Consul General Series - 科威特驻港澳总领事 Salah Alsaif

Greetings

Hello to all the listeners of RTHK. My name is Salah Alsaif and I’m the Consul General of the State of Kuwait in HK and Macau.

香港电台的听众们,你好!我是科威特驻港澳总领事Salah Alsaif。

1) Any special events or festivals in your country?

请介绍科威特的特色文化活动。

Kuwait is situated in the Arabian Gulf, closest to Saudi Arabia & Iraq borders and not far from Iran. We've been a monarchy since 1756, a constitutional monarchy since 1963. The royal family has remained the same since the mid 18th century. As the location is between all the aforementioned three countries, that enhanced the arts and culture. We have a very unique festival in February which coincides with the National Day and Liberation Day as well. It’s called “Hala February”, basically translated to “Hello February”, so we have festivities, like shows and so many artistic activities going on. February is the main festive season in Kuwait.

科威特位于阿拉伯湾,最靠近沙特阿拉伯和伊拉克边界,距伊朗不远。 自1756年以来我们一直是君主制国家,自1963年以来就是君主立宪制。自18世纪中叶以来,王室一直保持不变。 由于地处上述三个国家之间,因此提高了我们的艺术和文化水平。 我们在2月有一个非常独特的节日,正好是国庆节和解放日。 它被称为“ Hala February”,基本上翻译为「你好,2月」,因此我们有很多庆祝活动,例如表演和许多艺术活动举行。 2月是科威特主要的节日季节。

2) So do you celebrate it with Kuwait families in HK?

那么,您是否会与香港的科威特家庭们庆祝?

Absolutely, we have almost a monthly gathering in Kuwait House which is located in Cyberport, Island South. We have very few Kuwaitis, perhaps less than 30 in HK. That makes it convenient for me and my wife to gather them on a monthly basis.

绝对会,我们几乎每月一次会在港岛南区,即是数码港的科威特官邸聚会。 我们在香港只有很少的科威特人,也许少于30人。所以这使我和我的妻子每月都可以方便地与他们聚会。

3) Are there any teenagers going to Kuwait for academics and study?

有没有香港青少年去科威特上学?

Absolutely, we are working with so many top universities in HK, as we're trying to get some Secondary school and High school students to go to Kuwait for exchange programs because I believe the teenagers are the future. Of course the Graduate student and Undergraduates are always welcome but I believe we should concentrate on the younger generation, so to have them understand both Kuwait and Chinese culture.

当然有,我们还与香港的许多顶尖本地大学合作,因为我们正尝试让本地中学生和高中生来科威特作交流,我相信年青人是我们的未来。当然,研究生和本科生都欢迎,但我相信我们应该专注于年轻一代,让他们同时了解科威特和中国文化。

4) Is English the common language?

英语是通用语言吗?

Absolutely, Arabic is the main official language besides English. I presume maybe we can do better in Cantonese, that we can probably work together on that, but currently, English is the other widely spoken language besides Arabic.

当然,阿拉伯语是英语以外的主要官方语言。 我想也许我们可以在粤语方面做得更好,也许我们可以一起努力,但是目前,英语是除阿拉伯语之外另一种广泛使用的语言。

5) Which season do you suggest people go to Kuwait?

您建议哪个季节去科威特?

If you are ok with the 45 degrees weather, you can go all year around. But if you are similar to me who prefer a little bit cooler weather, then you should probably visit from October to April. It's very beautiful during this season as temperatures can be between 10 to 25 degrees.

如果您能够接受45度高温,就全年任何时间都可以。 但是,如果您是像我一样,因我更喜欢凉爽的天气,那么就应该是大概从十月到四月最好,由于气温可能在10到25度之间,所以这个季节非常美丽。

6) What do you think about HK and what do you feel now?

你感觉香港如何?

It’s difficult to explain. I think all the people that I've talked to, mostly feel that HK is their home since they’ve arrived. HK is a very hospitable and open city. It's a little bit difficult sometimes, and overwhelming to see recent events. We hope this is going to subside soon, of course it needs rationality and understanding by allsides. We feel truly like HKongers, we want to live with everybody in a peaceful way and cooperate with everybody. So hopefully, all these will subside one way or another.

这有点难以解释,我想我和所有与之交谈过的人都觉得香港是他们的家,自从他们到达之后,香港是一个非常适宜居住和开放的城市,有时候这有点困难,并且看到最近发生的事件而感到不知所措,我们希望这种情况很快就会消失,当然,这需要整个社会互相体谅和理解。 我们与香港人一样,都希望与大家和平相处,与大家合作。 因此,希望所有最新的情况都会尽快完结。

7) Any special place you like in HK?

你喜欢香港的什么?

