ENGLISH TO MINIMISE ACCIDENTS
Posted on 19 March 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Concern over a recent spate of railway derailments and collisions, notably in South Africa’s northern Free State, has led to a suspicion that language may be a contributory factor. Traditionally, Afrikaans has been the language of operating and running staff in this province – as it has been in most of the country for many years. Increasingly however, complaints are coming in from English-speaking personnel who do not always understand instructions given in Afrikaans. It is understood that moves are afoot to make English the “official” language on Transnet Freight Rail lines, with especial reference to sections worked by radio-based orders.
By analogy, English is universally used in air traffic control by countries all over the world, for similar reasons.
[ There are still many Afrikaans-speaking rail employees whose grasp of English is sometimes limited. The new policy may solve one problem but create others. – editor
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AS ONS ENGELS MOET PRAAT MOET DIE ANDER PERSONE DIT OOK DOEN EN DIE TAAL AAN LEER WAT ‘N FRUSTASIE AS JY MET HULLE PRAAT EN HULLE VERSTAAN JOU NIE, SORRY CAN YOU SPEL IT: PLEASE REPEAT IT; I DON’T UNDERSTAND WAT GOED IS VIR EEN IS GOED VIR ALMAL. EN MOET MY NIE SE SLEGS ENGELS WORD GEBRUIK NIE WANT ZULU NUUS BRIEWE WORD OOK UIT GEGEE. EK SAL SE N OOREENKOMS TUSSEN TREIN DRYWER EN GVB LID AAN DIENS MOET AANGEGAANWORD OOR WATTER TAAL DIE GERIEFLIKSTE IS VIR BEIDE EN DAN DIT GEBRUIK, DIT WORD MOS OP BAND VAS GELE EN SKAKEL SO DOENDE ALLE MISKOMENIEKASIE UIT
LOS DIT VIR DIE MANNE OP DIE GROND. DANKIE BAREND
The new danger to every one is “if we do not talk about it, it did not happen” the information on the incident at Wonder Boom Station is so closely guarded it make the Zuma case look like an open book. No disrespect to the Company or our President. We have saying “only make new mistakes” how do we learn from this incident if we do not know what happen, we are setting our Metro drivers up for failure.
English as official language will not in ant way stop or prevent accidents. As an ex railway running staff member,the main focus was on alertness and safety. Trains running onto the back of another would indicate that the driver of the following train was not on the alert.As with several accidents lately, even if signalling failed for some reason the driver and assistant if avaliable should always take caution and be on the lookout for obsticals ahead.In these cases on a strait stretch,clear day, a train could not be seen, impossible.