Laser Loach?

[Mad Duff]

Thanks for the info Lou

If they did turn out to be Yunnanilus brevis I would b every happy indeed

[sophie]

arent Asians humans? so Europeans dont make any mistakes of their own?

Fact or not, we are all humans and it is not right to single out Asians when it comes to this.

Chen,

Graeme knows as well as the rest of us that most non-native English spellers are a lot better at it than those of us that were born to it. I couldn't begin to write Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali etc...

[Mad Duff]

arent Asians humans? so Europeans dont make any mistakes of their own?

Fact or not, we are all humans and it is not right to single out Asians when it comes to this.

I think the point that was been made was that these fish are found in Asia and caught in Asia and some of the local names can not be translated to English so in a lot of cases a catchy name is made up or given to the fish to get people buying it and sometimes it is just a case of something getting lost in translation. I don't think for a second that anyone was singling out the Asians as people who make more mistakes than anyone else

[Martin Thoene]

If there's any blame to be placed anywhere when it comes to the naming of fish within the ornamental fish trade then I believe that it lies with every single person that chooses not to properly identify the species with a scientific name.

In some countries fish are caught in the wild by people who might not even be able to read, but at some point the fish reach the care of educated people who could choose to do some research and find out at least the family of fish the species belongs to.

Instead, someone makes up some fancy name that means nothing. In time, if this becomes a popular aquarium resident the name may become accepted and generally used. But certain countries call the same fish by different "common" names so there's still confusion.

The vast majority of fish get sold to people who aren't often interested in anything beyond the fact that they're pretty fish. A scientific identification is of no interest as it's much more fun to own a "Laser Loach" than it is a "Schistura sp. unidentified" (possible example).

Species ID is of interest to fish nuts and dedicated hobbyists. Certain members of the trade in the east and west are also interested in proper identification for their own education whereas others couldn't care less. They just label their stock tanks with what ever ridiculous name the fish was listed as by the exporter.

I believe the problem lies with the difference between those trade people who see fish as a commodity rather than something of scientific interest. And also the eventual purchasers of the fish who see either a disposable home decoration or a beautiful piece of nature in their home that needs nurturing and is interesting enough to be researched. Every nation has those two poles apart factions and others who fall somewhere between the two extremes.

Martin.

[ckk125]

If that is the case, why would the word be in italic?

For aesthetic reasons?

[JonGuerriero]

I'm pretty sure if the fish had come in from the US then that would have been italicized. There are always spelling, pronunciation, use, etc... issues on a forum like this with such a wide-spreed user base.

I can honestly say that in the several years I've been frequenting this forum the members (especially the "core"...you know who you are ) are more polite than any other forum I've ever seen.

Is it possible that you're being a little over-sensitive?

[sophie]

If that is the case, why would the word be in italic?

For aesthetic reasons?

Graeme likes italicising random words. No-one understands why - he's an excellent case in point of native-English speakers mangling the written language.

[Martin Thoene]

It is a simple fact that English translations of words from Chinese or Japanese sources often cause amusement in the west because often the word is written in a phonetic way based on those nation's natural way of pronounciation when speaking English.

The letters 'L' and'R' seem to be the problem areas. Hence Loach becomes Roach which is most certainly not a Cobitid fish in the west.

As this thread is about a "Laser Loach" it is possible that there might be an East/West lost in translation confusion thing going on.
Assumptions have been made based on Laser possibly denoting bright color, but that might be way off because the L mught actually be a mistake for R and it becomes "Raser Loach"....maybe "Razor Loach". Trying to decipher what THAT might possibly look like can give cause for further speculation.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that a retailer in the west trying to make a fish order has no idea what she/he is actually going to get if they order the species. They may get something ugly and unsaleable. They may get something wonderful. Accuracy in naming works both ways. Fancy names may attract buyers but indefinite identification can also put them off unless a photograph is available.

"Asian" is too broad a term to use when discussing this subject as I don't believe that Graeme was including the Indian sub-continent in that. If he had been more specific then there was possibly more chance of specific offense to someone from China or Japan or of descent from those countries.

Italicizing words is as sophie states a Graeme thing. I was born and bred in London, England. Graeme comes from "up north". They're different up there. He's from Newcastle and they view most things as Black and White (like their football team and Guiness), but I'm sure no offence was intended.

We embrace everyone here and give lots of slack to mis-spelling and weird interpretations of the language of use here. As long as the English is not too bad we can usually decipher the meaning. This is a truly international community and one that just keeps getting more and more so. Be thankful for the Internet. Not too long ago we weren't even talking to the world like this. Small suprise that once in a while misinterpretations happen.

Martin.

[sophie]

I'm upset that people are upset

[LoachOrgy]

ckk im part asian and in no way was that comment troubling to me. my gf is one hundred percent asian. i don't think he meant it to be insulting in any way!

[Martin Thoene]

There's only one person upset that I can see Soph. Upset is not like yawning, it shouldn't be contagious.

Martin.

[Graeme Robson]

Indeed no offense was intended. My apologies if i did come across this way. I was simply stating that these fish are from Asia and common names have become more of a pain for anyone to find the true identification before purchasing.

I've seen new common names attached to the same old species of loach over and over again.

[JonGuerriero]

It is a simple fact that English translations of words from Chinese or Japanese sources often cause amusement in the west because often the word is written in a phonetic way based on those nation's natural way of pronounciation when speaking English.

Proof of the translation issues: http://www.engrish.com/

[The.Dark.One]

See this old Loach thread on 'Laser Loach'

http://aquaweb.pair.com/forums/archives ... read=36235

Looking at the link within it it seems the name may be given to Lepidocephalus thermalis, or a similar species?

And by the way, "Its not a laser, its a little light bulb that blinks".

[mistergreen]

I'd buy a fish whose name is laser.
Sounds pretty cool to me. Isn't it a marketing tool?