vietnam

[Guest guest]

I have a vietnamese colleague here at PCOM. he does not read chinese, but

he does read vietnamese. From talking with him, it is my understanding

that the vietnamese community of CM docs learns how to practice mainly by

using vietnamese translations of a wide range of chinese texts. It is not

considered necessary to know chinese to be an expert in the field. This

is perhaps an example of how the need for learning the language diminishes

as quality translation increases. Once upon a time, the vietnamese had to

learn chinese just as western docs once had to learn german. But now with

everything relevant as determined by the community of practitioners

available in translation, this is no longer a prerequisite. why should it

be any different for us in the USA or europe?

 

 

Chinese Herbs

 

 

" Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre

minds " -- Albert Einstein

[Guest guest]

 

 

> I have a vietnamese colleague here at PCOM. he does not read

chinese, but

> he does read vietnamese. From talking with him, it is my

understanding

> that the vietnamese community of CM docs learns how to practice

mainly by

> using vietnamese translations of a wide range of chinese texts.

It is not

> considered necessary to know chinese to be an expert in the

field. This

> is perhaps an example of how the need for learning the language

diminishes

> as quality translation increases. Once upon a time, the

vietnamese had to

> learn chinese just as western docs once had to learn german. But

now with

> everything relevant as determined by the community of

practitioners

> available in translation, this is no longer a prerequisite. why

should it

> be any different for us in the USA or europe?

 

The first answer is, because it is different for

us in the USA and Europe. There is an entirely

different relationship between Vietnam and

China than between the USA and China or Europe

and China.

 

The second answer is a question. Do you mean

for us in the USA and Europe as we are now

or as we might be at some imaginary point in

the future after we had generated a thorough

body of literature in translation?

 

If it's the former, well what on earth makes

sense about that? And if it's the latter,

how on earth do you imagine we'll ever get

to such a point without training some people

in Chinese?

 

I once again have to ask, why does the

simple statement that it's a good positive

thing for people to know the meanings of

the words that they use generate such

undying efforts to contradict it?

 

OK. It's a long drawn out thing to

include Chinese medical language

into one's study of the subject.

But the study of the subject is

a long drawn out thing. Is there

anybody on the list who doesn't

see themselves engaged in lifelong

study?

 

That lifelong study should include

becoming familiar with the meanings

of the terms and developing access

to the knowledge that is in the

texts that contain the basic

theories.

 

For the most part what's been translated

out and made broadly popular is a

tiny fraction of that knowledge base.

 

Look again at Bob Felt's recent post

on why the language issue stirs such

debate. I think he's onto the right

track. What exactly is it that you hope

to point out with the tesitmony of one

Vietnamese doctor?

 

Ken