Local English television stations! :

A total failure

Prasad Abu Bakr

ENGLISH ON TV: Before we launch into looking at the great disservice that English television channels here have done to the local English speaking public, it should be suggested that the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation gives thought at launching an English language TV channel for at least the evening hours.

It will surely be a big hit and of better use than what is happening at present in this stream.

The recent decision by the authorities to clamp a levy on television channels that telecast imported films and commercials has been frowned upon by parties who are due to pay these sums.

At a recent press conference represented by executives of these channels there was a statement being made that by telecasting English movies sub-titled in Sinhala, students and young people who are deprived of learning English are served because they can hear the word and see its meaning on the screen as they watch the movie.

It is pathetic to see the extent of knowledge that the translators at these stations have of English because it is laughable to see how often they give the wrong meaning to those dialogues that we hear.

It is even worse to know that there are no knowledgable officers within these networks to pin down the error, and the same mistake is made over and over again every time an English movie sub-titled in Sinhala is telecast.

A major question in this regard emerges when one comes to think of the large scale Hindi-Sinhala translations that are going on and with the minimum knowledge of Hindi that the general public has whether everything that appears on the screen has the true meaning of the words that are uttered by the original players of the film gets through?

The history of English telecasting has proven that it has not served the public in any way than dishing out cheap entertainment at every turn, leaving aside the fact that two of them, namely ETV and ART, at least have brought in very effectively the services of two important foreign news channels to be viewed locally.

In comparison to the Sinhala channels, English channels have proved over the years by the way they carried on with their programmes that viewers can well do without them.

It can also be suggested that they could get a better view of things if they visited a few Asian countries to see for themselves how those countries conduct meaningful and useful English programmes produced in their own countries rather than import programmes in large scale just to fill in space.

Locally we can do well by having some English quiz programmes (The KIT adventure programme on Channel 1 MTV was good and appreciated by many viewers both young and old).

Young people use television a lot and what is served to them go a long way in moulding their future. It is the sole responsibility of these channels to at least produce a few local programmes in English.

English theatre is staged and seen by very few in Sri Lanka but it must be said that there is a lot of talent in that field. What they need are opportunities to show their creative work and what other way can they do it than being able to show their work or at least discuss them over TV programmes.

Open forums where youth from different fields can discuss and air their views can be produced. It is sad to say that we have yet to hear of this kind of activity over English television in Sri Lanka after its many, many years of existence here.

Think of music, what kind of support have these channels extended to the number of English musicians, song writers and singers that exist in this country? They carry on as if these people do not exist, always looking outside our shores for such talent.

This is not to suggest that all programmes should be produced here but it will serve well that at least now these channels try and think out a theory where they can focus upon and serve some of our local English speaking public in a more sensible manner; rather than go about things as if that segment does not exist here any more.

It is disgusting to see how these channels carry on every evening throwing in cheap outdated TV series one after the other. There are probably more meaningful in depth programmes based on films, comedies, art, children's programmes etc that these channels can well afford to import and present to their viewers but with time they have analyzed the English viewers silence and tolerance mistakenly to being dumb and foolish.

It is time they had open forums to analyze to themselves of the overall attitude the public has on their programmes.

In fact it is shocking to see how these English television channels have behaved over the years as if they were living in some foreign land without any feelings for our own people.

In that comment made by an executive at that press conference saying that they are doing a grand service by teaching our youth English by enabling them to read the sub titled English movies, it can be better suggested that this exercise can be brought in more effectively if they give it better thought and planning.

We have been sad observers of how even English Christmas carol services have earned the butt of being telecast over Sinhala TV channels, not once but many times. The so called English TV channels don't even have the provisions for that.

None of them for instance even bothered to telecast the Toast Masters event that took place recently in Colombo in full. One station showed a clip of one of its employees receiving an award. That's it!

What about the concerts, though far and few in between, that are taking place in Colombo? Where orchestras are performing, children's dramas, visiting theatre outfits and ensembles and personalities connected to different fields of work.

There is no space for such people to air the views (YA TV on TNL needs to be applauded for some of the effort they make in this direction).

In fact English TV channels have shed the responsibility of propagating the very language they are operating through.

Instead of trying to project a total image of affluence by hiring newscasters and presenters with tongue twisting accents and cannot even pronounce a Sinhala name or place in a manner that we Sri Lankans can understand, it will serve well that they first think and believe that they are operating on Sri Lankan shores for its people.

There are other areas too which have not been neglected but are totally absent in the list of programming, like travel for example; especially of international destinations. There is a large demand for this type of programme if it is sub-titled in Sinhala.

At present what is happening is that a whole line-up of foreign films (most of which are not of a very high standard) are dished out one after the other throughout the week. It is rarely that one sees anything worth sitting through.

If the accusations levied at Sinhala channels are that they telecast dramas of poor quality then it is no lesser a fact that the English soaps shown are endorsed as high quality only because of the colonial belief that any thing dished out in English is good and slips through without its flaws being detected.

The owners and operators of these English channels too are engrossed in this same belief, in fact they seem to be more arrested by this fact than their viewers.

But the truth remains that each time one sits through watching the programme line-up, it is inevitable that one cannot get over the feeling that what is being imported is not the best and there may be more than these stations can offer but they are holding back from doing so.

Today they are screaming foul from top of their ceilings. But if they stop to think why such a fate has befallen them and how they are trapped in that decision, they would realise that they are at a total loss when they have to face with such sanctions, mainly because they have failed to develop and produce anything locally.

Because they have come to a closed conclusion that the English language itself is a dead entity here.

One would hope that all parties connected with this controversial issue meet and arrive at some amicable solution. Whatever solutions that they come-up with it will be a wise decision for English television networks to think collectively with a more Sri Lankan oriented mind.

When the image of famous Mr. Bean was selected as a visual to this article it was done, not with an intention of displaying a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards the subject discussed here but to remind readers that even a famous humorist of his calibre has ended-up being shown on Sinhala TV channels today.

Great movie sagas such as Dr. Zhivago, Les Miserables, Count of Monte Christo and recently Saving Private Ryan, all were shown on Sinhala channels, sub-titled in Sinhala of course but what irks one's mind is why can't the so called English channels at least bring down one good reputed piece of work of a celebrated director at least once in two months?

This is a fine opportunity to set the pace to develop our own programmes in English and also to bring down what is absolutely fine but yet entertaining at the same time.

This is not to suggest that one must cater solely to the highbrow and older audiences. Even for the younger set selectors should be more discerning. To dish-out rubbish at audiences and think that they are enjoying the stench when they helplessly accept, is a wrong conclusion.

If this continues to be the future agenda of the few English television channels that are operating at present, then it must be stated that Sri Lanka can well do without them.

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