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Translation Challenge: 再别康桥 by 徐志摩
Today’s translation exercise is the poem 《再别康桥》 by 徐志摩 (Xu Zhimo). It has been recommended by Bo and I think it is a good choice since the language is tricky but not overly obscure or classical. All translations are welcome and, of course, I will give detailed feedback for all of them! A pinyin-annotated version […]
83 Common Criminal Offences in English and Chinese
Note that this is not an official list and that different countries have different names for different offences. Even in Australia, laws and technical terms in courts and legislation differ considerably from state to state, so none of these criminal charges can be considered official titles. Bearing this mind, this list should only be a […]
110 Diseases, Disabilities and Disorders in English and Chinese
This is the sequel to my previous post 66 Common Symptoms in English and Chinese (which has now grown to 102!). This glossary includes all common infectious diseases, disorders, disabilities, chromosomal abnormalities, neurodegenerative disorders, mental disorders, phobias, and so on. Some entries include the formal medical titles, former names and colloquialisms in brackets. Hope you […]
102 Medical Symptoms in English and Chinese
This week I’ve been doing medical interpreting training with my fantastic mentor, Michael. With the help of my talented colleagues (and Google!) I’ve come up with a comprehensive list of common medical symptoms in English and Chinese. Originally it was a list of 66, but now I’ve added an extra 36 to get to 102! […]
10 Words for “Rich” (“Wealthy”) in English and Mandarin
I’ve got a vocabulary challenge for you. How many words for “rich” (as in “wealthy”) can you think of in English off the top of your head? Now, how many can you think of in Mandarin? I’ve collected ten of each that I will share with you now.
Translation Challenge: Tricky Chinglish Passage
My good friend Bo has devised an excellent Chinese passage with a host of tricky Chinese words which may not have direct equivalents in English. See how you go translating it! 随着社会经济的发展，曾经一度被政府所禁止的“公共言论”获得了通过，人们在精神上进一步得到解放。无论政府还是公众都应该充分抓住这一时代的机遇，发挥科技优势，尤其应该向落后地区普及科学教育知识。外语教育更是要切实抓好。二十一世纪是一个全球化的世纪，是一个地球村的世纪。一口流利地道的外语，无疑成为人们走向国际舞台的基本要求。互联网的出现，给人们的生活带来了无限的乐趣，让当今的外语学习变得方便快捷。各种外语学习软件的相继面世，使得学习的过程更加轻松、容易上手，甚至可以让人们足不出户就可以享受到世界各地的优秀教学资源。作为新时代的青年人，应该熟练掌握信息技术，否则就要被社会淘汰了。 Feel free to post your translations in the comments section and I can give you some feedback. This passage and its translation problems […]
7 Words for Condom in Chinese
Mini-post today – a good, old-fashioned synonyms list, this time pertaining to “condom” in Mandarin: 1. 避孕套 bìyùntào – “avoid-pregnancy-cover” (most common) 2. 安全套 ānquántào – “safety-cover” 3. 保險套 bǎoxiǎntào – “ensurance cover” 4. 阴茎套 yīnjīngtào – “penis-cover” 5. 衛生套 wèishēngtào – “hygiene-cover” 6. 套儿 tàor – “coverrr” (informal) 7. 如意套 rúyìtào – “as-one-wishes-cover” (Singapore/Malaysia) […]
Avoiding Chinglish – Call for Essay Samples
Recently I have been working on a new project which I was hoping my Chinese students who are learning English could help me out with. I have been writing an e-book how about how to avoid writing Chinglish in formal English. The book will cover everything from grammar to style to high-quality vocabulary and structures. […]
Translation Challenge: Household Chores
Today’s translation challenge is all about household chores: how many of these English and Chinese expressions can you translate naturally? Ten Common Household Chores (十个常见的家务活） 1. 洗衣服 2. dry your clothes 3. 熨烫衣服 4. fold your clothes 5. put your clothes away 6. take out the garbage 7. 洗碗 8. dry the dishes 9. 打扫卧室 […]
Translation Challenge: People on the Streets
For today’s translation challenge I’m going to give a description of ten different kinds of people you might see on the streets and I want you to see how many you can work out the names for in both English and Chinese. The answers are provided at the end of this full post. Some different […]
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