Chinese phrases you think about a lot when doing translations

[pandali_666]

Love how you translate so well from Chinese to English

Thank you for the compliment!

why in Chinese dramas they always write: Do you not, instead of Don’t you? Every Chinese drama I see all I read time after time; Do you not (this or that) which makes it such a much longer sentence.

Personally, I only write “do you not” for historical drama or when formal language is used in modern drama. For historical drama, it is because people back then spoke much more formally, even when speaking to peers. For modern drama, I use it when formal/respectful language is used such as when someone younger is speaking to an elderly person - when 您 (nín) is used. This because formality and respectful is such a huge part of Asian culture. On the other hand, I will use contractions a lot in modern dramas since modern society is more lenient on such formalities and use slang often. I will also use contractions in historical dramas - rarely - when it is between two people who have a very close relationship and are behind closed doors. That is my own guideline for contractions.

I may have unconsciously translated “你不 (nǐ bù)” to “you not” and thus, did not use contraction.

@soyamilkbeancurdpudd made a very good point! Sometimes, when translating, our minds do not make the connection that “do you not” is the same as “don’t you.”

I’m only aware of myself translating too much, since Chinese have a habit of saying a lot in a few characters (I mean, just look at Chinese idioms and proverbs). I always try translating every single detail, but have recently realised that I should learn to “let go” where necessary. I’m still working on that though.

So am I! Haha. You want the viewers to get the full meaning yet the full meaning is just so detailed that it is difficult to shorten at times. It has taken me a long time to recognize that there are some things that just need to be “let go” of. For myself, I have create criteria for which I should follow. It is to “produce accurate, practical, and concise translation.” The meaning and tone should be preserved. I try to choose words that most people understand and not outrageously long/difficult words - even if it is correct. The most difficult part is keeping things concise but I bite the bullet and do it. Why? Because if I leave it to be long, the GE/CE might shorten it to fit the segment. They are usually more aware of the length, since subbers and TE are more focused on just translating. If the GE/CE is not fluent in the original language and chooses to shorten the subtitle, they may cut out parts that are more important. So, I personally feel that those in charge of translating should be responsible of shortening, even though it is more work.

[pandali_666]

Some phrases I encountered as I edited today -

• 得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ): It literally translates to “getting an inch, wanting a foot.” It means that someone is insatiable/greedy. S/he wants more than what is given or s/he wants more than what s/he paid for.

• 孤男寡女 (gū nán guǎ nǚ): It literally translates to “lonely man, widowed woman.” It is usually used as 我们孤男寡女，共处一室不好吧 (wǒ men gū nán guǎ nǚ, gòng chǔ yī shì bù hǎo ba)。I would translate it as “We, a single man and woman, sharing a room is not a good idea.”

• 你也有今天 (nǐ yě yǒu jīn tiān): It literally translates to “You also have today.” It sounds so weird and funny! I have seen it translated as “karma,” “you deserve what you get today,” “you deserve where you are at today,” or “serves you right.” Something along those lines convey the gist of it but I don’t think I will ever find something that perfectly conveys this phrase…

• 没品 (méi pǐn): It literally translates to “no quality/class.” It is also a phrase I am not sure have a great translation. I have seen it translated as “so low” very often but I am not a fan. I think this translation is very Chinglish. Haha. I thinking “no class” or “no manners” would work better, but I am still on the search for a better translation!

[piranna]

So interesting sentences!! I should write them somewhere and learn them so I can use them during classes!

得寸进尺

In the dictionary, they also wrote: “Give him an inch and he’ll want a mile”.
When you translate, do you prefer to keep the Chinese expression and then put a TN to explain it or do you prefer to put directly the English equivalent translation?

你也有今天

In the dictionary, they also wrote: “You also got your share.”
This sentence is for bad luck or it’s also referring to good luck?
They also translated it as: “Every dog has its day” = “Everyone will be successful or lucky at some time in their life.”

没品

Can we say “You are cheap” or “What a tacky person”?

