Questions tagged [translation]
Questions on specific points regarding translating Chinese. Do your own research first!
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On the Chinese translation of some words "by" Christopher Columbus
In the famous biography of Christopher Columbus by Jakob Wassermann, we find in Chapter 3 the frequently cited passage:
Ich nenne mich Cristobal Colón, bin ein Seefahrer aus Genua und muß betteln, ...
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Is this sentence correct 很多人需开始工作得帮家
I'm making a text for a test and I ended up with this sentence 很多人需开始工作得帮家. What I'm Trying to say is:
Many people need to start working to help their families
It's a complex phrase for my level and I'...
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Who do 五尺童子 and 而屠戮 refer to here?
Background
《中国积弱溯源论》 is a text by Liang Qichao, wherein he laments the social structure in China. After a couple of paragraphs, he makes the point that the perception of each social stratum’s duty is ...
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How to literally translate this: 会因为费用增加而让投资人不高兴?
大导演非常着急，一来，耽误了时间，日程就得重新安排；二来，会因为费用增加而让投资人不高兴，至于这部影片的投资人，...
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, section 26.
How to literally translate this: 会因为费用增加而让投资人不高兴?
I have reached to the following ...
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This is on the bottom of a bronze vase (Characters identified: 萬歷秊製)
Does anyone know what this means? Would love to know more about the period it was made. Is it an authentic piece or reproduction?
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Words equivalent to ideas surrounding transience? (Think: Wabi Sabi)
I'm looking for words that capture the idea of 'passing by', 'transience' or 'releasing' in Chinese. Perhaps even 'empty space' or something similar?
Wabi Sabi is obviously a Japanese phrase and uses ...
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How to say 温馨的家 in English, a warm family?
温馨 （wen1xin1）：温暖。指亲切体贴的氛围
When I search 温馨的家 in Baidu, I got many photos of houses in warm color. If search cozy home in Google, I got similar photos of houses.
If I search warm family, Google shows ...
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What is 灵恩派 in English?
福音派 (evangelicalism) and 灵恩派 (?) are constrasted in this Chinese article.
I was wondering what 灵恩派 is called in English? What denominations in US belong to it, if it exists in US?
I only know the ...
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I need help: how to describe a Chinese LOGO without the picture
I am helping a liquor(baijiu) brand translate some materials for design competitions in UK, and I met difficulties when describing the details of the LOGO design.
In the picture is a part of the ...
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What is the meaning of 脚力过人 in 尽管他们背着重重的行李，但他们的脚力过人，健步如飞?
他雇了20来个当地人为他带路和搬运行李。这批当地人个个都表现出色，尽管他们背着重重的行李，但他们的脚力过人，健步如飞。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, segment 26. What is the meaning of 脚力过人?
Baidu translate: Despite carrying heavy luggage, ...
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How do you understand her name "Bi-khim Hsiao"?
Her name in Chinese is "萧美琴" and in English is "Bi-khim Hsiao". How do you understand the translation?
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What is the meaning of 重重 in 尽管他们背着重重的行李?
他雇了20来个当地人为他带路和搬运行李。这批当地人个个都表现出色，尽管他们背着重重的行李，但他们的脚力过人，健步如飞。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 26. What is the meaning of 重重? How to make it make sense?
尽管(despite)他们(they)背着(...
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Can anyone tell me what this tattoo means? Please and thanks 😊
my husband of 12 years has this tattoo on his chest. He got it when he was a teen. He thought it meant danger but it looks different then anything we've seen online. Can someone please tell us what ...
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How to literally translate this: 极爱冒险的大导演...?
据说，曾经有一位很有个性、极爱冒险的大导演到南美丛林拍有关古代印加文明的纪录片。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 26. About its literal translation, I have reached to the following point:
据说 (it is said that)，曾经(once)有(...
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Is 你多久吃一次鱼? a natural way to ask: How often do you eat fish?
The sentence
你多久吃一次鱼?
How often do you eat fish?
is on Tatoeba. The grammar seems different to English. The English "how often" is asking "with what frequency", whereas the ...
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What does this seal mean?
I found a beautiful thread art linen piece of art. This is the seal on it. I want to learn who made this art.
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Which is more correct when translating the name "萧熏儿" to English. Is it "Xiao Xun Er", "Xiao Xun er", "Xiao Xun-er", "Xiao Xun'er", or "Xiao Xuner"?
