Does TD Bank think that “South Asian” is a language?

Zaaviyah — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:16:04 +0000

Does TD Bank think that new immigrants from South Asia cannot figure out what language they speak? This TD website, meant to help new Canadians, is available in Chinese, French, English and apparently a language called “South Asian”.

Here is what is wrong with TD’s attempt at being “cute”:

- By throwing in a few Urdu/Hindi words written out in English, this page is actually insulting my intelligence as a South Asian and demeaning both Urdu and Hindi. Is TD trying to imply that South Asians understand this jumble of languages rather than understanding distinct ones?
- The site should be “professional” – in my eyes, professional should mean that if you start one sentence in one language, then finish that sentence in that same language. “Aik zaban mey jumla shurooh kerna and finishing it in a different language is stupid and annoying”.
- The pages in French and Chinese don’t speak in “Fringlish” or “Chinglish” so what is up with this South Asian page in Urdish/Hindish? And when did “South Asian” become a language?

That’s what is wrong with TD’s page. However, this also reflects the trend among South Asians to be embarrassed of our own languages. Knowing multiple languages is wonderful; but jumbling them up like this is stupid and makes us sound dumb.

If you know two languages, know them well, speak them well, write them well. Otherwise 15 years from now you will be wondering kay aap kay bachon ko Urdu kyun nahi bolni aatee and why they can’t speak/write any other language properly either.

Don't Panic

Does TD Bank think that “South Asian” is a language?