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Inspiring Readers on Opposite
Sides of the Globe
By Ruby Bayan
It isn't just the 12-hour difference I have to deal with, sitting in
Florida and writing for both the U.S. and Philippine
markets. Catering to worlds apart, I have to consciously shift
my perspective between American and Asian to effectively relay
my message.
I don't write news, fiction, or poetry -- I write
inspirational articles that touch the hearts of my readers. I tap on
universal truths and timeless wisdom, and the teachings of
philosophers and scholars from all over the world; but for my
encouragement and motivation to hit home, I need to put these
teachings within the context of the lives of my readers. That is
why, to a certain extent, mind- (and heart-) shifting is a
necessity.
I had written two years worth of monthly columns for a
leading advice magazine in the Philippines before I found myself
trying to resell my inspirational articles to the North American
market. In this entirely new arena, I expected editors to have no
special interest in my Filipino-oriented material so I studied not
only the venues' style and format, but more importantly, how
western world writers "speak" to their readers in general.
If I had been an American writing for the Filipino market, I would
have been faced with the same dilemma. Despite the fact that 90% of
Filipinos speak English, only the well-traveled professional (about
5-10% of the population) would grasp that mowing the lawn,
color-coded trashcans, and vaccination schedules for house pets, are
matters of consequence. The foreign writer would instead, need to
inject insinuations on monogamous families, deep fried pig's
knuckles, and bars of laundry soap.
How about humor? Comedians and humor writers will agree that punch
lines are not universal. American humor will fly over many Asian
readers' heads. A few Filipinos will appreciate the National
Lampoon, or Mad, or the political jokes that spice up the U.S.
media, but the majority would rather spend their entertainment pesos
on a discourse about local gags and sitcom celebrities.
American idioms -- not only will they be Greek, many Asian markets
will say they're "for the birds." It's difficult enough for those
whose English is a second language to understand that "wise guy"
doesn't exactly mean "wise man." Imagine an Asian's reaction to this
"inspirational" advice: "Don't hold your horses when you go to bat
for your friend. You may sometimes have to bend over backwards, pay
through the nose, or even get the ax, but in the long run, your
enduring friendship will make you feel like a million bucks and
you'll have the world by the tail." Extreme, yes, but will the
average Filipino readily understand what a "rain check" is?
Euphemisms are another consideration. The politically correct
"mentally challenged" and "previously-owned" terms are
still "retarded" and "used" in the Filipino vocabulary. Then there
are the local deviations and jargon that gradually evolved
from common English expressions. For example, Filipinos say,
"take home" instead of "to go," and tease with "Joke only!"
rather than "Just kidding!" Inspirational writers would prefer to
be more universal and politically correct, but on the whole,
words are more acceptable and effective when the reader can
comfortably relate.
Writing inspiration for different hemispheres, I have had to dwell
not only on the intricacies of communication, but also on underlying
nuances of regional cultures and ways of life. Each time a new
article is called for, I've had to wear the appropriate hat and
remember the extreme differences in priorities between readers
living in a world power society and those living in a third world
country.
I bear in mind that Filipinos are on the other side of the planet,
that they don't celebrate Thanksgiving nor St. Patrick's Day, and
that to them, White Christmas is just a song. I remember that
Americans, on the other hand, spend a fortune on pets and carpet
cleaning, are heavily penalized for drunken driving, and can divorce
and remarry as often as they can afford to.
Writing inspiration and motivation for readers living in
separate worlds will continue to be a challenge for me. For the most
part, I will have to keep two hearts beating in order to stay in
tune with the trends and matters of consequence of both worlds.
It's the only way I can "write from the heart" and remain effective
in touching lives and making a difference.
About the Author
Ruby Bayan is Suite101.com's Contributing Editor for
Inspiration/ Motivation
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/inspiration_motivation
Her freelance writing resources and article archives are at her
homepage
www.OurSimpleJoys.com
Copyright © 2002 Ruby Bayan
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