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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1977
GOVERNMENT CALLIGRAPHIST IS MORE
THAN A SCRIBE ****
IF YOU DROP BY AT THE PRESS ROOM OF THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE GREETED BY A STRANGE SING-SONG VOICE READING ALOUD OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASES IN CHINESE ITEM AFTER ITEM.
THE RECITATION CAN BE HEARD MORE OFTEN WHEN IMPORTANT AND VOLUMINOUS NEWS IS RELEASED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
IT COMES FROM THE HEAD OF A TABLE WHERE MR. FAN FOOK-CHEUNG, SENIOR CALLIGRAPHIST OF THE DEPARTMENT SITS.
MR. FAN IS ALSO A PROOF-READER AND A +WALKING COMPUTER+. HE KNOWS A GOOD MANY DIFFICULT, SPECIAL TERMS AND CAN RECALL THE NAMES OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THEIR POSTINGS AT THE DROP OF THE HAT.
WITH 32 YEARS' SERVICE WITH THE GOVERNMENT BEHIND HIM, MR. FAN IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW PIONEERS IN OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION IN CHINESE AND HAS WITNESSED ITS CHANGE-OVER FROM CONVENTIONAL HAND WRITTEN SCRIPT TO TYPE SETTING.
MR. FAN'S SERVICE DATES BACK TO THE EARLY 1940S. +MY DUTIES IN THOSE DAYS WERE VARIED, RANGING FROM COPYING CHINESE TRANSLATION ON STENCIL, MINOR TRANSLATION WORK AND CARRYING OUT OTHER CLERICAL DUTIES,+ HE RECALLED.
AFTER WORKING FOR 10 YEARS ON HIS OWN, MR. FAN NOW HAS A TEAM OF 10 CALLIGRAPHISTS AND ASSISTANT CALLIGRAPHISTS.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE DUTY OF A CALLIGRAPHIST IS NOT MERELY TO TRANSFER TRANSLATED OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS TO STENCIL, BUT ALSO TO PROOF-READ EACH WORD CAREFULLY TO ENSURE THERE ARE NO MISTAKES. +BY READING OUT ALOUD, IT IS EASIER FOR ME TO SPOT MISTAKES,+ MR. FAN EXPLAINED.
+CAREFULNESS IS ESSENTIAL IN OUR JOB. EVEN A MISPLACED COMMA WOULD CHANGE THE ENTIRE MEANING OF A PRESS RELEASE, HE ADDED.
HIS DEVOTION TO WORK WAS RECOGNIZED IN 1971 WHEN HE WAS AWARDED THE B.E.M. IN THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS.
THERE ARE AT PRESENT ABOUT 80 CALLIGRAPHISTS IN ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, MOST OF THEM ARE ATTACHED TO THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE HOMES AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
ANOTHER CALLIGRAPHIST. MRS. CHAO LAI SOK-YING OF THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, HAS ALSO SEEN MUCH CHANGE IN THE WORK OF A GOVERNMENT CALLIGRAPHIST.
/+AS MORE AND MORE