45 Mandarin Sentences with Chinese Characteristics

09/02/2012 | Author: carlgene

The following is a collection of sentences in Mandarin which I believe are special in some way.

What do I mean by “special”? Well, let’s just say grammatically and structurally they’re not exactly typical, and in most cases they stand-alone as independent expressions. Plus, many of them contain elements of Chinese culture that set them apart from regular sentences.

I’ve broken these up into beginners, intermediate and advanced levels and tried to explain not only the literal meaning of each sentence, but its function and near-equivalent translation in English. Of course your comments and constructive feedback are always welcome in the comments section. Enjoy!

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Posted in Chinese Expressions | 19 Comments

My 30 Favourite English Words

29/12/2011 | Author: carlgene

A random selection here of words I’m really fond of in English. I will write up a Chinese list later.

 

My 30 Favourite English Words

In no particular order.

1. cliché [陈词滥调]
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: French, past participle (used as a noun) of clicher ‘to stereotype.’

2. irony [no exact Chinese equivalent exists as far as I know; can be 反语 or 具有讽刺意味的事 depending on the situation]
ORIGIN early 16th cent. (also denoting Socratic irony): via Latin from Greek eirōneia ‘simulated ignorance,’ from eirōn ‘dissembler.’

3. malice [恶意]
ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin malitia, from malus ‘bad.’

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221 Diseases, Disabilities and Disorders in English and Chinese

30/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

Since I kept having to add more and more diseases to 110 Diseases, Disabilities and Disorders in English and Chinese, I thought I’d make a separate post with 100 or so more diseases for readers who want a more comprehensive glossary. Enjoy!

 

221 Diseases, Disabilities and Disorders in English and Chinese

1. Acne: 痤疮

2. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) (formerly ADD): 注意力不足过动症；注意力缺失症

3. Agoraphobia: 广场恐惧症

4. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): 艾滋病

5. Albinism: 白化症

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Posted in Glossaries | 3 Comments

Modern Weapon Vocabulary in English and Chinese

29/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

I’ve compiled here a list of the most common modern weapon vocabulary in English, along with their corresponding translations in Mandarin. This may be useful in boosting your defense-related vocabulary which comes up often in news articles and creative writing.

 

Modern Weapon Vocabulary in English and Chinese

air gun: 汽枪
ammunition: 弹药
anti-aircraft: 高射的
anti-personnel: 杀伤人员的
anti-tank: 反坦克的
artillery: 火炮
assault rifle: 突击步枪
automatic: 自动的
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Most Common 同音词 (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin

29/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

The following is a list I’ve compiled of the most common word-homophones* in Chinese.

This may be useful for your general study, since there are so many homophones in Mandarin.

*I say “word-homophones” deliberately, since I’m referring specifically to 同音词 (homophones made up of multi-character words), not 同音字 (“character-homophones”, when two characters have the same pronunciation).

 

Most Common 同音词 (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin

 

yóuyú: 由于 (“because of; due to”) and 鱿鱼 (“squid”)

chénmò: 沉默 (“silent; taciturn”) and 沉没 (“to sink”)

jìyì: 记忆 (“remember”) and 技艺 (“skill; art”)

jiāodài: 交代 or 交待 (“to hand over; to explain; to make clear; et al”) and 胶带 (“tape”)

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Random Word Trivia Quiz Part 4

28/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

With apologies – I think this is the most challenging one yet. But, by all means, have a go and see how many you can guess answers for!

 

1. When you want to cancel an appointment you have made with a friend. (verb)

2. You have an appointment in a few hours, but until then all you can do is…? (verb)

3. The box that, if opened, will spell disaster. (noun)

4. You’re sitting down, when suddenly you can’t feel your foot. (verb)

5. You look under your bed and find a ball of dust. (noun)

6. You accidentally hit your elbow and you get a funny feeling. (verb + noun)

7. You apply for a job and get through to the next round (an interview) – what kind of list do you get on? (verb + noun)

8. You grew up in this city, you know it really well, just like…? (adjective)

9. You stay up late a lot, you’re a…? (noun)

10. You’re the opposite of drunk. (adjective)

11. You don’t go to class when you’re supposed to. (verb)

12. She’s friends with so many people, she’s always going to social events, she’s a…? (noun)

13. When something is easy for you, just like child’s…? (noun)

14. A rare species of deer native to China that is extinct in the wild. (noun)

 

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Posted in Translation Challenges | 2 Comments

The Challenges of Protecting the Environment: An English-Chinese Practice Passage

13/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

The following is an original text written by me about environmental issues.

It can be used as a consecutive interpreting practice, or as study material for IELTS writing or NAATI interpreting training.

Enjoy!

 

The Challenges of Protecting the Environment
环境保护的挑战
Carl Gene Fordham
傅君恺

Firstly, it must be said that tackling environmental issues should be a number-one priority for our government.
首先，必须指出我们政府应该把处理环保问题放在首位。

Since the Industrial Revolution, our cities have been plagued by many types of pollution including air, water and noise pollution, and it is now time we took some action.
自工业革命以来，我们的城市便遭受着各种各样的污染，包括空气、水和噪音污染，现在是时候行动起来了。

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Posted in Featured Topics | 4 Comments

Cryptic Chinese Quiz

13/11/2011 | Author: carlgene

This week’s quiz is a cryptic (隐晦的含义) one.

The following 14 words have been translated literally (character-by-character) from Chinese into English. Your challenge is to see if you can guess the original Chinese word, as well as the idiomatic English translation. You get double points if you can guess both languages.

  1. electric brain
  2. immortal palm
  3. husband and wife lung slices
  4. ear shit
  5. add oil
  6. 100 day cough
  7. yellow face lady
  8. walk in dog-shit luck
  9. foreign spring-onion
  10. lose love
  11. don’t want face
  12. avoid pregnancy cover
  13. shake-head pill
  14. release somebody’s pigeon

 

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Posted in Translation Challenges | 2 Comments

12 Illicit Drugs in English and Chinese

31/10/2011 | Author: carlgene

The following is a list I’ve collected of the most common illicit drugs in the West, including both the English names, and Chinese translations and pinyin.

This collection should be useful for translating and interpreting students practicing in legal, police and medical contexts. I would recommend you learn all of this vocabulary if you want to be confident in this particular area.

The common drug name is provided in bold; alternative names are given in parentheses. I look forward to hearing from your corrections and additions if you have any – I’m definitely no expert in this area!

 

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Posted in Glossaries | 9 Comments

Random Word Trivia Quiz Part 3

29/10/2011 | Author: carlgene

Here’s another one – I’m on a roll! See how many you can get right – and you get bonus points if you can guess the translation into your second language.

 

1. You’re famous for doing bad things. (adjective)

2. You can hear the sound of people having sex. (noun)

3. You’re obsessed with making sure that everything is clean. (adjective)

4. You’re a man and you really act like one. (adjective)

5. An item of footwear with a strap between the big toe and the other toes. (noun)

6. This type of Russian food is usually considered the most luxurious in the West. (noun)

7. You really like looking at yourself in the mirror. (adjective)

8. You change your mind all the time. (adjective)

9. You work too much. (noun)

10. You have sex with a virgin. (verb)

11. You act like a spoilt child. (verb)

12. You really need to pee! (adjective)

13. You feel like you’ve done this before… what a strange feeling! (noun)

14. Someone who tries to be cool. (noun)

15. When you say the opposite of what you mean. (noun)

16. You achieve success only because of good luck. (verb)

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Posted in Translation Challenges, Uncategorized | 8 Comments