Not lost in translation

Recently, I've started doing some freelance translation job and I find the job rather refreshing. Something different from my usual educational book writing job.

I've completed a mini project to translate an English manual book of a DVD Player to Malay. Although technical translation is not something that I'm familiar of, I've gained so much experience from translating Mathematics and Science books in the last few years. Researching skill is something that I've mastered throughout the years from my job as well as the experience I've gained through net-surfing.

Besides the huge online database I subscribe to as a master student in UM, I find the Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka website rather helpful in assisting me in my job. I must give credit to DBP for their online dictionary and scientific terms. However, the website isn't very smooth and sometimes I find it hard to connect to the website.

I hope to get more freelance technical translation project in the near future as it is better paid than writing educational books. If you are looking for translation service (English to Malay at this moment) for your documents or manual books, send an email to me to ask for quotation

writer's block & other updates

10 reasons why I have nothing to blog these days

1. Working long hours.
2. Seldom yam char with friends because on diet. No gathering means no topics to discuss about.
3. Don't really watch television. So don't really know what's going on television.
4. Not much outing because no free passes, concerts or events going on recently.
5. Only tennis is on my mind. Can't blog too much tennis though or else I will bored everyone to death.
6. Don't really read The Star these days. So nothing to discuss about.
7. Spending too much time on writing manuscripts after work. So I'm exhausted by the end of the day to blog.
8. I enjoy reading blogs and writing comments more than updating mine.
9. I'm having writer's block.
10. I have no life?

Nah, this weekend was rather amazing. I have life indeed. I attended an amazing party on Friday and it was my first party in two years. But no details about the party I attended because not so appropriate as some of my students read my blog. What would they think of their tutor later.

And I managed to catch Miss Universe 2007 on Star World channel 70. Miss Philippines (not Miss Kangkang, mind you) whom I blogged about recently won herself Miss Photogenic. Congrats! Miss Japan is not bad but I think Miss Korea is more beautiful. But I guess saying that you love children and enjoy teaching will win you the crown. However, for me the most outstanding contestant should be given to Miss USA. Despite a slip while doing the evening gown session and being booed by the Mexicans (for political reasons), she remained calm and graceful.

While watching Miss Universe, I saw the promo of The Ellen Degeneres Show. Finally we get to see the talk show on local television network. It will be shown on Star World channel 70 on Monday at 8 p.m. starting this week.

want to be a freelance Science & Maths writer?

Anyone interested to start a freelance job in writing Science and Maths workbooks? If you are:

• looking for a writing job, working comfortably from your home and with attractive pay,
• an organized person who is able to meet reasonable deadline,
• in the educational industry (teacher, tutor, editor, writer, etc),
• well versed with the National syllabus particularly the Science and Maths subjects,
• able to present your manuscript neatly using the Microsoft Word;
• creative and original,
• doesn't mind working closely with the editors and accept their criticism,

then probably you should give it a shot. It is okay if you have not published any books before as training will be provided by the editors at Cerdik Publications. For your information, Cerdik is one of the strong players in the competitive educational publishing business. They are the sole publisher who has the rights and permission to publish past years examination papers.

For more information, you can send an email to me at hcfoo7@gmail.com or call +603 5637 9046 or +603 5637 9044 and look for Lai Yeen (Science and Maths editor @ Cerdik Publications).

freelance writing job - Science and Maths workbooks

Anyone interested to start a freelance job in writing Science and Maths workbooks? If you are:

• looking for a writing job, working comfortably from your home and with attractive pay,
• an organized person who is able to meet reasonable deadline,
• in the educational industry (teacher, tutor, editor, writer, etc),
• well versed with the National syllabus particularly the Science and Maths subjects,
• able to present your manuscript neatly using the Microsoft Word;
• creative and original,
• doesn't mind working closely with the editors and accept their criticism,

then probably you should give it a shot. It is okay if you have not published any books before as training will be provided by the editors at Cerdik Publications. For your information, Cerdik is one of the strong players in the competitive educational publishing business. They are the sole publisher who has the rights and permission to publish past years examination papers.

For more information, you can send an email to me at hcfoo7@gmail.com or call +603 5637 9046 or +603 5637 9044 and look for Lai Yeen (Science and Maths editor @ Cerdik Publications).

komponen sastera in Bahasa Melayu subject

Making Malay literature (kesusasteraan Melayu) a component in the Bahasa Melayu subject may not necessarily increase the level of interest among students. Students are learning KOMSAS (komponen sastera) just for the sake of exam and do not show genuine appreciation for Malay literature. They may have read about cerita jenaka like Lebai Malang or Pak Kaduk, but try ask them if they have read about Pak Pandir, you'll be surprised that some of them may never even heard about the silly character before. Anyway, I don't suggest for Pak Pandir to be included in the syllabus though.

