Hiréka Éric

What's cooking, doc?

In English, (1) somebody who's got a PhD and (2) somebody who's licensed to treat injured or sick people are both called doctor. Bahasa Indonesia distinguishes them: doktor for the former and dokter for the latter. And the abbreviations are different, too: Dr. (capital D) means doktor and dr. means dokter.

So if your name is Philo Sophia and you're a medical doctor who happens to earn a doctorate degree, your name with the titles would be written: Dr. dr. Philo Sophia.

Harry Potter and the Catholic Orders

If Franciscans belong to Hufflepuff,
and Dominicans to Ravenclaw,
Jesuits would go to ... ? I can't decide between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Salah jurusan (?)

Aku lulusan SMA jurusan IPA. Tetapi, sebenarnya di hari pertama masuk kelas 2, aku mendapat kelas IPS--beberapa bulan sebelumnya aku memang mendaftar ke jurusan IPS. Sayang, itu cuma bertahan sampai bel istirahat. Karena setelah itu, guru BP masuk ke kelas dan memanggilku. Sambil membawaku ke kelas IPA, dia bilang, "Ini kesalahan. Kamu harus IPA. HARUS."

How they call me

Here we're used to addressing older men with a title. But things sometimes get complicated.

Some call me kak (kakak) because I'm Indonesian.
Some call me bang (abang) because I've grown up in Greater Jakarta area.
Some call me kang (akang) because in SSEAYP I represent West Java province.
Some call me ko (koko) because I'm Chinese by blood.
Some call me mas because most Jakartans are Javanese.

Untranslatable: Jablay

The word jablay has gained popularity from the soundtrack of the film Mendadak Dangdut and since then has become part of everyday vocabulary. Originally meaning a person who desires for attention because rarely meeting their spouse or lover, the word has also now meant a prostitute.

Untranslatable: Sungkan

Sungkan means feeling hesitant or shy to talk with or request somebody; this particular feeling should result either from respect for that person or from the good deeds they have done to you. Therefore, sungkan is not identical with mere 'shy', the problem of which is found in yourself. Neither can it be translated as mere 'reluctant', which focuses on the activity itself (i.e. the act of holding a conversation). Sungkan is directed towards the person you are going to deal with.

Untranslatable: Jaim

Jaim means to behave insincerely in the public so that you won't damage you reputation; that's why you avoid socially embarrassing remarks and stupid stunts. Somebody jaim especially when they are a public figure under the spotlight or simply an ordinary person attending a formal social occasion. The clichéd 'be yourself' just doesn't apply here; in fact, nobody can truly be themselves in all social occasions (what is 'yourself' anyway?). When somebody says to you, 'Don't jaim', that means they think you are reluctant to do dirty, dangerous, demeaning tasks--and by that they disapprove of your attitude.

Untranslatable: Melayat

Melayat means to visit the family of a dead person and offer condolences. Like kondangan, melayat has a specific usage; it cannot mean simply to visit.

Untranslatable: Kondangan

Kondangan means to attend a wedding ceremony or reception. It's a handy single word to describe this activity. In daily conversation, if a friend of yours notices that you dress up, they may ask, 'Are you gonna kondangan?' This question has a double meaning, though. It may be that your friend just wants to clarify, judging by your look, whether you are really attending a wedding ceremony or reception. Otherwise, they might imply that you are wearing a wrong dress for an occasion that actually just requires casual attire.