Better Understanding Old Malay Manuscripts

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam - A ceremony was yesterday held at the History Centre to witness the presentation of certificates to 17 workshop participants who were taught how to transliterate, catalog and edit old Malay manuscripts.

History Centre Acting Deputy Head Othman bin Hj Mat Don handed out the certificates to the participants comprising personnel from three departments under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, namely the History Centre, Museums Department and the Language and Literature Bureau.

The May 18 to May 29 workshop was held at the Development and Learning Division, and its instructor was Prof Dr E Ulrich Kratz, Head of Indonesian and Malay Language Center, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, United Kingdom. The workshop provided participants the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills on methods of transliteracy, cataloging and editing of old Malay manuscript, allowing them to later apply their knowledge and new experience to their jobs.

Additionally, it aimed to stimulate interest in essay and article writing by analysing old manuscript stored at their respective departments. There are plenty of manuscripts stored at the departments, which have yet to be deciphered due to the lack of skills and knowledge. The participants were briefed, attended discussions and conducted course work activities to transcribe Malay manuscript in Jawi writing, and to analyse the criteria of the Malay manuscript for catalogue use or editing.

The workshop also saw participants touring the Language and Literature Bureau, State Mufti's Office, Archive Museum, library of UBD and Pusat Dakwah Islamiah Centre. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Source: http://www.brudirect.com
Picture: http://www.princeton.edu

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