how to accomodate other people and bend easily to the will of other aggressive people. Better still convince him to change the mentality of other Chinese, Japanese etc when he returns home so that East Asian people will learn to behave more like South East Asians, be less competitive and be well liked everywhere they go. Maybe he will even scream slogans like " Malaysia Boleh" or " Maju Indonesia" when he returns home!
