Character confusion in The Weather Channel tablet app

There seems to be some confusion between traditional and simplified Chinese characters in The Weather Channel tablet application. When the language of the tablet is set to Traditional Chinese, the app shows a mix of English and Chinese. I don’t mind English since it’s possible that certain parts of the app have not been translated. I can’t read simplified characters, so I’m not sure if the characters I recognize as traditional characters are also used in the simplified form. Either way, if the tablet settings are for Traditional Chinese, shouldn’t the app have all traditional characters? It looks like someone has already submitted feedback on The Weather Channel website. I don’t think it’s getting attention because there are not enough votes. This is a significant software bug!

News about Taiwan

I’m changing the format a little for these “News about Taiwan” posts. I’m going to try to combine my thoughts with the article link rather than a list with some commentary afterward. The lists were getting a little boring.

The earthquake in 南投 was the cause for many reports on Taiwan. In the Taiwanese media, it is now called the 327 earthquake, based on the month and date. Most of the reports were out of the newswires, as summarized by this GlobalPost report from March 27, 2013.

I think this article from the Financial Times (March 20, 2013) about gender equality on corporate boards in Taiwan is promising. Although Taiwan ranks behind the West, it is actually ahead of most of Asia in the percentage of women business leaders. It also looks good that gender equality is being encouraged.

The inauguration of a new Pope meant that Taiwan was represented at the Vatican. This was reflected through this Time article from March 20, 2013 and this Washington Times article dated March 21, 2013. The Vatican is one of the few countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

I seem to remember recent articles about 釣魚台 focusing on Japan and China. This Christian Science Monitor article (March 22, 2013), focuses on a deal between Taiwan and Japan to allow Taiwanese fishing boats in the region.

Agora Garden, a twisting tower, has begun construction in Taipei. gizmag’s article from March 19, 2013 has some great images and a run-down of the environmental technologies that will be part of the building.

The deal to buy Next Media fell through and it no longer for sale. The Christian Science Monitor has a good article from March 28, 2013 that summarizes the entire situation, from the initial availability for sale to the concern of media bias.

The BBC has an extensive article on agricultural technology in Taiwan (March 28, 2013). In terms of farming, the article focuses on guava, but also mentions orchids and ornamental fish. Another focus is on the making of 皮蛋 and how technology has helped improve the way farmers inspect eggs.

What’s in a name?

A while ago, I’ve noticed a few articles about names lately: “My Starbucks name” from The Economist, “Pronunciation Pronouncement” from KQED, and “A Quvenzhane by Any Other Name… (Storified)” from NPR. All three articles resonated with me. I don’t have a Western name. My name is a romanization of my given name.

Places like Starbucks that ask for a person’s name give me a headache. I understand that stores do this to create a friendly environment. But it makes me uncomfortable. Why else would I need to come up with a “Starbucks name” so my name doesn’t get mangled or mispronounced. It’s easier to come up with a pseudonym.

My name is romanized with the Wade-Giles system (which used to be the only romanization system in Taiwan), which can produce alphabet combinations that are not common in English. The hanyu pinyin method (the romanization standard from China) is also more common in the U.S. now. I have been told on occasion that my romanized name does not “look” Chinese. On occasion people have pronounced my name in Chinese using hanyu pinyin and use the wrong words. But it doesn’t bother me because mispronunciation is what happens during transliteration. My name in its original form will always have the correct characters and pronunciation.

Win a trip to Taiwan from the Lonely Planet

Screen capture from Lonely Planet’s Taiwan: The Beautiful Isle homepage (taken March 24, 2013).

Lonely Planet is running a promotion titled Taiwan: The Beautiful Isle. The promotion is in conjunction with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. The first prize is a trip for two to Taiwan. There are 100 available runner-up prizes, which is a Lonely Planet guide to Taiwan. The contest runs through May 21, 2013. To enter, fill out an entry form on the website, and answer the question “Which of Taiwan’s travel highlights would you most like to visit and why?” in 25 words or less. The website has a nice introduction to some places and points of interests in Taiwan.

I noticed that the website is produced by Lonely Planet for the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. There are different sections: Nature, Activities, Sights, Food, Shopping, and Romance & Relaxation. I noticed some emphasis on the outer islands of Taiwan, such as 澎湖 (Penghu), 蘭嶼 (Lanyu), 綠島 (Green Island), 金門 (Kinmen), and 馬祖 (Matsu). I didn’t think the outer islands were major tourist destinations, but I can see how they may appeal to visitors interested in beaches, diving, and hiking. I’m also glad that 台南 (Tainan) seems to have made it to the list of top destinations for food and sightseeing. It is true that English is less accessible in the south of Taiwan compared to the north. But I think people will still be able to get around because of the improvements that are being made to cater to tourists. There is a lot of history in 台南 (Tainan) and it is worth a visit. Plenty of landmarks and delicacies are specific to the area and I think people are missing out if they do not visit 台南.

