For decades, a persistent complaint we have about the Malay language is that it frequently takes English words and Malay-ify it, thus slowly eroding its identity. I've forgotten many of them but those straight off the top of my head are:
- personification -> personifikasi
- sexy -> seksi
- original -> ori
- globalisation -> globalisasi
Of course, some say that this is happening because as a minor language, Malay has limited vocabulary. But we already have 'asli' to mean original, so what's with the 'ori' translation (which is formally accepted by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, the authority on the language).
However, it seems that we are not the only one. While watching my favourite (and only) Japanese anime "Bleach", many English words were also used like "No comment" and "Spirits are always with you!". So I think it may be more a 'cool factor' thing rather than a lack of proper vocabulary in the native language.
So what are the funniest direct translations that you have heard in any language?
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