Sometimes I wonder if the ministry of education knows how to choose the right reading material to be used as textbooks. Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps the problem lies in the children of today. They have no heart and soul for the poor or even tragic characters in their anthologies and novels. Many times when students were asked to read the novel Meniti Kaca, they will laugh about the character Mahyun, the mother of Nazar (the main character), because she had this penyakit nanar and who was later sent to Hospital Bahagia (so now you know why they laugh about it). When the mother was found dead under a coconut tree by the river, some students may even find that plot funny. Not only that, the majority of city kids can't relate to the story because the latar tempat and latar masyarakat in the novel were something they can't imagine of.

In a similar setting in Hadiah Hari Guru, a boy named Ramli was so poor he had to give ulam pucuk janggus as a present to his favourite teacher, Cikgu Fatimah. In reality, especially in this 21st century, a touching storyline using poverty and simplicity won't leave much impact on our students like the way it used to work on students in the 70s or 80s. Poverty still exists but this common kampung setting which keeps repeated in the school syllabus just won't work anymore especially in convincing the modern kids on how lucky they are. Perhaps we should have more short stories like Tina and Tangan Kanan, Kiri atau Kedua-duanya which are better readings for students because they emphasized on family values. I simply love the fact that the authors of the two short stories like to over use the teknik plot imbas kembali (flash back) and gaya bahasa hiperbola (exaggeration) respectively.

There are a lot of good puisi (whether tradisional or moden), prosa and drama in the anthologies used by students. Even the novels are good. However, it is not enough. In my humble opinion, students shouldn't just limit themselves to the textbooks. They must read more than what they were asked to do. There are a lot of good books that worth reading such as Syair Siti Zubaidah, Hikayat Malim Deman and Sayang Si Tina just to name a few. Sayang Si Tina, by Ali Majod is one of my all time favourite. The story is about a student called Tina who was involved in an accident and left her paralysed. The touching story is about the acceptance of oneself as well as the acceptance of others.

On the other hand, teachers must be creative in teaching KOMSAS in order to increase the level of interest among students. Instead of just asking students to read from the textbooks or give tonnes of notes on sinopsis, plot, gaya bahasa or nilai dan pengajaran, why not guide your students and start asking them to write their own piece of sajak, pantun or drama? I always believe that the opportunity to write and being guided will unearth someone's talent in literature.

Since most students never believe they could write a sajak (because teachers rarely ask them to do so), I'll share some tips on sajak writing in the coming post. I'll also let you see my first sajak published by Dewan Siswa when I was in Form 5.

tennis, reality shows and school holiday

Tennis...
It's quite disappointing because Nadal lost to Federer for the second time and yesterday match is definitely a painful one. Why not, it's a sad ending to year 2006.

After losing to Federer in Wimbledon final, Nadal is not on his top performance like what he did earlier this year. Nadal is not 100% fit and he made too many unforced errors. However, I must give credit to Nadal for creating some great, risky shots.

On the other hand, Federer is like always classy but boring. I don't know why, I have great respect for him but at the same time I hate watching him play especially on hard courts when most of the time you don't see much from him except great serve.

Hopefully Nadal will come back next year and give Federer a better challenge.

Reality shows...
The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) is not bad at all! There's nothing better than looking forward to Monday and Thursday catching up on TAR (US) and TARA. And oh, on Monday, there's America's Next Top Model (ANTM) Cycle 6 which is a must-see show. As a fan of reality shows, these two shows cannot be missed. Even though after so many seasons, there's always something new you can look forward to.

Unlike The Apprentice, which I give two thumbs down, ANTM and TAR offers you diverse reality stars, lotsa unpredictable twists and tonnes of dramas. All I can say about The Apprentice is it's pathetic, boring and old just like Donald Trump.

School holiday...
Finally it's school holiday and I can totally concentrate on my writing and publishing work. I still owe my publisher the Science manuscripts. Better get it all done today!

latest workbook: science form 4

My latest workbook co-written with another two authors is finally in the market. It is published under Marshall Cavendish (or better known as Federal Publications).

Practise 'n' Excel Science Form 4 is based on the latest KBSM syllabus in English language.

Pros: SPM-type questions, reasonable price, reliable publisher, good looking cover (different from the typical workbooks you normally see in the bookshops).

Cons: Quality of the paper used, the key points are too wordy (preferably add in more pictures or diagrams).

want to be a business and management book writer?

