Language barriers

Lost in translation; Strata meeting conducted in Cantonese

To many owners at Capistrano townhouses in Richmond, a decision to hold a recent annual general meeting in Cantonese may have sounded reasonable.

The majority of owners there speak Cantonese, after all, and it was translated into English.

But to Sandra Hum -- who was born in Canada but understands enough Cantonese to suspect a good deal was lost in translation -- the decision was just one more example of a strata council that makes up its own rules.

"The issue is it's an official meeting," Hum said. "In Canada and B.C., English is the prime language."

And for Salomon Rayek, who emigrated from Mexico in 1998, the decision to hold the meeting primarily in Cantonese was offensive.

"I've been in Canada for about 10 years, and I have never felt so discriminated against," he said." I was really upset by the situation."

Hum, who is Chinese, and her husband, Keith Paterson, who is not, have both served on the strata council in the past and have feuded with the previous council over miscellaneous issues.

At the May 31 AGM, they found some allies when Theresa Leung, the strata council's then-president, gave her presentation in Cantonese. Leung could not be reached for comment.

Hum protested, saying all council meetings in the past were held in English. But she said she and others who protested were ignored, and the meeting proceeded in Cantonese, with the complex's property manager translating into English.

Hum said not everything was being directly translated, and when that was apparent, Rayek became so upset he stormed out of the meeting.

"Definitely we feel that we lost more than half of the meeting," Rayek said.

"I don't have anything against Chinese. But when I feel discriminated against, as a minority by being singled out -- because that's the way I feel -- something is wrong."

Hum said she was under the impression that official business meetings in Canada must be held in one of the two officials languages. That's not the case. According to the Official Languages Office, Canada's Official Language Act only applies to federal bodies, like Canada Post, not private institutions.

But even if it's not legally required, Hum says there is a cultural imperative to hold official business meetings in Canada in English or French.

Although she concedes the majority of townhouse owners at Capistrano speak Cantonese, she said most understand English well enough. She said Canadians should not be expected to accommodate minorities who don't speak English.

"If I went to Hong Kong, do I expect everything to be in English first?" she said.

Andrew Hui, Capistrano's property manager, said he was surprised to learn anyone complained about the meeting, since he hasn't received any himself.

While Leung's presentation was done in Cantonese, he said all other strata business was conducted in English and Cantonese, including the reading of resolutions.

"If I receive any complaints, it will be discussed at the council meeting, but we have not heard any complaints," he said.