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

没品 ( méi pǐn )

Gosh, this phrase reminds me 人品 (rén pǐn). Every time I come across this phrase, I have no idea how to best translate it. Online translators give me “good, moral character”, and that’s not wrong, but I feel that it is more than just that. It is actually really funny - I would always search up the meaning of 人品, and there’d be tons of people on Baidu asking “What is 人品?”, “What does 人品 refers to?”, “What does it mean to have good 人品?” Guess even the native Chinese are as confused as I am.

After searching this phrase for so many times, I have now saved this Baidu answer for when I need it. Now that I think of it, I believe I always come up with a different translation each time I come across this phrase.

This sentence is for bad luck or it’s also referring to good luck?

I usually see this phrase being used in a sarcastic manner, and having a negative connotation. For example, a boss who always acts superior and belittles his subordinates, causing his subordinates to dislike him, when suddenly retrenched, can be mocked by his subordinates with “你也有今天啊？”

However, I have also seen times when this phrase carries no ill intent. For example, a school genius is unable to solve a mathematics question. His classmate can say, “原来你也有今天”.

I’m not sure if my examples come out right (they sounded better in my head), but I hope they help! I’ll leave the rest of your questions to someone who’s more qualified than I am.

That aside, here are some phrases / sentences that I had trouble with today:

• 看来还是没把我放在心里 (kàn lái hái shì méi bǎ wǒ fàng zài xīn lǐ)
  I felt that the literal translation of this sentence, “looks like you still did not put me in your heart,” is not very literal either, so I kept wondering if I should keep it as it is. My understanding of “放在心里” is “看得很重 (kàn dé hěn zhòng)”, meaning to consider someone of great importance. I ended up translating this sentence as “looks like you still do not consider me of much importance.”

• 给我说几句好听的 (gěi wǒ shuō jǐ jù hǎo tīng de)
  It literally translates to “say something nice to me.” In modern dramas, when a character says this, s/he is usually asking for someone to praise him/her (to the point of flattery), and I would translate it as such. However, I encountered this phrase in a historical drama, and went with “say something I would like to hear”.

• 来个鱼死网破 (lái gè yú sǐ wǎng pò)
  The idiom, 鱼死网破, is an interesting one. It literally translates to “either the fish dies or the net gets torn”, meaning that both sides put up a very fierce fight. In the drama, both characters have committed evil deeds and would lose their reputations if word gets out. When one felt that he was betrayed by the other, he said:
  眼前我已一无所有 Currently, I have nothing at all.
  大不了跟他们 告知你的所作所为 I can always inform them of all you have done.
  来个鱼死网破 Let’s fight it out!
  I personally, am still unsatisfied with all three sentences and is still thinking of how to edit them. I have thought of changing “let’s fight it out” to “let’s perish together”, but I thought it didn’t really have the correct feel either. I don’t think I accurately conveyed “大不了” either, but I suppose this phrase can have it’s own discussion another day, when I have collected enough examples.

[piranna]

@mzchele_747 @cityofstars @rocketbaby @trangstar888

Hello! That topic could interest you!

[angelight313_941]

@pandali_666 I was talking about the modern younger couple dramas (the suggestion of using contractions) not in historical dramas which I no longer watch them. In Historical dramas, is understandable they don’t want to use contractions.

@soyamilkbeancurdpudd Thank you for making the subs shorter. I only watch modern Chinese dramas/movies, and I feel in the modern world the contractions are fine no matter what culture it is.

[pandali_666]

When you translate, do you prefer to keep the Chinese expression and then put a TN to explain it or do you prefer to put directly the English equivalent translation?

@piranna It honestly depends. Sometimes, if I find the phrase to be very interesting/worth sharing then I write the literal translation with a T/N. Sometimes, if the explanation seems too long, I would just use a very concise meaningful translation. It also depends which editors I am working with. If there is word play with certain expression, then I most definitely do a literal translation. Sorry, I do not have a yes/no answer for you.

Can we say “You are cheap” or “What a tacky person”?

In my opinion, that totally works as well!