NTDTV 經典天下 episode 台灣包種茶

The show 經典天下 (The World of Classics) on 新唐人電視台 (New Tang Dynasty Television) has released an episode about 台灣包種茶. 包種茶 is a type of Taiwanese tea. The episode also explains the differences between teas harvested during different seasons. The process of tea making is hard work! It looks like this may be one episode in a series on the different teas of Taiwan. I’ll post the others when I see them. This episode is in Mandarin and Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles.

News about Taiwan

“Krispy Kreme plans expansion into Taiwan” [News & Observer; March 05, 2013]
Krispy Kreme is planning to open ten shops in Taiwan. This is curious since Dunkin’ Doughnuts left Taiwan not too long ago.

“Taiwan Needs Japan as Much as It Needs the U.S.” [The Heritage Foundation; March 05, 2013]
One of the results from a discussion on U.S.-Taiwan relations was the importance of Taiwan’s relationship with Japan.

“NBA announces international preseason slate” [CBS Sports; March 05, 2013]
The Rockets and the Pacers will be playing at the Taipei Arena on October 13, 2013. I’m sure there will plenty of Jeremy Lin fans at that game.

“Experts: Taiwan’s new visa-free travel a boon to Southern California” [DailyNews; March 07, 2013]
Sure enough, Taiwan’s inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program will be a big economic boom to certain areas in the U.S.

“Eerie Portraits of Taiwanese Stage Trucks Transport You to the End of the World” [Wired.com; March 08, 2013]
A very cool set of photos of stage trucks. The lighting is mesmerizing.

“Taiwan’s Massive, Mega-Powerful Radar System Is Finally Operational” [Wired.com; March 08, 2013]
Taiwan's early warning system for missiles and warplanes is up and running.

“Solar trade war promises order bonanza for Taiwan” [Reuters via The Globe and Mail; March 11, 2013]
Hopefully Taiwanese solar companies can take advantage of their position and start making a profit.

“US, Taiwan Resume Trade Talks” [Voice of America; March 11, 2013]
Taiwan and the U.S. are back at free-trade agreement talks.

“Former MLB star Manny Ramirez signs contract with Taiwan team” [Associated Press via Yahoo!News; March 12, 2013]
Manny Ramirez has signed with the Kaohsiung EDA Rhinos. This is a pretty cool addition to Taiwanese baseball.

Anti-Nuclear Energy Activists Becoming More Vocal in Taiwan” [Voice of America; March 13, 2013]
A report on the anti-nuclear power plant protests in Taiwan.

“Taiwan says it’s not yet ready to discuss military confidence building measures with China” [Associated Press via The Washington Post; March 13, 2013]
I think the title says it all.

World Baseball Classic: the many names of Taiwan

As the World Baseball Classic was set to begin, it occurred to me that we would have an interesting situation with the first round Pool B games happening in Taiwan and the Taiwan team going by the name of Chinese Taipei. How would this be covered in the media?

I found different ways of tackling the problem in different articles. Some articles separated Taiwan and Chinese Taipei. “Chinese Taipei opens World Baseball Classic with 4-1 victory over Australia” made it clear that Chinese Taipei was playing at home in Taiwan during the first round. But the team was called Taipei further in the article. Taiwan was only used to describe the location of the game. “Cuba, Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Kingdom of the Netherlands advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic” from the MLB site separates Chinese Taipei and Taiwan. If someone did not know the history of the name “Chinese Taipei,” the person might think the names were referring to two different places.

Other articles only used the name Taiwan. “Taiwan, Netherlands advance in World Baseball Classic” from Reuters decides to just go with Taiwan without any mention of Chinese Taipei. “World Baseball Classic Preview: Group B” decided to introduce the team as Taiwan and even used the Taiwan flag.

“Korea wins game, but Chinese Taipei advances” and “Second round set in Tokyo with four talented clubs” from the WBC site names the team as Chinese Taipei but then uses Taiwanese for the adjective. I wouldn’t be sure how to turn Chinese Taipei into an adjective either.

中華台北 means Chinese Taipei. 中華 are the same words in 中華民國, which means the Republic of China. 中華隊 is used to refer to the Chinese Taipei team. However, differences between television stations means differences in name usage. I found news broadcasts from Taiwan of reactions and recaps of Taiwan’s last WBC game against Cuba.

The first video is from 中華電視公司, commonly known as 華視, which is one of the three oldest free television stations in Taiwan.
The station uses 中華隊 throughout the report.

The second video is from 民間全民電視公司, also known as 民視. The station is owned by the Democratic Progressive Party.
The only utterance of 中華隊 is from the crowds watching the game. 台灣 is used, including 台灣隊.