Present Scenario of South-East Asian Countries’ Newspapers to Cater Local Scientific Issues through the Regional Languages: An Epistemological Case Study

Abstract

This paper contains the background of the need of the study of growing interest in local scientific issues in regional languages newspapers. Mass communication of scientific issues at local level through regional newspapers is more or less same in the South-east Asian countries, particularly in India, Thailand, Afghanistan and Pakistan. For years, mass communication through regional newspapers had been believed the most important engine for social changes, and hence this study becomes very important. Obviously the questions arise, what about the regional and local newspapers which are published regionally from those countries of South-east Asia? Is there sufficient translator in the media houses who have thorough knowledge of local language and jargons? How far those translated news is correct and not distorted? English language was taken at one hand and Dari for Afghanistan, Bangla for Bangladesh, Hindi for India, Bahasa for Indonesia, Urdu for Pakistan, Thai for Thailand, Mandarin for China, Korean for South and North Korea, Russian for Russia on the other hand. Distortion for translation in regional languages was also studied. Lastly a special survey was done by sending research questions abruptly among 50 citizens of each capital of every country viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia. it is found that major citizens of South-east Asian countries are not satisfied with science news to read English and they think it better to like it in regional languages.