Most Taiwanese prefer Japan to China, says poll paid for by Japanese representative office in Taiwan...Asked which country Taiwan should be closer to, respondents maintained the pattern reported in 2008, roughly split between China at 33 percent and Japan at 31 percent, with 16 percent preferring the United States.No kidding. Japan has a much greater influence on Taiwan than people commonly realize, not only in the shape of everything from education to policing, fashions, and food, but also on the island's infrastructure and engineering. Japan is a good place to test market products aimed at Taiwan.
When asked if they had feelings of attachment to Japan, however, 62 percent agreed or strongly agreed.
The starkest statistic accompanied the question, "Other than Taiwan, which is your favorite country?"
Fifty-two percent answered Japan, up dramatically from 38 percent last year, while China floundered with 5 percent. The United States managed barely more at 8 percent.
It's interesting to see that that low level of preference for China is even lower than the number of people who commonly state in polls that they want to annex themselves to our authoritarian pals across the Strait.
UPDATE: I've deleted the rest of this. Apparently the translator of the CLSA report, which appears to have been the LIberty Times, reversed its meaning. I originally thought that it was only the title that got screwed up. The fault is mine.
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12 comments:
Sorry to disappoint you, MT, but the Liberty Times fucked the translation and more or less reversed the meaning: The report originally said something like "The election is the KMT's to lose."
Today, the newspaper is refusing to admit that it made a mistake on a sentence an English-speaking child would understand, and now the DPP is speculating that pressure was placed on the authors of the report.
With stupidity and vanity (not to mention wholesale abrogation of professional ethics) like this emanating from the green side, the report's authors may well find themselves vindicated.
What is unforgivable is that the Liberty Times' pitiful behavior is going to reinforce all those wretched mainlander stereotypes of the green side as uneducated yokels.
hahaha. Classic. I thought it was the title that got blown.
http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/100326/4/22qtu.html
I'll remove that. Sheesh.
Thanks.
Where is a copy of the original?
LOoks like a pattern, I think, after further review. Hopefully i will have time to blog on it later.
Michael T
I think the report is stupid no matter what it says. I hate such predictions. The bottom line is that the KMT has a lot of resources at its disposal and the DPP has, until now, enjoyed a bit of a comeback. Who can predict what will happen two years from now?
Anon, I am, in general inclined to agree with you that this bad translation does not look good. But I would also hesitate to say it reinforces stereotypes. Let's face it, the story was so believable because Ma's approval and trust ratings are so low. That and recent polls have shown him losing to Su and tying with Tsai if the election were held today. In other words, people are more inclined to believe it. Why else would the KMT be so miffed at a stinkin' report that comes out two years prior to the election? They don't want a "Ma can't win" mentality to sink into the rank and file.
I am guessing this will disappear as an issue within a few days. The KMT won't want to belabor the issue because it will raise anxieties of whether or not Ma can win. The LT won't want to dwell on it because they may have screwed up.
Another nugget: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/03/25/majority-of-voters-predict-obama-will-lose-in-2012/
Who can tell at the moment. Still, when the subject is plausible enough, speculation can run wild... and newspapers like that speculation stuff.
Yea, I think Liberty Times made a mistake on this and it should appologize for misinterpretation.
On the other hand I don't know why Liberty Times gives a flying fuck about CLSA's report? I view most of foreign reports on Taiwan with skeptism because for a long time I have observed constant misinterpretation of situations / events etc. Not to mention a lot of international organizations don't even have accurate data on Taiwan because heck, Taiwan probably don't even exist in their database.
Not to mention this report is from...HONG KONG!!! Why should we care what they think?
"Taiwanese Prefer Japan"
Sigh... In a perfect biking world
it should have been 'Chinese Prefer Japan' instead of 'Chinese Prefer Taiwan'.
Masalu.
An FTA with Japan ought to be signed instead of an ECFA with China.
Taiwanese prefer Japan...
Japan is Taiwan's favorite country...
What does this mean exactly? These generalities don't mean a lot, and can be interpreted to suit many agendas.
People of one country tend to positively identify with other countries with which they've had a influential historical relationship, so this ID with Japan leads me to say, "So what?"
I laugh that the second country that Taiwanese like is "Europe". But you know what the Chinese say: "all those foreigners look alike."
A wrong and unforgivable translation?
Well,let's translate step by step:
1.[The 2012 Presidential election is the KMT's].
This means [The 2012 Presidential election will belong to KMT],just like:[this car is someone's]
2.[The 2012 Presidential election is the KMT's][to lose].
This means [The 2012 Presidential election will belong to KMT],[But may lose(because of something happened].
Anyway,if [something is really and actually belong to someone],there will be nothing [to lose] for someone.
And none will doubt it,except CLSA.
XD..
The Formosan Variations – On Longing…
謹啓 to the Japanese-deaf Chicompoops of all hues.
元日本国籍の台湾人は靖国に帰りたいと思い焦がれている。
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese are dying to go Yasukuni.
元日本国籍の台湾人は魂の故郷、日本を慕う。
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese yearn after Japan, the home country of their soul.
元日本国籍の台湾人はしきりに日本と言う母国の懐へ帰りたがる.
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese yearn to return to the bosom of their native land, Japan.
元日本国籍の台湾人は母国を慕う。
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese long for their homeland, Japan.
元日本国籍の台湾人は昔の同胞「はらがら」を慕う。
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese yearn for their old compatriots [fellow countrymen], the Japanese.
土地の風俗を慕って多くの若い台湾人が神前結婚式を日本に求めてくる。
Many young Taiwanese, admiring [attracted by] the local customs, come to wed Shinto-style in Japan.
台湾人は馬英九政権が急ぐ中台の「経済協力枠組み協定 ( ECFA)」の交渉を目前に消極で、寧ろ一刻も早く日本と自由貿易協定(FTA)の締結を切望している。
While the Horse English-nine (sick) administration rushes through negotiations on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, the Taiwanese are cautious and rather anxious for the early conclusion of a Japan free trade agreement (FTA). (My translating machine balked somewhat at digesting a Hunanese horse)
台湾人はまぶたの故郷日本にあこがれている。
Taiwanese yearn for Japan, the motherland that lives in their memory.
若い台湾人は日本発の漫画文化にあこがれる者である。
Young Taiwanese tend to be attracted by [hanker after] the Japanese manga culture.
元日本国籍の台湾人は日本と一層強い絆をほしがる。
The formerly Japanese Taiwanese hanker for stronger ties with Japan.
日本と別れなければならなかったと思うと台湾人の腸が千切れる思いだ。
To the Taiwanese, it is heartbreaking [heartrending] to think that they had to part from Japan.
平成22年3月28日、ヴァランシエーヌ市に於て、
嘉宏* 敬白
(*) Yoshihiro, that rugged-looking, peaceful-sounding Japanese name I am the undeserving bearer of was given me 33 years ago in Taihoku (台北) by a shy Taiwanese gent. Go figure Taiwan.
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