Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1988. január-június (42. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1988-02-18 / 7. szám
Thursday, Feb. 18. 1988. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. Hungaran for Foreigners The Hungarology Congress held in Vienna in 1986 as well as the seventh conference on the teaching of Hungarian have once again called attention to the Hungarian language, to Hungarian literature, and to the work of Hungarian teachers abroad. Bela Giay, head of the Center for Hungarian Instructors, founded in 1983, atten— ded both conferences. He has a thorough knowledge of the scale of Hungarian teaching at present and is conversant with the problems involved. Where and how is Hungarian taught in the world? At present, the Hungarian language and Hungarian studies are being taught in 88 institutions worldwide. This network is rather extensive. As is usual in the case of littleknown languages and cultures, instructions begins only in the sphere of higher education where the four or five years of instruction at our disposal set limits both to our methods and to our possibilities. Since it is difficult to become properly conversant with Hungarian in such a short time, additional education is of great importance. The task of those teaching the language, culture and specific subjects such as ethnography, history or literature, is made more difficult by the fact that the students are generally ignorant even of the most basic facts or worse still, are in possession of misleading information. What is the task of the Center for Hungarian Instructors? The center was set up to advise and assist guest lecturers in their work. We also offer help with textbooks. The books used for higher education in Hungary are often inadequate for teaching abroad. A foreigner sees things through the mirror of his own culture. That is only natural. He looks for similarities and differences. We must therefore provide him with books which take account of these things. A student of Hungarian abroad must assimilate knowledge in a historical, his- torico-cultural "package", which will make the new information more digestible. But most of all, we need to make sure that he becomes acquainted with the most valuable products of Hungarian culture, and, in the case of literature, this requires good translation published in the given country's mother tongue. Smashing the stereotypes After Doug Williams's amazing display as the first Black quarterback to play in the Superbowl, the idiotic notion that Black athletes lack the qualities necessary to lead professional sports teams has been laid to rest forever. The timing, after A1 "They-don't-have-the-neces- sities" Campanis and Jimmy "the bigoted" Snyder publicly voiced such prejudices, couldn't have been better. For Williams, the game culminated a lifetime of struggle against the racism embedded in U.S. professional sports. In 67 seasons of championship football games, none ever had a Black quarterback. In 1985, 99% of quaterbacks were white, despite Black players comprising over 50% of the league. There is also not a single Black coach, despite Black's playing in professional football since the 1940s. Doug Williams emerged from Superbowl XXII as much more than the first Black quarterback to throw in the biggest sports event in the country, taking the Most ■ Valuable Player award along the way. He has become an inspiration to athletes and sports enthusiasts of all ages. As one fan put it, "It will open a lot of doors for talented Black athletes who've been sitting on the bench. Kids really need role models, and Doug breaks down the stigma that exists... and that means a lot." With a touch of irony, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) noted this historic achievement. "Doug Williams", he said at the victory ceremony, "has done more for civil rights in one game than the Reagan administration has done in eight years." One more racist barrier has fallen. Next hurdle: management and the front office. To the Editor Dear Friends, During the last couple of months I have started receiving copies of the English language page of Magyar Szó regularly and I am very grateful for that. I think you are doing admirable job providing varied and interesting material within the physical confines of one tabloid page for American readers who, without knowledge of the Hungarian language, feel close to Hungary or Hungarians or Hungarian Americans. I thank you warmly for your efforts in producing the English language page, and for getting it to me regularly. Enclosed is a small financial contribution as a token of my appretiation. Very sincerely Mitch Berkowitz AT THE PHARMACY "Could you recommend a strong painkiller please?" "For a headache or a toothache?" "Neither. Someone insulted me in 1951, and it still hurts." Women at the Top in Hongary To some extent, it is new for women to occupy senior managerial posts in Hungary. And they do quite a good job too. This is a favorite topic not only with the general public, but also with the press and bookpublishers. Women in managerial posts admittedly have a tough job in two respects. They often have to overcome parents' and husbands' opposition, as well as prejudice on the part of the public. One fact worth noting is that statistical surveys have shown that most women in top executive posts tend to have more children and are less likely to get divorced than their colleagues in junior posts. According to a survey which appeared in the journal "International Management", the number of companies run by women is on the increase worldwide. Women themselves believe that the secret of their success can be attributed to the fact that unlike male managers, women in managerial positions think of other people's interests just as they do in their family relationships. The Hungarian government has passed a resolution aimed at involving women more in politics and public life, and at appointing more women to managerial posts. In Hungary, 80% of all women of working-age are engaged in some kind of gainful employment. By 1980, 7.6% of these women had a university qualification, which was only 1% less than the figure for men. In that same year 40% of working women were non-manual workers while 58% of all non-manual workers were women. High educational qualifications are a basic requirement for a managerial post. So, as the above figures indicate, women's chances of filling a managerial position have greatly improved. But in actual fact, this is only partly reflected in companies' managerial hierarchy, as it is the norm that mainly men occupy the top posts, while at the bottom of the ladder there is a high proportion of women. in tneory, men and women have a constitutional right to the same wage for doing the same job. In practice however, the average salary paid to women in top posts is less than that for their male colleagues. In 1973 it was 18.3% less, by 1980 the difference had decreased to 15.6%. Judit Gy. Fekete Holocaust memorial Jews of Hungarian background now living in the United States will memorialize the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who perished in the Holocaust with a monument to be erected near the site of a mass grave adjacent to a busy Budapest street. The monument, which will be in the form of a tree, will have the names of Jews who were killed inscribed on the leaves. The agreement to erect a monii- ment was finalized during a recent visit to this country by Mayor Pal Ivany of Budapest. Individuals who wish to dedicate leaves should contact the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture, 21 W. 38th St., New York, N.Y. 10018. Tits atuL' Tunes "My son collects stamps - a very educational hobby," the doting mother boasted to her neighbor. "Just listen: Kevin, tell us where Hungary is?" "Two pages in front of Italy," came the prompt reply.