When translating the name of someone that has an "儿" in their name to English, which one is more correct?
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On the Chinese translation of some words by 歌德
I am curious about the official Chinese translation of a few words by 歌德. The first occurs on this webpage advertised as an aphorism, namely
Man weicht der Welt nicht sicherer aus als durch die Kunst,...
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Is there a limit on the number of 的 in a sentence?
In the official translation of Friedrich Engels's 论封建制度的瓦解和民族国家的产生, there is a sentence 罗马法是纯粹私有制占统治的社会的生活条件和冲突的十分经典性的法律表现.
With so many 的 crowded in a short sentence, the reading is placed under high ...
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Can anyone help me translate the inscription located on the back of my Chinese coin?
I have not been successful in my search to find another coin with an identical matching inscription. What is the interpretation?
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Looking to identify a watercolour signature (Characters identified: 郭連訓)
Looking to identify a watercolour signature i just purcashed. 1989 made. any help is much appreciated.
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Seal script translation
enter image description hereI have two bronze seals in the form of tigers which I think may be Korean , the first with characters in what I think is Chinese small seal script the second in a normal ...
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Is 大臣 a direct address to an official?
It is sad to learn former Chinese prime minister H.E. Li Keqiang died unexpectedly at a still young age, but I am much impressed by his translation work which was done with his wife, a book in ...
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On the Chinese version of the movie "Braveheart"
I am pretty sure the movie "Braveheart" by Mel Gibson exists in a Chinese language version as there is a Chinese Wikipedia article about this movie.
I would like to know about the official ...
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Hoping to learn how the artist is? Need the seal translated
I have a framed scroll painting and I'm hoping to find out who the artist is. I tried to research the seal but had no success. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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Can anyone help translate an artist's seal for me? (Characters identified: 臨摹)
I have an original art print of a Wei Jin tombs brick but I can't get an accurate translation of the artist's seal. Below is a picture of the seal. Thank you to all who reply.
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Is 沉重的代价 a clumsy translation from "heavy cost"?
I came across the sentence which reads 以色列宣称要让哈马斯付出沉重的代价.
Heavy cost is no problem in English, but cost or price 代价or 价格 in Chinese often comes with high or low, not heavy or light, so am I right to ...
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How do I understand 你家的房子是什么样的呀?
你家的房子是什么样的呀
I'm messaging a native Chinese speaker on hellotalk. And there's a few things that I'm not quite understanding.
Don't 家 and 房子 mean the same thing? Why have they said 家的房子?
The Google ...
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Please help translate these symbols from a very old bronze pot
Please help translate these symbols from a very old bronze pot..
Any help would be much appreciated
Thanks in advance
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关于一句鲁道夫·卡斯纳格言的中文翻译
According to a letter from Rilke to Magda von Hattingberg from the 16th-20th February 1914, Rudolf Kassner (his Chinese transliterations is 鲁道夫·卡斯纳 according to this Douban page) has coined a saying ...
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About a passage from a published Chinese translation of Kafka's "The Trial"
According to Bing-AI, Kafka's novel "The trial" (German: "Der Prozess") was translated many times into Chinese by different translators and in different times up to only recently ...
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About a chapter title from Adolf Wölfli's 简历
In the short 简历 (Lebensbeschreibung) of Adolf Wölfli (I don't know how the name of this artist is officially transliterated in Chinese publications - if you can help with this with a reference, it's a ...
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以后我少的一点儿 what does this mean?
I'm doing some anki revision when this popped up. I understand the characters in isolation, but can't understand the meaning of the sentence. Google translates this to "from now on I'll have less&...
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The meaning of 鬓边不败牡丹
It's from this song:
https://www.kugeci.com/song/MNnjq2LY#txt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGP9sY9WsbY&t=95s
是意中人
鬓边不败牡丹
Something about lovers.
I wonder if it's a reference to some Chinese ...
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Is "learn" or "study" a better translation for 学习 in 他想学习中文?
他想学习中文 translates in google translate as -- He wants to learn Chinese
But how about translating it as -- He wants to study Chinese.
In English there is a subtle difference between the 2 words/...
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How does one express "truthfully", like at the beginning of a sentence in chinese?
In english I would use "actually", 其实，but the particular thing I am trying to convey is that previously, I gave information that was incorrect, but now I am correcting that information.
