Swedish school asks kids to translate ‘Negro’
Published: 22 Mar 12 08:17 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/39820/20120322/
A class of 13-year-olds at a Gothenburg school were given the word “negro” (neger) and “negroes” to translate as part of their English language education, which some of the students have found inappropriate.
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At the Streteredsskolan in Gothenburg, some ten percent of the student body has an immigrant background. Across the street from the school is located one of the Swedish Migration Board’s (Migrationsverket) refugee homes, according to GP.
Over the last two weeks, some students have been given worksheets with translation examples such as “the Negroes were eaten by the wolves” and “I don’t like the story about the Negroes”.
“These are extra assignments we have been given,” said one student to the paper, adding that it has been discussed at home whether the assignment was appropriate but not in school.
Principal Blomgren was shocked to see the contents of the worksheets.
“I have never seen this before. The words are so degrading that they should not occur. Of course it is inappropriate with the set of values we have in school. We certainly don’t use the word ‘negro’ here,” he told GP.
However, the teacher who has been handing out the worksheets told the paper that it was unfortunate if anyone had been offended.
She added that she generally brings up words that have changed over time like “gay” which can mean both “happy” and “homosexual” as well as “mouse” which can be used about both the animal and the computer device.
“The word ‘negro’ appears when you read about slavery in the US as well as about the music ‘negro spirituals’. There are many emotionally charged words out there and I explain them as and when they crop up,” she told GP.
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SUDACA is a derogative word for Southamericans, usually employed by Spanish people. I know a Swedish guy who was referring as SUDACA to a Peruvian classmate. I explained him the real meaning of the word. He believed that sudaca is to Southamerican like Asussie is to Australians.
If you are learning a language you cannot censor words you don't like.
The word "Negro" is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not. The word negro means 'black' in Spanish and Portuguese, from the Latin niger, 'black', probably from a Proto-Indo-European root *nekw-, 'to be dark', akin to *nokw- 'night'.[1][2]
"Negro" superseded "colored" as the most polite terminology, at a time when "black" was more offensive.[3] This usage was accepted as normal, even by people classified as Negroes, until the later Civil Rights movement in the late 1960s. One well-known example is the identification by Martin Luther King, Jr. of his own race as 'Negro' in his famous 1963 speech I Have a Dream
The Swedish PC establishment does not only want to ban the N word from their own language, but now from English as well.
These people must have far too much time on their hands, and far too little intellectual capacity to but their brains to better use.
http://www.uncf.org/sections/WhoWeAre/index.asp
'nuff said.
http://glosor.eu/ordbok/negro
I fail to see the interesting part of it.
For example, I'm surprised by how often young Swedes throw the English word f--k around, partly because it is less offensive for them. I'm not a puritan, and know that swearing can add an element of intended humour to emotional outbursts, but they sometimes tend to get carried awa with the use of that word.
Likewise the word 'negro' appears to be extra offensive in their judgement. Right up to his death in the late 1960's, Dr. Martin Luther King jr used the word 'negro ' thousands of times in his speaches, with no intent to offend anyone. Since then it has fallen out of fashion, and is considered impolite to use these days, but knowing how to translate this word would be essential to anyone interested in reading any American literature, non-fiction, or news accounts from the years 1600 to 1975.
For exampel Negerbollar, Negerkyssar or black people, Negrer. Negroballs, Negrokisses or Negros.
Negro (Negroes) - Relating to or characteristic of or being a member of the traditional racial division of mankind having brown to black pigmentation and tightly curled hair or a person /persons/ with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa)
The teacher's explanation seemed thoughtful and practical enough.
Re #7 and "Black" vs "African-American", I've heard people (whose families have been in the US for generations)say they find African-American offensive because they consider an African-American to be someone who was born in Africa. Having been in the US for generations, they instead identify as American, period, and don't want a qualifier that sets them apart.
And then other people have said that African-American refers to people who identify as being descendents of US slaves, and so people in the US from the Carribean, for example, refer to themselves as Black and not African-American. Or maybe Caribbean-American Blacks?
And I believe a Canadian-Swede filed a complaint with the DO sometime back because she said the word "Indian" was racist hate speech. To my understanding, native peoples in the US refer to themselves by their unique tribe name, as Indians, or as Native Americans. In other words, "Indian" isn't a "bad" word in the US, according to US Indians.
Does that mean though that Canadian English speakers are going to dictate how I speak my native language in Sweden?? If I use the word "Indian" in Sweden, am I going to get charged with hate speech??
The PC mania continues... sigh...
Some words have different meaning and connotations today. For instance a word
" Anführer" means nothing but " a leader" in German.
However, when in current economic crisis Europe is asking for German leadership role, many German newspapers are avoiding using this precise word FUHRER. I have not seen them asking ms Merkel to be a Fuhrer of Europe or adopt Fuhrership of Germany.
I do not know why German public or German newspapers in particular shun this word, can not even guess why; after all noone would shun using a word " leader" in English. But the fact is that they are doing it.
Hitler was called "Führer", and this word has a Nazi connotation
A little history of Europe :-)
give.uncf.org/ until they change their name.
Just like the Swastika used to be a symbol that stood for positive things until World War II broke out and Hitler used that symbol for evil!!
Maybe those of us who are light skinned should start screaming racism when the dark skinned people call us "Crackers"!!
of all the words that are used to describe our darker skinned brothers Negro is probably the only word that is PC (or Most correct to use)
As always it is the context of the whole sentence or even the tone of voice that is important! Written text is impossible to judge correctly!
Gringo while in Mexico
Howlie while in Hawaii
Red neck while in San Francisco
Dumb Swede while in Norway or Denmark
Norga while in Switzerland or Germany
Blondie in most places.
And do I care???? Of course not. What is the big deal??? If it weren't for Italian jokes, I would have missed half the laughs I had growing up.
The United Negro College Fund was started by black people.
Find a news story, not this trivial rubbish.
if the story is average or just plain stupid, wouldn't it be better to have a shot at Swedish journalists instead of the translators?
Maybe thelocal can reference the journalist and paper the story comes from each day...