Anyone Done Mandarin Translations for Our Mrs Reynolds?

POSTED BY: Rhea
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 03:54
VIEWED: 18839
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RHEA

Monday, October 21, 2002 6:46 PM

I'm dying to know what they were saying, as always. Plus, it seemed like there was more Mandarin in OMR than the other episodes.

Anybody? Please, please, please?

JHSIAO

Monday, October 21, 2002 9:24 PM

1) When asked if he had an encyclopedia, Simon says: "Dan Nang" = I'm almost certain that I do

Note: should be pronounced "danh ran"

2) When Kaylee says: "Nee boo goo gah, nee hwang chian" = unknown

But it could mean: "Nee boo gan kai nee hwang chian" = You must not open your yellow gun. With yellow gun equivalent to penis, Kaylee is saying that Mal's words are like piss. Translation: "Don't speak so nastily".

3) Mal responds: "Gwon nee ju jee du shu" = mind your own business/affairs.

4) Wash says: "Did she really make fresh Bao?" = "bao" is the white, meat-filled bun that Saffron served to Mal.

Those of you familiar with dim sum cuisine know what it is.

5) Mal says: "Just because some hudong gave you to me doesn't make us married" = unknown.

Not knowing what the actual thing is--I suspect it's like "hwin dan" which means "mixed egg". Sorta like "jerk" but kinda mild.

I really have no idea what Wash said after Saffron tried to seduce him, what Inara said when she found out that Mal was still alive (something "je fwitsu"), or what Zoe called Saffron ("ching hwa") after Mal regained consiousness.

ZTREAM

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:45 AM

Why isn't there a section of this site devoted to the mandarin or even overall language of Firefly anyway? We're obviously going to need this sort of discussion for every episode...

RHEA

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 3:16 AM

Thanks, Jhsiao.

I understand from some friends who speak a little Mandarin that the pronunciation is very bad. As a singer, I don't speak Mandarin but living around San Francisco's Chinatown, even I can tell how bad it is - no changes in pitch, for one thing.

NEOOLONG

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 5:13 AM

It seems like they are just pronouncing the Mandarin phonetically. Therefore there is no pitch. It's like in English you raise your voice a bit when you ask a question. Without the context it all sounds monotone. This makes the Mandarin especially difficult because of all the subtle inflection differences that change the meaning of certain words. And makes it really really hard to understand at times.

RHEA

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 1:45 PM

^If Firefly lasts, somebody ought to work with them on pronunciation - after all, they're actors - they ought to be able to learn a more correct pronunciation.

GOSSEYN2

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 2:11 PM

Maybe it isn't supposed to sound like a 21st century Chinese speaking Mandarin.

gosseyn2

ESME

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 5:16 PM

I didn't even know they were speaking Mandarin....what other languages do they speak?

CHARLIEBLUE

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 5:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by esme:
I didn't even know they were speaking Mandarin....what other languages do they speak?

English.

RHEA

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 6:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by gosseyn2:
Maybe it isn't supposed to sound like a 21st century Chinese speaking Mandarin.

gosseyn2

Trouble with that is that even if they've only learned it for purposes of trade, they'd still have to be comprehensible to people of their own time for whom Chinese is the primary language. Otherwise, why bother?

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