Any aspiring business and management book writer here in the blogosphere? If you are able to write in bahasa Malaysia, this is a golden opportunity for you. Read there following to understand how to can start to write for PTS (fyi, PTS is quite a significant publisher in the industry). Also I suggest you to join their workshop (check the info at the bottom of this post) to learn about KJ method, copyright, etc.

PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd. merancang untuk menerbitkan pelbagai tajuk buku bisnes sepanjang tahun 2006/2007. Jika anda seorang pengarang, pengamal (practioner), konsultant, ahli akademik dan berminat untuk menulis tajuk-tajuk bisnes, sila hubungi kami di alamat di bawah.

PTS Professional sedang mencari individu yang berminat menulis buku mengikut judul sebagaimana di bawah. Jika anda berminat sila hubungi kami di alamat di bawah bagi mendapat maklumat lanjut dan ‘booking’ judul buku yang hendak ditulis dengan segera.

En. Mohd Khairulanuar Manshor
Editor Perolehan
PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd.
No 3, Jalan Industri Batu Caves 1/6, Taman Perindustrian Batu Caves,
68100 Batu Caves, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel.: 03-6188 0316
Faks: 03-6189 0316
E-mel: anuar@pts.com.my
H/P: 012-2722392

Judul buku cadangan:
Usahawan Baru
1. Cerita-cerita Motivasi Usahawan Wanita
2. 101 Idea Bisnes di rumah
3. Kaya Dengan Pelaburan
4. Zakat Dalam Bisnes
5. Idea-idea Mendapatkan Duit Ketika Belajar

Memulakan Bisnes Sendiri
1. Memulakan Bisnes Restoran
2. Memulakan Bisnea Warung
3. Memulakan Bisnes Katering
4. Memulakan Bisnes Tuisyen
5. Memulakan Bisnes Ternakan Lembu/Kambing
6. Memulakan Bisnes Ayam
7. Memulakan Bisnes Ikan
8. Memulakan Bisnes Kedai Runcit
9. Memulakan Bisnes Kedai Runcit
10. Memulakan Bisnes Kedai Jahit
11. Memulakan Bisnes Perkhidmatan IT/Kafe Internet
12. Memulakan Bisnes Bengkel Motor/Kereta

Sales
1. Rahsia Menjadi Salesman Hebat
2. Teknik Berunding
3. Rahsia Sales di eBay
4. Menjual Produk Kurang 5 Minit
5. Cara Menjual Pada Syarikat Besar
6. Strategi dan Taktik Harga (Pricing)
7. Sales Menggunakan Emotional Intelligence
8. Membaca Minda Pembeli
9. Cara Meyakinkan Salesman
10. Sales Menggunakan Telefon, Emel, Faks, Surat dan Voice Mail

Kewangan Peribadi
1. Perancangan Kewangan Pelajar
2. Perancangan Kewangan Keluarga
3. Hidup Aman Tanpa Hutang
4. Cara Pinjaman Untuk Bisnes
5.Perancangan Kewangan Selepas Pencen
6.Pelaburan Yang Menguntungkan
7.Cara Terbaik Wanita Menggunakan Wang
8. Cara Pengurusan Kewangan di Zaman Umayyah, Abbasiyyah dan Uthmaniyyah
9. 1001 Ayat Financial Yang Perlu Diketahui

Pemasaran
1. Rahsia Menjual Lebih Banyak Produk
2. Pemasaran Secara Gerila
3. Seni Menentukan Harga
4. Brand Yang Menarik
5. Cara Menghadapi Pasaran Yang Kompleks
6. Strategi Marketing
7. Marketing Pada Sesiapa
8. Cara Marketing Pelbagai Bangsa

Perkhidmatan Pelanggan
1. Jenis-jenis Pelanggan dan Cara Mengatasinya
2. 101 Cara Hebat Melayan Pelanggan
3. Cara Customer Services Syarikat-syarikat Berjaya

Skil Eksekutif
1. Perbincangan Efektif
2. Pengurusan Projek
3. Soalan Lazim Ketika Temuduga
4. Pekerja Cemerlang
5. Bos Cemerlang
6. Masalah Pekerja dan Cara Mengatasinya
7. Tranformasi Tempat Pekerja
8. Motivasi Pekerja
9. Skil Presentation Untuk Eksekutif
10. Eksekutif 6 Sigma

Motivasi Eksekutif
1. Rahsia Kejayaan CEO
2. Pengurus Hebat
3. Kepimpinan Futuristik
4. Rahsia Cepat Naik Pangkat
5. Menjadi Bos Hebat
6. Tip-tip Untuk Eksekutif Muda
7. Eksekutif Berkarisma
8. Tip-tip Berbaik Dengan Pekerja
9. Bina Diri Sebagai Businessman
10. Bisnes Selepas Pencen