“I ...
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What is the difference between 潜艇 and 潜航器？
是意味着乌克兰现在对于克里米亚的这个战术，发生了一些新的改变，呃应该说克里米亚地区的安全形势大幅的恶化，跟乌军战法的更新，有很大关系，首先，乌军，现在的这个从装备的角度讲呢，有很多选择比如说无人机，无人艇和无人潜航器，加上现在的北约援助给乌克兰的，这个远程的战术巡航导弹等等，那么，主要还是要看到就是这各种啊，所谓的无人机...
This is from a news broadcast I ...
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Can someone please translate this art display?
I found this at an antique shop and just love it. But I don't know what it means. Can someone please tray to translate it? Also is it worth any money... Thank You
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About the Chinese translation of two passages in the notes of Laurids Brigge by Rilke
According to Bing-AI, the notes of Laurid Brigge by Rilke were translated two times into Chinese (1986 and 2007), cf. screenshot.
I am curious about the translation of two passages for my calligraphic ...
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石家莊 on a restaurant in England
Here's an image of a restaurant in England. If I try to translate the characters, I get "Stone family farm" but if I do a web search, I see 石家莊 is a city in China.
Is it the name of the ...
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What is the meaning of 却 in 却可以使我们不会在错误的道路上走得太远？
我有一个体会：现实中，我们不一定知道正确的道路是什么，但时时反省、总结，却可以使我们不会在错误的道路上走得太远。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 26. What is the meaning of 却 here?
却(?)可以(can)使(let)我们(us)不会(will not)在(in)错误的(wrong)道路(...
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How to literally translate this: 第二种忙，忙得很主动，忙而不乱，人是工作的主人？
工作中的忙碌大概可以分为三种：第一种忙， ...；第二种忙，忙得很主动，忙而不乱，人是工作的主人；第三种忙，...
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 26. I want your help for the literal translation of this:
第二种忙，忙得很主动，忙而不乱，人是工作的主人
第二(...
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What is the meaning of 萝图荟萃?
《萝图荟萃》 is the title of the catalogue of the imperial map collection from 1760.
However, according to various dictionaries, 萝 means "radish" which makes no sense in this context.
Some ...
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How to literally translate this: 正当水手们慌张得不知如何是好时， ..., 使劲儿朝里面放水？
有一位经验丰富的老船长，一次返航中，天气恶劣，他们的船遇到了可怕的巨大风浪。正当水手们慌张得不知如何是好时，老船长命令水手们立刻打开货舱，使劲儿朝里面放水。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, segment 25. How to literally translate this:
正当水手们慌张得不知如何是好时，...
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What does 学位 mean in this context?
合X县、鹿X县、北X市等8个县义务教育学位均出现了严重短缺，其中，北X市小学位缺口达到XXXXX人，目前在建城区小学4所，预计新增学位XXXX个
I know that 学位 is a degree for a college graduate but do not know it is now even available to boys and girls of elementary ...
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Understanding handwritten text on a painting
I've been given a painting by a Chinese university professor many years ago. There is some handwriting on it and I always wondered what the text on it says. My Chinese is very basic so I gave OCR a ...
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Difference between 打电话给 and 打电话和?
如果只能活24小时，我会打电话和朋友们说再见。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, segment 21. What is the difference between 打电话给 and 打电话和？I would write it as:
如果只能活24小时，我会打电话给朋友们说再见。
So what is the difference? ...
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Why 姆 is widely used in the translated name of males?
According to 新华字典, 姆 means 保姆,负责照管儿童或料理家务的女工 （P353,新华字典第11版,商务印书馆,2011年6月）.
But in many names of males in translated works, either in literary works or news stories, this word is used, for example, 吉姆,...
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Differences between 知识，知，识，知感 and 认识？
“知识” 两个字我始终认为它是要分开来谈的，“知” 就是知感，“识” 就是认识。所谓 “知感” 就是别人告诉你、说给你听、要求你记住的那一部分。但只有这一部分是不够的，还要有认识、思考。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 22.
I would appreciate if you explain the ...
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How to literally translate this: 已经在有意识地把这种情感影响，甚至把人性的价值判断？
你看这个老师在讲童话的时候，已经在有意识地把这种情感影响，甚至把人性的价值判断，都给了孩子们。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 22. I would like to have your help in its literal translation. I have got to that point:
你(you)看(...
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