Obviously there is nothing much to dislike. I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart. Our favorite place is Stanley. This place is fascinating and reminds us of Kuwait. We’re a city by the bay, so when we see the water, our heart pumps and feels like being at home. It’s a beautiful scenery as well in Deepwater Bay & Clearwater Bay, so the south part of the island is our favorite.

显然我从心底里感到没有什么不喜欢的。 现在我们最喜欢的地方是赤柱,这个地方十分迷人,并使我们回想起科威特。 因为我们是海湾旁的一座城市,所以当我们看到水湾时,就会触动心灵,感觉就像回到家里一样。 这里风景优美,例如有深水湾和清水湾,所以整个岛的南部都是我们的最爱。

8) How about Chinese food?

那么香港的食物呢?

We love Chinese food, of course Chinese food is also famous in Kuwait. Maybe it’s difficult for us to distinguish between Chinese and Taiwanese food as non-Chinese Nationals, but we love Dim Sum. Noodles are also popular in Kuwaiti cuisine because Kuwait is much like HK do eat noodles and rice. By the way, we are almost 18 times the size of HK. So thank you HK for making Kuwait feel grand and big.

我们喜欢中国菜,当然中国菜在科威特也很著名。 对于我们这些非中国裔的人士来説,我们难以区分中国和台湾美食。但我们喜欢点心,在科威特美食中,面条也十分重要,因为科威特人就像香港人一样,同样爱吃饭和面。此外,科威特的面积大约是香港的18倍。 因此,感谢香港让科威特感到既富裕又大。

9) Please tell us more about the national flower of your country.

请告诉我们更多有关科威特的国花。

It’s called Arfaj in Arabic, and it’s a Rhanterium Epapposum, it's difficult to pronounce in English. It’s a desert flower which is indigenous to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It’s very beautiful and unique, of course it's very important before the discovery of oil as camels and sheeps feed on, so it was chosen to be the national flower of Kuwait in 1983.

它的阿拉伯语叫Arfaj,它的名称是Rhanterium Epapposum,名称有点难读,但它是沙漠生长的花,是科威特、沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔土生土长的品种。 非常美丽和独特,当然在发现石油之前是非常重要的,因为它们曾经是骆驼和绵羊的食物,它们以此为食,因此在1983年被选为科威特的国花。

10) Please teach us some simple trendy language.

请教我们一些简单的流行语言。

A very simple one is “Yalla”, you can use it to go somewhere. You can also use it to disperse somebody. Yalla is probably the most common word used in our language.

一个非常简单的就是Yalla,您去某个地方时可以用到,也可以使用它来赶走某人。 Yalla是一种常见的俚语。

11) So what is the meaning of it?

那么这个词语是什么意思?

Allah is God, it’s not a unique God to Islam. For example, Christian and Jewish from Arabic descent also use the word Allah for God, so Yalla is a common calling, like Oh Lord, for example.

真主阿拉是上帝,不是伊斯兰教独有的上帝,例如基督教徒和犹太人都会称呼真主阿拉作为上帝,所以阿拉是一个常见的称呼,例如哦,主啊!

12) We like to know more, like how to say Hello or Goodbye in Kuwait?

我们想知道更多,例如如何用科威特语言打招呼或再见?

Hello is very nice because it’s “Hala”, so you could always remember it and it's very commonly used.

Hello非常容易,因为发音就是Hala,因此您可以永远记住它,并且使用起来非常普遍。

13) How about Goodbye?

那么说再见呢?

Goodbye is a little bit tricky, it’s “Ma” which is “With”, “Ma 'salama” which is translated to “With safety”, so I wish you to be safe.

説再见有点棘手,“Ma”的意思是指伴随,Ma'salama可以翻译为安全的,所以是祝您平安。

14) Please introduce the flag.

请介绍一下科威特的国旗?

This is the Kuwaiti modern flag, chosen in 1961 when Kuwait got its independence in that year. It has 4 colors, basically there is an old poem in Arabic that describes the meaning of the colors. We have to say this, that we are very friendly, black is the result of war, red is also associated with war, green is prosperity and white is peace. It is noted in our constitution that offensive wars are forbidden, so the last offensive war Kuwait under took was in 1901.

这是科威特现代国旗,于1961年科威特获得独立的那一年选定。 它有4种颜色,基本上有一首古老的阿拉伯诗,描述了颜色的含义。 我们必须这样说,我们非常友好,黑色是战争的结果,红色也与战争相关,绿色代表繁荣,白色代表和平。 我们的宪法禁止进行进攻性战争,因此科威特所进行的最后一次进攻性战争是在1901年。

Wrapping Up

I am Salah Alsaif, the Consul General of Kuwait, and you are listening to RTHK Radio 5 Serina Ha’s Cultural Garden.

我是科威特驻港澳总领事Salah Alsaif,你现在正收听香港电台第五台夏妙然博士主持的文化花园。