| Blog of Carl Gene Fordham | Saturday, 17 January 2026 - 5:42 |
A Mandarin-speaking man has been arrested by the police who have asked him to describe his previous drug conviction. You will be interpreting what he says into English in real time.
Simultaneous Interpreting Practice #1 – Drug Possession (Mandarin into English)
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 can create problems for beginning and professional translators alike.
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.
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.
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/
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/
You have been asked to interpret for a representative from the Chinese space program. Your translation will be used by mainstream media from around the Anglosphere.
Interpreting Speech #20 – Achievements of China’s Space Program (Mandarin-into-English)
During a brief stay in British Columbia, you have been asked to interpret at a conference on Canadian law. Among the attendees is a delegation visiting from China.
Interpreting Speech #19 – Legal Aid in BC (English-into-Mandarin)
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/
（视频配有中文字幕）
In this video I present my paper titled, “Documentary, Interpretive, and Expressive Issues in James Legge’s Translation of the Liji (Book of Rites)” at “A Crisis, or a New Direction? Reconsidering the Translation of Chinese Philosophy” hosted by Lingnan University, 9-10 May, 2021.
Carl Gene Fordham is a Chinese/English translator and Mandarin/English interpreter based in Brisbane, Australia.
傅君恺（Carl Gene Fordham），中英翻译，现居澳大利亚布里斯班。
Learn more about Carl here.
点击上方链接了解更多关于傅君恺的信息。
To hire Carl, please send the relevant job details by email to carlgenefordham AT gmail DOT com, or make direct enquiries via WeChat (ID: carlfordham).
招聘相关事宜，请将任务详细发送电子邮件至carlgenefordham AT gmail DOT com，或加微信（微信号：carlfordham）进行咨询。
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