Tib-ong Wika!

By Noel Galon de Leon

On September 15, 2025, the University of the Philippines Visayas, in partnership with the UP Visayas Sentro ng Wikang Filipino under the leadership of its current coordinator, Prof. Jonevee Amparo, inaugurated a three-day conference on translation. Far from being a mere mechanical exercise of converting “good morning” into maayong aga, translation must be understood as an act that encompasses politics, culture, and survival. The rarity of such events in the region already underscores the extent to which the field remains undervalued. Whereas professional development programs such as digital marketing bootcamps often attract substantial participation and financial investment, lectures on Hiligaynon translation are too often met with indifference, avoidance, or outright dismissal.

The conference is jointly led by Prof. Schedar Jocson of UP Diliman and Prof. Eliodora Dimzon of UP Visayas. Prof. Dimzon in particular offered a candid critique of the field’s current practices, drawing attention to the widespread overreliance on machine translation tools, most notably Google Translate. While she acknowledged their convenience, even seasoned translators occasionally employ them as expedient aids, she emphasized that such platforms are tools and not substitutes for professional expertise. These systems are prone to errors, omissions, and cultural misinterpretations. They may supply words but not meaning, grammar but not nuance or soul. The greater concern, she argued, arises when individuals are unable or unwilling to discern the difference, leading to a troubling erosion of critical engagement with language itself.

This discussion connects to a deeper concern, the condition of Hiligaynon among the younger generation. Prof. Dimzon underscored a reality that many recognize but seldom articulate, today’s youth often struggle to use Hiligaynon with fluency and precision. Their speech is frequently interspersed with English or Tagalog fillers, their spelling inconsistent. While they may effortlessly memorize the lyrics of K-pop songs, their comprehension falters when asked to read even a short story from Hiligaynon magazine. This situation, far from being a marker of cosmopolitanism or progress, reflects instead a troubling decline in linguistic competence. What is more disconcerting is the extent to which such decline is tolerated, and at times even romanticized, rather than confronted as a matter of cultural and intellectual urgency.

Prof. Dimzon’s admonition was direct. To be a competent translator one must read deeply and not merely skim memes or scroll endlessly. She cited specific works and publications, including Kauffman, Sumakwelan, and Hiligaynon magazine, and she named authors such as Ramon Mazones, Conrado Norada, and Magdalena Jalandoni. How many students today recognize these names? How many favor Wattpad fan fiction over literary texts that embody their cultural heritage? There is nothing inherently wrong with Wattpad, but if it comprises the entirety of one’s reading and one claims to be a translator, that claim is self-deceptive.

The problem, however, extends beyond students; it is systemic. Schools rarely prioritize regional languages, the media provides them with minimal support, and even parents frequently encourage their children to “speak in English” at home, as though fluency in the mother tongue were a sign of backwardness. Within this context, translation is not merely the transfer of words but an act of resistance. It is a declaration that one’s language and culture matter. Yet prevailing attitudes have conditioned many to equate English with intelligence, relegating Hiligaynon and other local languages to the margins, treated as peripheral rather than integral to “real” education.

Prof. Dimzon also emphasized the role of the media, noting its potential to serve as a powerful force in normalizing and celebrating Hiligaynon. Yet the reality presents a different picture. Local programs often dilute their scripts with Tagalog in order to appeal to advertisers, news anchors feel compelled to apologize for their accents, and talk show hosts insert English words merely to project sophistication. Rather than champion translation, the media frequently undermines it, subtly eroding linguistic and cultural value through repetition, broadcast after broadcast.

This conference is therefore more than an academic exercise, it is a wake-up call. Translation is not the pursuit of perfect word-for-word equivalence but the negotiation of meaning, the bridging of worlds, and the preservation of culture. At present, that culture is at risk. If translation continues to be undervalued, we risk raising a generation fluent in Instagram captions yet incapable of articulating their heritage.

The central lesson from the first day may be expressed simply, Magsalin tayo. Let us translate, but let us also reflect. What is truly being translated when we face a text? It is not merely words but memory, identity, and the very lifeblood of a people. To leave this responsibility entirely to machines, or worse, to dismiss it as inconsequential, is to participate in cultural erasure. The conclusion may sound severe, but the stakes warrant nothing less.

***

Noel Galon de Leon is a writer and educator at University of the Philippines Visayas, where he teaches in both the Division of Professional Education and U.P. High School in Iloilo. He serves as an Executive Council Member of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts-National Committee on Literary Arts.