If you have anything you’d like to ask me about translating Chinese-into-English and vice-versa you can do so by submitting your question in the form at the bottom of this page.
June 2012
积极举手发言
Lily asks: How to say 上课要积极举手发言 in English?
Carl’s answer: I would just say “You should show initiative in raising your hand in class.”
May 2012
深思熟虑
Marlbo asks: What’s 深思熟虑 in English? I think you’ve told me that word before but I can’t remember it.
Carl’s answer: I would translate 深思熟虑 as “to consider sth carefully” or “to turn sth over in one’s mind”. The word I taught you was “contemplate” which is similar but not the same. My Apple dictionary defines “contemplate” as “think profoundly and at length; meditate”. A tiny difference I guess.
“Selfee”?
Jerry asks: I heard someone talking about using a mobile phone to take photos of themselves and they used a word which sounded like a “selfee”. I guess it means 自拍 but I can’t find the word online. Do you know what that word is?
Carl’s answer: Apparently you’re talking about a “selfie”. Wiktionary has an entry about it. It looks like internet slang, but I’m not familiar with it. I would just call it a “self-portrait”.
Hi Carl,
How would you translate this clause: 先内部选用后对外招聘的原则 ? As I understand it, I would translate it as “the principle of first selecting [someone] of the company and then publishing an open job offer”, but I’m not sure about it. I found it in a company’s presentation. Thanks a lot!
You’re on the right track. I would translate it as “recruiting within the company first, and then advertising the position to the public”.
Carl：“爱耍小聪明”还有“走一步看一步“怎么说啊？
I’m not familiar with an English equivalent for 爱耍小聪明; I would just express it as “sb likes to play tricks on people”. As for 走一步看一步 you would have to paraphrase. Depending on the situation, you could say “sb plays sth by ear” or “think carefully before sb makes a decision/does sth”.
Hi Carl,
Last time you mentioned the phrase “sb. is wary of sth.” with an example goes “parents should be wary of not to use reward as a crutch”. However, there seems to be a contradict. Should it be ” be wary of not using reward as a crutch”?
This page is supposed to be for Chinese< ->English translation queries, not questions about English usage.^^ The correct structure is indeed “sb is wary of sth”, so “parents should be wary not to use reward(s) as (a) crutch(es)” would suffice.
Hi Carl,
I really don’t understand the following sentenses:
If a society claims to be tolerant of personal choice, then it must respect the personal choice to retain their heritage. Anything less smacks of social engineering.
Here what exactly is “social engineering”? Is that a negative thing? And how to use “smack of”? Could u please give me another example of the phrase “smack of”?
I’m not sure if this page is the right place to post this question as I can’t find a designated place to post this one.
Thank you!
Hi Carl,
When you go to see a doctor, you wanna describe a discomfort you have when going to toilet — 拉得不痛快. I was wondering how to express it in English?
Thank you!
Hi Carl,
Firstly, I want to say that your website is awesome, especially the interpreting resources your provided. They are the best interpreting resources I can find online so far! Thank you so much!
And I don’t quite sure how to properly translate the phrase “备受瞩目” in the following sentence: 备受瞩目的中国羽毛球队今天傍晚抵达伦敦希斯罗机场。Can we use the “high profile” to match it? hope you can give me a suggestion about it. Thanks!
LIANG
Carl明天考试加油\(≧∀≦)/！
Hi Carl,
How do you translate “合作愉快” into English? In a business setting, this expression is used very often, but it’s beyond my ability to find an equivalent expression in English.
And “谈谈下一步的红酒合作“ （business setting).
“中方坚决反对” （foreign affairs) Is there a word in English that can express the meaning of “坚决反对”? People may use “firmly oppose”, but I find it a bit clumsy. I’d like to know your opinions. Cheers!
hey, i recently saw a chinese proverb..
“its more useful to travel 10,000 miles then to read 10,000 books”
can you or anyone show me how this is written in chinese? i keep getting different things on search engines and translators..
Should be 读万卷书不如行万里路.
Hi Carl,
I found your translation website by Google with a subject ‘disease’.
I was given a skin disease name in Chinese. The Chinese doctor doesn’t know that in English.
Can I email you a scan of these 3 charaters that I want to be translated?
You can reply to my email.
Thanks
TK
No worries. I’ve replied to your email now.
