Category Archives: Podcast

Between Languages 017: How To Translate Chinese “Society” into English

Between Languages #17 Today we are dedicating a whole episode to discussing the translation of just one word: 社会 shèhuì, “society”. Like many modern concepts (economy, science, culture, etc.) the exact term did not exist natively in the Chinese language. As a result, it is used very differently in Chinese as compared to English, which […]

Between Languages 016: How to Translate China’s Cultural Heritage into English

Between Languages #16 In this week’s podcast on Chinese-English translation, I discuss some of the tricky terminology you’ll encounter when dealing with texts on China’s cultural heritage.

Between Languages 015: How to Translate Proper Nouns Between Chinese and English

Between Languages #15 For many translators, the names of people, places, and organizations are not a big challenge. However, when translating between Chinese and English, they can be very time-consuming to deal with. In this week’s podcast, I explore some of the common issues and offer advice to beginning and advanced translators alike.

Between Languages 014: From Dog’s Blood to Dog Whistling

Between Languages #14 Words of the Week 1. 狗血 gǒuxuè, gǒuxuě, gǒuxiě 2.接地气 jiē dìqì 3. 外协 wàixié 4. 翻车 fānchē 5. 屌丝 diǎosī 6. ASMR /ˌeɪɛsɛmɑːr/ 7. keyboard warrior /ˈkiːbɔːd ˈwɒrɪə/ 8. feels /fiːls/ 9. doomscrolling /duːm ˈskrəʊlɪŋ/ 10. dog whistling /dɒɡ ˈwɪs(ə)lɪŋl/

Between Languages 013: From Big Babies to Unicorns

Between Languages #13 Words of the Week 1. 巨嬰 jùyīng 2.天菜 tiāncài 3. 背锅 bēiguō 4. 奇葩 qípā 5. 山寨 shānzhài 6. ghost /ɡəʊst/ (v.) 7. misinformation /ˌmɪsɪnfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ 8. disinformation /ˌdɪsɪnfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ 9. neurodiversity /ˌnjʊərə(ʊ)dɪˈvəːsɪti/ 10. unicorn /ˈjuːnɪkɔːn/

Between Languages 012: From Back-up Partners to Game Changers

Between Languages #12 Words of the Week 1. 備胎 bèitāi 2. 薅羊毛 hāoyángmáo 3. 奧利給 àolìgěi 4. 賣萌 màiménɡ 5. 魔性 móxìng 6. salty /ˈsɔːlti/ 7. hopeium /ˈhəʊpɪəm/ 8. copium /ˈkəʊpɪəm/ 9. mic drop /mʌɪk drɒp/ 10. game changer /ɡeɪm ˈtʃeɪn(d)ʒə/

Between Languages 011: From Flags to Side Hustles

Between Languages #11 Words of the Week 1. flag 2. 丧文化 sàngwénhuà 3. 带节奏 dài jiézòu 4. 吐槽 tǔcáo, tùcáo 5. 飒 sà 6. patient zero /ˈpeɪʃ(ə)nt ˈzɪərəʊ/ 7. rat-licker /rat ˈlɪkər/ 8. blursday /bləːzdeɪ/ 9. revenge bedtime procastination /rɪˈvɛn(d)ʒ ˈbɛdtʌɪm prə(ʊ)ˌkrastɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ 10. side hustle /sʌɪd ˈhʌs(ə)l/

Between Languages 010: From Licking Dogs to Brain Fogs

Between Languages #10 Words of the Week 1. 舔狗 tiǎngǒu 2. 安利 ānlì 3. 田園女權 tiányuán nǚquán 4. 文藝青年 wényì qīngnián 5. 暴風哭泣 bàofēngkūqì 6. binge-watch /bɪn(d)ʒ wɒtʃ/ 7. snowflake /ˈsnəʊfleɪk/ 8. fracking /ˈfrakɪŋ/ 9. hot take /hɒt teɪk/ 10. brain fog /breɪn fɒɡ/

Between Languages 009: From Dry Goods to Fatbergs

Between Languages #9 Words of the Week 1. 干货 gānhuò 2. 云监工 yúnjiāngōng 3. 不约而同 bùyuē’értóng 4. 打call dǎ-kōu, dǎ-kāo 5. 车厘子自由 chēlízi, chēlízǐ 6. clickbait /ˈklɪkbeɪt/ 7. plogging /plɒɡɪŋ/ 8. non-binary /nɒn ˈbʌɪnəri/ 9. hangry / ˈhaŋɡri/ 10. fatberg /ˈfatbəːɡ/

Between Languages 008: From Heroes in Harm’s Way to Catfish

Between Languages #8 Words of the Week 1. 逆行者 nìxíngzhě 2. 开车 kāichē 3. 拟车无据 yíchēwújù 4. 真香 zhēn xiāng 5. 杠精 gàngjīng 6. Dracula sneeze /ˈdrakjʊlə sniːz/ 7. influencer /ˈɪnflʊənsə/ 8. post-truth /ˌpəʊs(t)ˈtruːθ/ 9. columbusing /kəˈlʌmbəsɪŋ/ 10. catfish /ˈkatfɪʃ/