NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

SUPER—LINGUIST Powell Janufus is currently learning Indone-
sian at Capilano Collega to add to his extensive language menu.
His knowledge of 42 foreign tongues got him into the Guinness
Book of World Records. Not one to rest on his laurels, Janulus
already plans to study Thai at the college after completing In-

donesian.

Help’s at hand

HELP’S AT Hand, by North
Shore Community Services, is a
forum for discussing government
policies and programs, benefits,
consumer and legal rights, taxa-
tion and public services.

Answers are intended only as a
general guide and should not be
applied to individual cases without
further consultation.

Question: My 15-year-old son
has been earning money with his
paper route for some time, and
has just fanded a second job,
helping in 2 local store on Satur-
days. He says he would tike to
buy a stereo with his earnings, but
he doesn’t have enough saved yet.
He was wordering if he could pet
credit since he is employed and
would be able te make regular
payments.

Answer: Until recently, a con-
tract made in British Columbia
with a person under the age of 19
was not generally binding unless it
was for the purchase of
“necessities of life.’ Few
businesses would offer credit to
someone under 19 because there
was titthe hope of suing for the
return of the money if it was not
voluntarily paid back. But since
the changes in the law, it is more
likely that) your son could get
credit.

There have been major changes
to the provincial laws regarding
teens Who make contractual
agreements, including the purchas-
ing af goods and services or bor-
rowing money.

Under the old law, young peo-

ple could often refuse to honor a
contract and, just because of their
age, usually no action could be
taken against them.

Under the new law, young peo-
ple can no longer rely on using
their age to avoid repaying their
debis because contracts signed by
teens are no longer absolutely
void.

Although contracts with people
under the age of 19 may not be
binding, a creditor can ask the
court for a remedy. The court will
consider all relevant circumstances
in deciding whether to order
redress. These include whether the
person lied about his or her age,
what it was that was purchased,
his or her financial circumstances
and personal source of income.

Ix no longer matters if the
goods purchased were considered
a necessity of life. Provincial
courts can now order the minor to
return the goods or pay compen-
sation to the lender.

Some stores offer credit to ceens
in the hope of establishing long-
term customer loyalty. Credit is a
privilege rather than a right. and
policies on teen credit vary from
store fo store.

Your son, like most teen:.yers,
will probably need a co-signer or
guarantor in order to obtain a
loan. Bear in mind that a co-
signer is liable for the whele debt
if the borrower defaults on the
loan.

This column is prepared with
financial assistance from the
Notary Foundation. For more in-
formation call NSCS at 9835-7138.

Sunday, Aprit 14, 1991 - North Shore News - 39

Master linguist takes
on new challenges

WHEN MOST of us speak a foreign Janguage we end up
tripping over our own tongue. But Powell Janulus is one
of the few who have mastered that Shakespearian ideal of
speaking ‘“‘trippingly on the tongue’? — in over 40 dif-

ferent tongues.

At age 52, he knows 42 foreign
languages and isn’t about to stop
learning more.

In 1985 he made the Guinness
Book of World Records as the
world’s master linguist, beating
out a United Nations transiator
fluent in a mere 28 languages.

Now he's back with his nose in
the books in Capilano College's
Asian Studies program learning
Indonesian. After ingesting In-
donesian he’ll tackle Thai, again
in the Capilano College program
which he describes as ‘very effec-
tive.”’

[ shake my head at such prolific
polygiotral talent. But Janulus in-
sists ‘‘language isn’t a talent. It’s
a lot of hard work.’’ Perhaps,
then, this lingual athlete has a tal-
ent for hard work.

Official Court Interpreter of
B.C. since 1957, Janulus can in-
terpret documents or testimony in
Cantonese, Croatian, Malay,
Norwegian, Urdu, Hindi and Bul-
garian, to name a fraction. He is
so fluent in Punjabi (which he
also teaches), that native speakers
often don’t believe it’s a 42nd
language for him.

in, ae
7 y a

We're the “i ag

Pros!

Our technicians have

been in the auto glass

business tor 20 years

iCBC CLAIMS
“WINDSHIELDS”
REPLACED

Spring clean special
at no extra charge
VIP int/ext service
(You'll ove your clean car)
Come on in we are within a
few blocks of the newly opened
ICBC East Claims Centre.

By Sarbara Biack
News Reporter

‘East Indians used to phone me
at four in the morning and talk in
Punjabi (he demonstrates what my
sort-of-bilingual ear can only
presume is authentic Punjabi),
asking ‘are you really a white
guy???

But Janulus is not immune to
the pitfalls of learning Janguage,
either. He used to mispronounce
the phrase ‘the is coming,’’ in

and answered to 38 languages.

“IT missed one, an African one.
You can’t know everything,’’ he
admits in his resonant voice.

For Janulus, the most complex
language to date is Inuit. He pulls
out a book and points to an Inuit
word that stretches almost
halfway across the page. [| concur
in horror, and then he pronounces
it.

Aside from the reincarnation
theory (which would mean 42
former lives?), Janulus’ facility
for language really began as a
boy.

He grew up listening to the
seven languages shared by his
Lithuanian father and Ukrainian
mother. And, as a child, he used
to go on the foreign ships in New
Westminster and collect coins.

“It intrigued me because 1
couldn't read them,"’ he says.

Punjabi, mutating it into ‘the is Thus began a lifelong thirst for
made of flour.‘ He doesn’t mind foreign alphabets.
the prospect that his first efforts What about good old English?
might be a source of entertain- Overall Janulus thinks it is ‘‘the
ment for native conversants. nicest language grammatically
Janulus believes that once you because there aren’t very many
have learned the phonetics you verb endings.’’ But he rues the
can produce any sound. He  ‘‘stupid writing system.””
coached John Candy in Punjabi He believes if we were pro-
for his film Who’s Harry Crumb. gressive we would follow suit with
“T just had a call from the other countries and reform our
Johnny Carson show — they want writing system so words were
to put 42 nationalities in the au- spelled just the way they are
dience,’” — to see if he can field spoken.
questions from them all. Maybee that kan bee hiz nekst
He did it once on a radio show — projekt.

Te fia Lay wy |

30% %.

ex. 48'x48" $465.CO
NOW only $415.50
* extensive coiour range
« multitudes of designs
* UV impervious

OFFER ENDS APRIL 27/94

A SHADE BETTER

Specializing in Blinds and Draperies for over 7 years

1877 Marine Drive, N.Van. 984-44 04

#6-38948 Progress Way, Squamish 892-5857
Whistler 932-6617

eet