Hi Carl,
In the sentence “I take my fair share of responsibility for the Rudd Government’s record”, which was from the acceptance speech of Julia Guillard, how would you put “I take my fair share of ” into Chinese?
Thanks,
Taylor
The best I can do is 对于陆克文政府行为，我要承担一部分责任。
She’s basically saying that she accepts *some* responsibility (a reasonable amount) for the actions of the Rudd Government. As is often the case with politicians, she’s being deliberately vague.
Hope that helps.
你真是个帅哥。，。。
Hey Carl,
You’ve done some great posts on medical terminology. I’m a med student looking to do China/US work, but I can’t seem to find anything beyond the basic vocabulary set for medical lingo online. After 4 yrs of undergrad I’m a little bit further than 你好, so this is a touch frustrating. Do you know of any published or free medical interpreting texts or textbooks for learners? Thanks!
-DM
Hi DM,
The only published Mandarin-English medical interpreting text I’ve come across is this one I stumbled on at lulu.com (a self-publishing website): Healthcare Interpreting Practice Dialogues, Volume 1 English-Chinese (Simplified). I found the dialogues quite helpful, though they are at a high (professional interpreting) level. You say you are only a little bit further than 你好; I’d suggest you build up your language skills to at least an intermediate level before you consider doing any kind of medical interpreting training.
Cheers,
Carl
Carl, you are quick and helpful. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’m actually quite well past 你好， but my medical vocabulary isn’t quite up to the level I want it for working in a hospital here in Shanxi. Many thanks!
-DM
Hi Carl,
Im rather a beginner at Chinese, and i need help translating this. Please help!
他的餐馆是很大和流行,所以他教我如何做饭好
Thank you
-Rob
Hi Rob,
The Chinese is poorly written, presumably by a non-native speaker.
I guess the author is trying to express, “His restaurant is big and popular, so he taught me how to cook well.”
Obviously it doesn’t make much sense. Where did you get it from?
Hi Carl,
I was wondering why when using the passive 被 in Mandarin sometimes “所” is placed between the agent of the sentence and the verb, but sometimes it is not? E.g. “在秋天，北京的香山被红叶所覆盖” …. but it would also be acceptable to say “…被红叶覆盖” would it not?
My guess is that 所 used as a clarifier in longer or unusual sentences to make it the verb clear and distinct from the agent. However, I can’t find anything in the textbooks or internet about this so your help would be appreciated!
David
Usually 所 would collocate with 為 to create a passive construction like that, but 被 is also correct.
My Chinese-Chinese dictionary notes this sense of 所:
助跟“为”合用，表示被动。
为实践所证明 | 不要为假象所迷惑。
Thus both of these would be fine:
在秋天，北京的香山被紅葉所覆蓋。
在秋天，北京的香山為紅葉所覆蓋。
These two:
在秋天，北京的香山被紅葉覆蓋。
在秋天，北京的香山被紅葉覆蓋了。
…would also be acceptable but you lose the literary flavour of the original sentence.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Carl that helps a lot – I also didn’t realise about the 為。。所。。 passive construction.
I still have a feeling that 所 is compulsory with 被 sometimes, for example the sentence: 影视圈中许多知名艺人的本名并不被众人所知 (although could you drop the 所知 for 知道 ?)
Thanks for getting back so quickly! D
Hi Carl
I have been translating something in to chinese, i am a beginner. I was hoping you could correct this for me. I am teaching myself chinese so if you could correct it so it is better i would appreciate it
我最喜欢的镇是伦敦因为是很大还有很多商场。伦敦是在英国中面和是英国的首都。伦敦有很多旅游景点和很多好房子。在伦敦东边有很多博物馆和图书馆。英国大英博物馆比自然史博物馆的更受欢迎。我最喜欢的部分伦敦因是西边为有很多剧院和商场.如果你是旅游人，伦敦西边是很好，因为租的房子是很便宜的.伦敦的食物比曼彻斯特是很好吃，因为伦敦有很多国外的厨师。我喜欢伦敦因为我有很多朋友，我喜欢我的学校，也伦敦人是很友好。 如果伦敦是少忙，然后那么这将是更好的.
Thanks
Robyn
Hi Carl,
How would you translate “雅士人和- 士雅何须大，花香不在多”？
花香不在多- the strong fragrance doesnt neccesarily mean there are many flowers
士雅何须大- to be a literati you don’t need recognition aand certificates…
雅士人和- what? is this “a harmonious literati”, “a literati in harmony with society”?
