how does one translate '(surname)老板' from Chinese to English? I understand that the word '老板' means boss/shopkeeper/shop owner/chief, but when a surname is added in front of their position, how exactly can i translate it so it sounds grammatically correct? For instance, let's say I want to translate ‘张老板' into English. So ‘张老板' would become 'Boss Zhang/Shopkeeper Zhang' when used in a sentence. But it sounds so odd and awkward somehow?
1 Answer
You don't translate that. Just say Mr Zhang.
Such obsequiousness is more a Chinese thing.
I call strangers on the street 老板 or 师傅.
在中国， 你真正的老板是你的女朋友！（别忘了！）
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oh? "Mr" can be a substitute for "老板" in this case? :0 Wouldn't the original meaning get lost if it becomes "Mr" though? Jun 5, 2020 at 8:38
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If you translate it to "Mr", you also need to make sure the 老板 is male.– Becky 李蓓 ♦Jun 5, 2020 at 8:48
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Wasn't there a joke somewhere that in some Asian cities, if you get the money, EVERYONE will call you "boss"? Or did I just watch too much Nick Cage movies? Jun 5, 2020 at 14:53
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@Becky: sorry, you are right, that's just my latent chauvinism surfacing! Please don't tell my gf!– PedroskiJun 5, 2020 at 22:06