主题:那些有意思的中文用英文该怎么表达?
It is easy to find that some Chinese expressions are hard to translate into English 不难发现,一些中文说法很难翻译到英文
They're simple and common expressions, but with rich cultural context: 这些说法很简单,但是包含了很深的文化概念
人情
How would you translate that? 这个怎么翻译啊?
When you check the dictonary, you might find "human feelings": 查字典,字典会告诉你“human feelings"
Some foreigners might call it 关系, which has entered the English vocabulary: 有些外国人会用“关系”,这个词现在已经进入英语了
I don't think there's a one word equivalent of "人情” in English: 我觉得英语里没有“人情”
“人情” is such an important aspect of Chinese society: 人情在中国社会是很重要的组成部分
事实上,“人情”is untranslatable: 这个词翻译不了
得瑟
How would you translate that in English? 这个“得瑟”用英语怎么翻译?
(中文解释:获得不值得一提的成就或者做成一件芝麻大小的事情就得以忘形)
Show off 炫耀,显摆或者卖弄
Arrogant: 傲慢 | 'ærəgənt]
Pretentious: 装 | prɪ'tenʃəs]
Full of themselves/himself/herself: 得瑟、自我感觉良好
混
"混" is also very hard to translate: “混” 也很难翻译
It has both negative and positive connotations: 它既可以是褒义,又可以是贬义
1. 贬义:To waste time, muddle through, mucking around: 混日子
muddle ['mʌdl] n. 困惑, 混浊状态 v. 混合; 使咬字不清晰; 使微醉; 胡乱对付 muck [mʌk] n. 粪肥; 肥料; 垃圾 v. 施肥, 弄糟, 弄脏
2. 褒义:You're doing well: 你混得不错
(注意well 和while的发音哦~)
素质:
class.
You can say someone has no class to mean 素质差:你可以说一个人“have no class":素质差
讨厌:
annoying
But when we say "讨厌", we often don't mean it. 语气上:很多时候说讨厌,不是真的觉得你annoying, 其实是在撒娇
people express a lot of things with the tone of voice in English: 我觉得英语里,会更多用语气来传递意思上的差别
我没有那个闲钱 I don’t have any money
说到底,不能get到英文翻译的这些中文在翻译之后其实还稍欠火候,最大的根源在于文化差异~学语言,学得也是文化!