Please explain but also write it as neatly in english as it is written in chinese (3 short sentences. I tried but ended with a whole bunch of long explanations)
Hey Carl.
I’ve been struggling on the use of the word ‘troll’ that appears very often on internet nowaday e.g trolling face, troll sb or troller . I’ve done some check up but neither of a dictionary nor online explaination would satisfy me.
What wikipedia says about ‘troll’ on internet, if translated into chinese, could be ‘白目’. But i do believe that might be some differences between these two things.
Could you plz help me out?
hi carl, thank your blog in mandarin-English, I just didn’t know and never heard someone use in English for “一山还有一山高”.
Regards,
jesin
hi carl, would you explain how the word 算 can be translated into English as it occurs in the following exchange?
A: 你敢动手， 我就报警！
B：算你有种！
In the above exchange, Speaker A threatens to call the police if Speaker B dares to cause harm to him. Speaker B responds with a reply (算你有种！) that means he backs down. ‘有种’ is a colloquial Mandarin expression that may be roughly translated into English as ‘have guts’. But how would you translate ‘算’ in this case to make the reply sound like colloquial English?
Regards,
Matthew
I prefer the more vulgar-sounding “got balls” as a translation for 有种.
Not sure what you mean by “that means he backs down”, perhaps you could elaborate.
hi Carl
I saw a Chinese proverb in English ” tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand” . Could you please tell me what it is in Chinese?
Thanks
Rita
It should be 不闻不若闻之，闻之不若見之，見之不若知之，知之不若行之。From《荀子·儒效》.
Easily found by doing a quick Google search, by the way.
Hi Carl,
Your website is great and very useful. I am a student who will attend a translation exam in this April(from English to Chinese). It is therefore, that i wonder how to prepare the exam and how to find the main structure in very complex sentences which sometimes i am not able to translate into Chinese. and i think the main reason is there are so many prepositional phase or gerund phase. Can you give me some suggestions about how to prepare NATTI exam?
cheers
Andrew Sun
Hi Andrew, feel free to send me an email – info AT carlgene DOT com – and I can give you the contact details of a fantastic English-into-Chinese translation teacher. By the way, my direction is Chinese-into-English, as English is my first language. Cheers, Carl.
How does one ever translate 不好意思？You can use it in so many situations!
1. Sorry 2. To find something embarrassing. Depends on context.
Hey Carl, I need a translation from English to Chinese proverb with this English saying, “Things happen for a reason” or something in the line of “Theirs a start then theirs a end” Thanks CARL!!!
Hi Carl,
Just wondering how would you translate “undertaking systems upgrades and changes” to Chinese.
Thanks
Hi Carl,
This is a “THANK YOU” note. I’ve been struggling with my translation speed for a month. I’ve been having difficulties in finding right words to translate AND how to make smooth transition/ connection between English and Chinese. I’ve been flipping thru many online dictionary resources you provided (thank you), but I did this over-and-over again.
A little introduction- I am a Korean-born, Chinese who received Chinese education till I immigrated to U.S. I think in three languages, but found translation to be an entirely different beast. I am taking Translation I. Teacher says my 水平很高, but it took me forever to churn up those quality translations. I followed your link to SinoSplice today which led me to this page-
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B2#Grammatical_Structures
The moment I saw it, I said “EUREKA!” The sinosplice site dealt with many issues I have, and this is a “golden” icing on the cake.
Thank you, thank you! I will be your loyal fan. Come to my house for Chinese or Korean food anytime.. Just kidding, you are too far away.
Hi Carle,
It’s lucky to have an access to your website accidentally. I feel I’m full of positive energy (正能量)once entered into this page. But it seems like you didn’t refresh it for some time. I really appreciate your sincere endeavor on constructing this page for language learners, especially for Chinese-English bilingual professionals.
I usually play pingpong with some aussie students in Macquarie University. But sometimes i don’t know how to express some communicative contents in English in regards to table tennis. Would you please share some English topics on this?
Thanks a lot!
Best regards!
Hey Carle,
When I was watching the program called My Kitchen Rules, they described a couple-relationship as “childhood sweetheart”, just for curiosity, does that mean the couple were together when they were children?
It means they started dating when they were in high school.