Our management team at PBS Hawaii made an easy call today. We decided to tell the producers of a national series that we won't air a particular episode unless they re-do their narration, to pronounce key Hawaiian words correctly.
The way the narrator pronounces most of the Hawaiian place-names bears little resemblance to what we should be hearing. In fact, I didn't recognize the name of a school as pronounced. When I saw the pictures, I knew the school immediately and realized just how far off the charts the narrator is.
Our programming department, led by Linda Brock, and other staffers are not Hawaiian language experts. However, we agree there doesn't even seem to have been an effort to try to get it right. For example, Hualalai is pronounced (twice) as Hula Lolly.
This is a show that came to Hawaii and didn't do its cultural homework. As a result, the show suffers a loss of credibility.
Which is too bad, because I very much like the show's subject and its storytelling. And I appreciate the producers shooting on location on an island that is sometimes overlooked. So I won't mention the name of the show, which we have been anticipating broadcasting this fall on PBS Hawaii.
It's the second time this year that PBS Hawaii has decided to hold the line, declining to air a program about Hawaii that mangles the language of our host culture. After all, we want to uphold high standards--and English AND Hawaiian are the state's official languages.
We're not perfect, either. But we believe it's important to make one's best effort--to learn phonetic basics rather than plow through Hawaiian words without a clue.
Local stations are the heart of the PBS system, and so is education. Let's hope this show decides to go back to the audio booth, to backtrack and re-track, and give all of the TV markets in which it airs the authenticity and quality that viewers deserve.
Then, we can all sit back and enjoy the show.
Good for you! I'm glad you took this stand. That was the right thing to do.
Leslie Lang
Posted by: Leslie Lang | September 30, 2009 at 08:02 PM
Mahalo e Leslie.
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513824373 | September 30, 2009 at 08:09 PM
Well done! I ka ʻōlelo ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo ka make. In the language there is life, in the language there is death. Hawaiian words are truly important, and butchering pronunciation is becoming less and less tolerable as the language grows and people pay more attention.
Posted by: ʻOhu Gon | September 30, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Bravo, Leslie. A great call, IMHO. I'm sure you will get some flack for it, but hope you stick by your guns and hopefully KB and his associates will fix this so that it can be broadcast.
Posted by: Keola Donaghy | September 30, 2009 at 09:21 PM
I applaud PBS decision making on this.
Posted by: Damon | September 30, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Mahalo a nui iā ʻoukou!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1510183131 | October 01, 2009 at 06:54 AM
Mahalo nui loa Leslie, I wish people at Disney thought like you, paid more attention to culture and language...again mahalo.
Posted by: Kainoa | October 01, 2009 at 07:12 AM
Mahalo for taking a strong positive stand. We are Hawaiians living in Virginia and we make sure that people we encounter pronounce Hawaiian words properly. I sincerely hope that they make the corrections before they air it, not only in Hawaii, but anywhere at all.
Posted by: Lani Lum | October 01, 2009 at 07:15 AM
Dear Leslie L, Bryson,'Ohu, Keola and Damon,
Thank you for your swift and positive feedback. It was last night that I wrote the blog item sharing with everyone PBS Hawaii's latest decision declining to air a show with a bad case of Hawaiian mispronuciation.
By 6 am as I check, there are hundreds of web hits on this entry and I'm happy to see your posted comments.
Mahalo plenty, Leslie
Posted by: lwilcox | October 01, 2009 at 07:32 AM
Maika'i no.
Posted by: Kalani | October 01, 2009 at 08:37 AM
ʻĀ ʻoia! The major corruptions of languages other than English in media will only be stopped by folks standing up. Mahalo nui!
Posted by: T. Ilihia Gionson | October 01, 2009 at 08:59 AM
Mahalo nui loa e Leslie!
Posted by: Kaulana | October 01, 2009 at 09:10 AM
Mahalo nui e Leslie. I am glad to see that PBS is taking a stand on this subject matter. Proper pronunciation of the Hawaiian language especially place names is important, because the name tells a story and the history of a place and it is how we have been able to maintain generation upon generation of knowledge.
Posted by: Lokelani | October 01, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Why didn't PBS Hawaii review this program farther in advance, so that there was time to repair this instead of censoring it?
Posted by: Devany | October 01, 2009 at 09:37 AM
As a former employee of PBS Hawai‘i, I applaud Leslie for this courageous decision.
Posted by: Matthew Lum | October 01, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Hi Devany,
We're not censoring anything. The program is being offered to us for airing in November. We're inviting the producers to re-record the narration before the proposed air date (there's still plenty of time), so that we may present a pono production on PBS Hawaii. I sincerely hope the producers take this opportunity, because apart from the problems with pronunciation of Hawaiian place-names, they put together a fine show that we'd love to broadcast to the state...Leslie
Posted by: Leslie Wilcox | October 01, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Mahalo nui loa e Leslie. I have seen too many programs, nationally and locally in the Pacific Northwest, where the intentions were good, but no research or care was taken in the pronounciation of the Hawaiian language. Stick to your guns.
Likolani
Posted by: Likolani | October 01, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Mahalo nui, Leslie. Excellent call. Butchering the language that is the mother tongue of the subject of the show is disrespectful. It was poor judgement on the producersʻ part.
Maikaʻi nō!
Posted by: Napualokelani | October 01, 2009 at 03:42 PM
Mahalo nui e Leslie i kou kokua me ke kupaa. I mua me ka lanakila!
Posted by: Kauanoe Kamana | October 01, 2009 at 04:29 PM
Aloha
Leslie
I cringed when I saw it. Thanks for your courage to do the right thing
Mahalo nui
Richard
Posted by: Richard Ha | October 01, 2009 at 05:59 PM
Leslie, I forgot to add: I hope you'll let us know (by blogging about it again) how this all turns out! I'm so interested to know whether the producers do the right thing.
Posted by: Leslie Lang | October 01, 2009 at 08:26 PM
Will do, LL. The contact info we have for them puts them on the East Coast. Maybe tomorrow we'll hear back.
Posted by: leslie | October 01, 2009 at 09:34 PM
mahalo no kou ku'e! mahalo for going to bat for ka olelo makuahine.. you have not only made a difference in this program, but you have brought awareness to those involved with the program (who can inform others) that there is a culture here that will not be pushed to the margins of excellence! :) hoopumehana 'ia kou manao i ka heluhelu 'ana i keia mea. :) mahalo..
Posted by: shelley | October 02, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Pono choice. I applaud your greatest efforts to respect and appreciate Hawai'i and its people!
Posted by: kamailemae | October 02, 2009 at 11:39 AM
mahalo plenty for sticking up!!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=19502087 | October 02, 2009 at 12:01 PM