looking for translations for a story...

POSTED BY: LJC
UPDATED: Friday, May 9, 2003 01:42
VIEWED: 8402
PAGE 1 of 1

LJC

Tuesday, February 11, 2003 5:39 AM

would "Bù mingan liúmáng" translate colloquially to "insensative lout"?

QUIXOTE13

Friday, February 28, 2003 1:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by LJC:
would "Bù mingan liúmáng" translate colloquially to "insensative lout"?

Hi, I haven't been on the site for a while, so I hope you haven't been too stuck with this particular translation.

Regarding the translation, it's too literal. Just calling somebody a "liu2 mang2" implies a thuggish oafishness that's equivalent to "insensitive lout." You can also say "mei2 xin de liu2mang2" which is like "heartless thug." Keep in mind that insults and curses don't necessarily translate due in part to what's chosen as the focus of the insult (such as "insensitivity").

I hope that helps, and if anybody has a better suggestion, I'll defer. :)

Take care,

Quixote 13

Ivan Chan Studio: Invite Beauty: www.ivanchan.com

LJC

Sunday, March 2, 2003 1:07 AM

thanks so much! There's only so much I've been able to do using my dictionary :)

TALRIUS

Sunday, March 2, 2003 2:39 AM

Can any one help me with a translation of a chinese conji (Don't know if I spelt that right.), Chinese writing? I got a reletively clean image of what Inara was writing in Bushwhacked while River was sleeping.

If anyone can help just e-mail me and I'll give you the screen cap.

Talrius2@aol.com

QUIXOTE13

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 10:10 PM

Hello Talrius,

Forgive the delay in my response, I've been busy and hadn't checked my Yahoo account for notice of replies to my posts.

Please send the screen capture to: quixotexiii@yahoo.com and I'll look into getting it translated for you. :)

Also, here's a brief history of what you're referring to as "Chinese conji":

Kanji is the Japanese name for Chinese characters, which were used extensively in early literature, and have since been more mixed with native Japanese systems of writing (hiragana, for example) as they moved away from Chinese cultural imperialism (it's vaguely similar to how a bunch of French got into the English language from the Normands, and then how the upper class started using French words to denote their status and "refinement.") Anyway, kanji literally means "Chinese word," or "Han (kan) word (ji or "zi," short "i," in Mandarin)," since this was during the Han dynasty that they began using Chinese characters, I believe.

So technically, Inara is writing in Chinese, not kanji (which is assimilated into Japanese writing and has been altered in some cases) or Chinese kanji (which would be redundant). :)

Ta da! More than you wanted to know, but there ya are.

Take care, and I hope to see the screen capture soon.

Quixote13

Quote:
Originally posted by Talrius:
Can any one help me with a translation of a chinese conji (Don't know if I spelt that right.), Chinese writing? I got a reletively clean image of what Inara was writing in Bushwhacked while River was sleeping.

If anyone can help just e-mail me and I'll give you the screen cap.

Talrius2@aol.com

Ivan Chan Studio: Invite Beauty: www.ivanchan.com

QUIXOTE13

Friday, May 9, 2003 12:13 AM

Talrius,

I'll also send you a translation to your AOL account, but I thought I'd post here in case other people wanted to know what Inara was writing.

First off, the way she's holding the brush is incorrect, and her penmanship is similarly affected. She's still one of my favorite characters, though; I just wish for these scenes that they'd give the actors a little bit more prep to make everything that more real for us. Ah well.

Secondly, here's the translation, sans what I couldn't see because of the Fox logo:

First column:
Year (nian2)
Month (yue4, literally, "moon")
Day (ri5, literally, "sun")

Second column (it looks like the seasons):
Spring (cun)
Summer (xia4)
Fall (ciou)
Winter (dong)

Third column--can't see it.

Hope this helps!

Quixote13

Ivan Chan Studio: Invite Beauty: www.ivanchan.com

TALRIUS

Friday, May 9, 2003 12:20 AM

Hmm... so it would appear that she was only practicing. That sucks a little. I wish they would have had some kind of message in it. Oh, well. Thanks for doing that for me.

I didn't get your e-mail, hmm....

--------------------------------------------------
DOBSON: I'm supposed to be meeting my wife's sister. I've only got a few days to see her...

ZOE: I wish there was another way...

DOBSON: Oh, no, no. That woman is like a dragon. I mean, I believe she has a tail. If there's any other moons we need to visit, or if we could just
fly very slowly...

QUIXOTE13

Friday, May 9, 2003 1:42 AM

Hi Talrius,

I'm afraid I was interrupted before I could send you an email with the translation, but it seems like you've found them here, so no need for me to send it to your AOL account.

Yes, she was only practicing, it seems--calligraphy is often practiced as a meditative art form, although most often poems and the like are written, or even just one character. What she was doing was more like what you suggest--writing practice.

If you're intending to use this moment in fiction writing, you could look up Chinese poems in translation, and just write that she wrote down [insert Chinese poem in translation]. :) Lots of ways to get around it, although I do strongly suggest you do some research on real poems--as we've seen on these message boards, there's nothing that quite pulls an audience out of its involvement in a story like something that doesn't feel right, or have the taste of reality to it, even if it's fiction.

Take care,

Quixote13

Ivan Chan Studio: Invite Beauty: www.ivanchan.com