A Matter of Interpretation
It is often said that much is lost in the translation of words from
one language to another, but have you ever thought that it can
equally work to one's benefit.
The recent IE Singapore (formerly TDB)-led mission to China saw
feverish exchange of name cards between local representatives and
their Chinese counterparts, but our locals must lose out in the
originality category when it comes to naming of law firms (or
themselves) as some of these cards will show:
Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum
Giving a whole new meaning to the Latin maxim, 'Let justice be
done, though the heavens fall', are these beautiful ceiling lamps in
the shape of the scales of justice, found in the foyer of China's
Supreme Court in Dongjiaominxiang, Beijing, where the Singapore
delegation met Mr Jiang Xing Chang, the Court's Vice-President.
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| You Judge
Local court clerks facing the threat of retrenchment, with
everything going the electronic way, can take heart. In Indonesia,
that is. A recent Jakarta Post report claims that the country's
shortage of judges is being met with the recruitment of court
clerks. And any court clerk can apply to become a judge, even if he
has been a court clerk for only one day! |
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Running in the Family
Some recent examples of Law Society Council members (and their
families) going beyond the call of duty: Philip Jeyaretnam,
Vice-President, was seen gamely donning his PT kit and (with wife
and children in tow) joining the 80-odd members of the Bar and Legal
Service in the Law Society's 5th Cross-country Run at MacRitchie
Reservoir.
Finishing the race had its own reward,
Mr Jeyaretnam's children at least thought their Dad won the first
prize - having come right behind the pack - as he handed out the
prizes to the winners: Harold Oh (male category) and Wendy Yap
(female category) - five-time winner and four-time winner
respectively.
When asked why he preferred remaining in the sidelines,
Palakrishnan SC, Law Society President, who flagged off the runners
at the starting line, quipped that he did not want to trouble the
paramedics on a Sunday and was conserving his energy for the Bench
& Bar Games in Kota Kinabalu!
On a separate note, bravely donning crutches and accompanied by
his supportive wife, was Council member Yang Ing Loong, who bore
stairs and numerous bus rides and internal flights in China with
great gusto during the IE Singapore Mission to Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou. Despite the physical challenge faced, Mr Yang, who is
fluent in Mandarin, obviously faced no language handicap!
Truly a tribute to the Law Society's new role as a Family Life
Ambassador! (See article.)
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