Target pembeli/pembaca:
1.Usahawan baru
2.Eksekutif dan Profesional
2.Pelajar lepasan SPM atau ijazah
3.Umum

Serahan manuskrip:
1.Tarikh akhir serah manuskrip ialah 3 bulan dari tarikh persetujuan
2.Manuskrip yang siap hendaklah diserahkan dalam bentuk hard copy dan soft copy

Hak cipta manuskrip & royalti:
1.Hak cipta atas manuskrip adalah milik penulis. PTS Professional hanya memegang hak eksklusif menerbit sahaja.
2.Penulis akan dibayar royalti berdasarkan jualan buku setiap tahun.
3.Kadar royalti adalah sebagaimana berikut:
7% daripada harga runcit buku (1 – 5,000 naskhah yang terjual)
10% daripada harga runcit buku (5,001 – 10,000 naskhah yang terjual)
11% daripada harga runcit buku (10,000 naskhah ke atas yang terjual)

Panduan untuk Penulis:
1.Manuskrip hendaklah ditaip dalam format berikut:
A4
1 ½ spacing
Times New Roman
Saiz 12
2.Jumlah muka surat manuskrip: (bergantung pada judul buku)
3.Gaya penulisan:
Berbentuk 'How to book' (panduan praktikal)
Berbentuk tip-tip pendek/petua/strategi (satu tip 1-3 muka surat)
Berdasarkan fakta
Memperbanyakkan contoh
Ayat yang pendek & mudah difahami
Sertakan kata-kata hikmat pendek (letak dalam kotak)
Perenggan pendek

Bengkel Penulisan Buku-buku Bisnes dan Pengurusan
Tempat: Taman Permata, Hulu Kelang, Kuala Lumpur
Tarikh: 21.01.2006 to 21.01.2006
Masa: Time : 10:00 Pagi to 5:00 Petang

PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd. akan mengadakan bengkel penulisan bagi buku-buku siri bisnes dan pengurusan. Mereka mensasarkan lebih 50 buah buku siri ini diterbitkan pada tahun 2006. Justeru, kami amat mengalu-alukan mereka yang berminat untuk menyertai bengkel ini.

Pengisian bengkel:
1.Teknik menulis menggunakan 'KJ Method'
2.Teknik adaptasi buku bisnes dan pengurusan sedia ada di pasaran
3.Hak Cipta untuk penulis
4.Pembentangan judul buku yang akan diterbitkan 2006

Penyertaan percuma. Makan minum tidak disediakan.Tempat adalah terhad. Hanya peserta yang mendaftar sahaja layak menyertainya.Untuk maklumat lanjut, hubungi Mohd Khairulanuar Manshor, 012-2722392 atau emel anuar@pts.com.my.

if you have a kid or sibling in Year 4...

I have three copies of Science Year 4 revision books to be given away.

The title of the book is called New Vision Science Year 4 (published by SNP Panpac or better known as Eastview) and it is based on the latest syllabus.

The book comes with a free CD-ROM. I wrote the book but the CD-ROM is not my idea. In this book, there are easy to understand notes and the questions are pretty much UPSR-oriented.

I only have three copies to be given away. You don't have to pay a single sen (shipping is free as well). Just send me your name and address to my e-mail address.

academic crossword puzzles

Education should be fun. Being an academic facilitator, there's nothing more satifying than seeing my own students enjoying their learning process. Hence, recently I've completed writing a set of fun learning crossword puzzle books for UPSR and PMR levels. The set of books comprise some of the main subjects such as Bahasa Melayu, English, Science, Mathematics, Sejarah, Kemahiran Hidup and Geografi. I supposed the series will be in the market in two months time.

I have kept this idea for more than 2 years. Only recently I make myself work on a proposal and submit to a pubisher which I have worked closely before. Perhaps I should thank the reality show 'The Apprentice'. In one of the episode, I remember Donald Trump mentioned about 'a good idea is a saleable idea' (sort of). That means if you have an idea but never market your idea, it's not a good idea at all. Hence, I take his words and finally have the guts to approached the publisher. Initially, I thought people might not find it a fantastic idea (although I believe it is). But of course in the end, my idea was accepted and I glad I finally did something not only for myself but also for the students in the entire nation.

Let's say you are not really good in scientific terms or you are going to sit for Science exam next week. After revising for few hours you think you want to have a rest and a cuppa. This is the perfect time for students to try to tackle the crossword puzzles in my book. We still haven't settle for the title of the book but initially we called it the Puzzle Book. Still don't have an idea of what I'm talking about? Go to my website and take a look at it: http://www.geocities.com/hcfoo/