The Booming Counterfeit Industry

            A recent trend has been emerging in economic data: the Indian counterfeit market is booming. The industry is so promising that even foreign manufacturers are cashing in. Chinese companies are increasingly “faking” popular consumer goods and causing a net loss of $5 billion each year. Most of these products are made with a “Made-in-India” tag and supplied the emerging economies of India and African countries.

            "China is a big problem everybody is facing," said S.K. Goel, chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, told IANS. Goel said the big international brands like Nokia, Adidas, Reebok and Nivea were also widely counterfeited in China and supplied in India and other parts of the world. K.K. Vyas, Delhi’s deputy commissioner of police, said that police have already seized and confiscated many counterfeit products in the nation’s capital already.

            Vyas stresses the need for increased government involvement in the punishment of manufacturers and importers. "Punishment needs to be enhanced. Also there is need that judiciary addresses these issues quickly.” “Counterfeiting is a big menace. It is hurting everybody - consumers, industry and the exchequer," said Anil Rajput, chairman of the anti-smuggling and anti-counterfeiting committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

There is no denying that the black money market in India is rampant. India currently tops the list for illegal money suppliers in the entire world, estimated to be almost US $1.5 trillion stored in the form of unaccounted money. According to data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Association, India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. Indian Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the countries national debt, and if this black money is seized and brought back to the country, India has the potential to become one of the richest countries in the world.

-Drew M.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Made-in-India-faked-in-China-5bn-loss/articleshow/11325880.cms

Children's Day

May brings the reminder that in Japan, as in the United States, one of a nation's greatest assets is her children. May 5 is "Children's Day" in Japan, the day to stress the importance of respecting the character of children and promoting their health and happiness. It is also the day for children to express their gratitude for the tender love and care they receive from their parents.
                     
On this day Japanese families celebrate Tango-no-Sekku, the Boys' Festival. With its special customs and observances, it is Japan's way of celebrating the healthy growth and maturation of boys to men. If one travels through Japan from the latter half of April to early May, one sees nearly everywhere huge, gay-colored Koi-Nobori, carp-like streamers made of paper or cloth, which fill with wind and seem to swim in the air. Together with long red and white ribbons, the carp are hoisted on a bamboo pole, mounted by a pair of gilded pinwheels, high above the rooftops.
                     
A carp is flown for each son in the family, a very large one for the eldest, the others ranging down in size. The carp has become the symbol of the Boys' Festival because the Japanese consider it the most spirited of fish, so full of energy and power that it can fight its way up swift-running streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. The carp is an appropriate symbol to encourage manliness and the overcoming of life's difficulties leading to consequent success.

The carp has become the symbol of the Boys' Festival because the Japanese consider it the most spirited of fish, so full of energy and power that it can fight its way up swift-running streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. The carp is an appropriate symbol to encourage manliness and the overcoming of life's difficulties leading to consequent success.

One legend traces the origin of the Boys' Festival to Tokimune Hojo's victory over them invading Mongols on May 5, 1282. As a result, Samurai families erected the flags and streamers in celebration of the victory. Others believe that the unification of the country by the Ashikaga Shogun in the 14th century had been celebrated in this fashion on every May 5 until the interior decorations came to be emphasized.

-Drew

http://asianlifestyledesign.com/2011/05/04/celebrating-japan%E2%80%99s-children%E2%80%99s-day/

Delhi Ready for Mega Cultural Complex

The Indian capital of New Delhi is set to get a world-class multicultural complex of its own. The center is envisioned to be a vibrant hub of well-respected international performances and cultural integration. Delhi’s infrastructure has been the envy of others. But in one respect the capital has lacked what cities like Mumbai already have – a grand space for theatre and other performing arts. That will soon change, with Delhi set to get a world-class cultural multiplex of its own.

   The idea of a cultural complex arose because Delhi does not have the fine arts facilities that other national capitals do. These centers of art and performance function as a diplomatic tool of sorts; serving to impress foreign dignitaries and tourists. The capital is set to get a world-class cultural multiplex of its own. “The centre will be developed into a vibrant hub for world-class cultural performances,” an official said. 

The government is working on a proposal for setting up a National Centre of Performing Arts in the capital. The Rs 300-crore complex will have auditoria and performance spaces of varying sizes, where world-class theatre and performing arts productions can be staged. The plan to build the community center is charted out in the Planning Commission’s 12^th five-year plan and is expected to be implemented in four phases.

