The language of power: How Japan translated, Indonesia adapted, and Southeast Asia chose its voice
NO nation modernises in silence. The language it chooses shapes its destiny. From Tokyo to Jakarta, from Delhi to Singapore, Asia’s rise has never been defined by economics alone.
The languages spoken in Japan, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia have played a pivotal role in shaping their modern histories. Japan's modernisation began with "Rangaku" or Dutch Learning, which allowed the Tokugawa shogunate to absorb Western scientific knowledge while preserving its cultural identity. This selective openness enabled Japan to learn from Europe without losing its heritage.
By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan had built over 1,000 schools and boasted an 80% literacy rate among young men, marking a significant leap in education and intellectual preparedness for transformation.
In contrast, the Dutch East Indies experienced a different colonial approach. The Dutch governed through intermediaries and interpreters, rarely sharing their language with the natives. Malay, already a language of trade, diplomacy, and scholarship across the Malay world, became a convenient medium for Dutch officials, missionaries, and traders to communicate.
When Indonesia declared independence in 1945, its leaders, Sukarno and Hatta, chose Malay as the basis for the new national language, Bahasa Indonesia, recognizing its widespread understanding and potential as a symbol of shared identity rather than domination.
The British, on the other hand, employed English as a tool of administrative control in India, Burma, Malaya, and Singapore. By encouraging the local elite to master English, the British cultivated a generation of English-educated leaders who would later lead their countries to independence. These leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lee Kuan Yew, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Mahathir Mohamad, used English not only as a colonial language but also as a political instrument to debate with their colonial counterparts on equal terms and articulate visions of national independence.
The legacy of these colonial language policies continues to influence the region today. Japan remains a nation where modernisation was achieved through integration and translation, rather than Westernisation. Indonesia's linguistic unity, born from Malay's inherent virtues, stands as a testament to the power of language in fostering national identity.
Meanwhile, the Anglophone nations of Southeast Asia have turned English, once a tool of subjugation, into a bridge to international trade, diplomacy, and investment networks, cementing its role as a vital language of commerce and governance.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