-Drew

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-set-to-get-mega-cultural-multiplex/articleshow/12656750.cms

April Fools Day: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

The current festivities differ from the Bible story that bore the legend- the date marks the death of all the children under the age of two in Bethlehem; a death which was ordered by King Herod in order to kill the newborn Jesus of Nazareth. In Latin America and Spain it is celebrated on December 28. In most Anglo-Saxon and Asian influenced societies it is celebrated on April 1.

A dilemma could arise if we are translating something, from Spanish to English for example, as to where the date should be put. Where should the date be put? That of the source language or the target language?

Generally, whether it is on one date or the other, the type of celebration is similar, since the way of celebrating is to make all kinds of jokes. The media often distorts its content so that the information looks real. It is customary for newspapers to publish funny news pages, which may vary from the comically obvious to serious fake news.

In New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa, the jokes only last until midday, and anyone who forgets and makes a joke after midday receives the nickname “April Fool.”

In other countries, jokes run throughout the day, for example in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Canada and the United States.

For Spanish speaking countries, the day is called “El Día de los Santos Inocentes” and is celebrated on December 28.

In Spain you can have a coffee and be surprised by its extremely salty taste… because the sugar bowl was filled with salt. Or someone may change the time on all the clocks in the house, and so you might get up two hours later or earlier than you think!

In Mexico, this date has also become a festive tradition. You must remember not to give anything borrowed: money, jewelry, books… because the joke is that the person who falls for the joke, loses the item to the person who made the joke.

In Peru it has a pagan meaning. One of the most popular jokes is “mazas”, that are usually paper dolls that are pinned to someone’s back so that they are the target of mockery. It is also customary for the media to publish false and implausible news that the readers have to discover. The next day, the media reveals which of the news was wrong.

As we have seen in previous articles, many times the cultural factor outweighs the purely linguistic. It is not enough to know a language to be able to interpret it and transmit it effectively. Translating and interpreting from one language to another involves an even greater knowledge – a capacity for communication that surpasses words and cultural barriers.

-Drew

 http://www.dragonanswers.com/where-does-april-fools-day-come-from/

Mexico: Challenged with Change

            The strategy behind the re-branding of a company is to improve the PR and increase the marketability of a product. Such is the case with the government of Mexico. Officials are trying to re-brand its drug-tarnished image in order to improve economic and social conditions in the country.

            Simon Anholt is an expert on the re-branding of countries. "Mexico has been trying for nearly 300 years to emerge in some way in the mighty shadow of the United States, and partly as a result of that it has simply never bothered to present itself to the rest of the world." Much of his findings are based off the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index. The report also ranked Mexico 31^st out of 50 countries according to public perception. The U.S. is ranked number one. Mexico scored highest among other countries in Latin America. However, its US neighbor ranked it 42^nd, near the bottom. This poses as a serious problem for the Mexican economy, which is largely dependent of American tourists. At the moment, Mexican government officials may have bitten off more than they can chew. The country’s economy is strained by the increased international demand for gun and drug trafficking. Mr. Anholt argues that positive PR can be beneficial to the tourism industry, but it won’t change the country’s image. "If you are talking about the overall reputation of the country, that's not subject to marketing because it is not a product for sale. There is no point in standing around moaning about Mexico's image when hundreds, thousands of people are being killed each year.”

Mexican President Calderon has cited the US as an increasingly negative role in Mexico’s current problems. He said the problem of drug trafficking stems from the fact that the US is the single largest consumer of drugs in the world. Many of the guns used by Mexican cartels were manufactured in America. A report conducted by the U.S. Senate suggested that an estimated 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes from 2009-2010 could be traced back to the U.S.

My initial reaction to the article was one of excitement and optimism. I believe that a country’s economic future should not be jeopardized due to the over generalization and stereotyping in the media. Mexico is oftentimes viewed as an underdeveloped country. This assumption is false. Even though the economic conditions in some areas are less than ideal, globally speaking the Mexican populace is economically enfranchised. Mexico is currently the 13^th largest economy in the world (nominal) and 11^th (by Purchasing Power Parity). The stereotype only persists due to its proximity to the United States. Furthermore, I do not believe it is our right as outsiders to blame Mexicans for the social problems Americans have a history of only exacerbating.  

-Drew Mades

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/fast_track/9694817.stm