人品 ( rén pǐn ). Every time I come across this phrase, I have no idea how to best translate it. Online translators give me “good, moral character”, and that’s not wrong, but I feel that it is more than just that.

@soyamilkbeancurdpudd I translate 人品 as “character” most of the time. I feel that the words summarizes the meaning the most.

看来还是没把我放在心里 ( kàn lái hái shì méi bǎ wǒ fàng zài xīn lǐ )

Your translation seems perfectly fine to me! Another translation you could consider is “looks like you still do not care about me.” For me, 放在心里 is more of just caring or taking notice. If you care about someone and notice what they do, then, in a way, that person is important to you. You usually do not care for or take notice of people irrelevant to you. That is my thought process.

眼前我已一无所有 Currently, I have nothing at all.
大不了跟他们 告知你的所作所为 I can always inform them of all you have done.
来个鱼死网破 Let’s fight it out!

For 大不了，I feel like the English equivalent should be “worse comes to worst”? So then “If worse comes to worst, I shall tell them about all your deeds.” Also, I think you could translated 来个鱼死网破 as “Let’s have a life-or-death fight!” if the characters actually have a fighting match.

@pandali_666 I was talking about the modern younger couple dramas (the suggestion of using contractions) not in historical dramas which I no longer watch them. In Historical dramas, is understandable they don’t want to use contractions.

@angelight313_168 Oh! That is interesting… I cannot speak on behalf of other speakers, but I mostly use contractions for those. The exceptions would be an obvious difference in social hierarchy and when formal language is use as I described above but those occasions happen very rarely. I guess everyone just has their own style of translating. Haha.

[piranna]

难道你就不想看看 长生果的热闹？
(nán dào nǐ jiù bù xiǎng kàn kàn cháng shēng guǒ de rè nào)
Do you not want to have a look at the spectacle caused by the longevity fruit?

• I would translate as “Do you not want to see the excitement surrounding the longevity fruit?”

“Longevity fruit” > This sentence sounds like a sentence people would say in a historical Cdrama or a fantasy one or a transmigration one
Can I ask which drama it is? Is it a modern one?

What about lyrics? How do you feel about translating lyrics?

[pandali_666]

I think it is a historical drama; seems like it to me.
@soyamilkbeancurdpudd is the one who first put up this phrase up.

What about lyrics? How do you feel about translating lyrics?

Oh, songs and their lyrics… One song - about 3 to 4 minutes - can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to translate. As mentioned before, very little Chinese characters can mean so much (especially when it comes to Classical Chines 文言文 ) ！Making lyrics poetic, logical, accurate and concise is very very difficult.

• I was actually translating an opening OST for a show coming today. A line was 琴声伴游远方 (qín shēng bàn yóu yuǎn fāng). I tried my best and ended up translating it as “Sounds of the zither travels with me to a distant place” The English translations has almost double the words (11 vs. 6) and more than double the syllables (13 vs. 6) of the Chinese line. I am not completely satisfied with it but it will have to do.

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

放在心里 is more of just caring or taking notice

I see! Thank you for explaining it to me. When I came across this phrase, I was reminded of a phrase that I use more often in daily life - 放在眼里 (fàng zài yǎn lǐ) - and had thought that 放在心里 probably means that the person is more important since it’s a 心 vs 眼. Just did a quick search on Baidu; guess I was wrong.

For 大不了，I feel like the English equivalent should be “worse comes to worst”?

That English phrase did come to my mind too. However, I didn’t use that as I felt that it doesn’t have quite the same ring in this context? In my mind, I interpret the sentence as “I don’t care about the dire consequences. I will inform them about all your deeds if there is a need to.” It kind of have a 豁出去 feel to me.

But two minds are better than one. Since both of us came up with “worse comes to worst”, I suppose that this should be the best (for now)?

I think you could translated 来个鱼死网破 as “Let’s have a life-or-death fight!” if the characters actually have a fighting match.

That’s a great suggestion! I will keep that in mind for future use. Thank you! Unfortunately, they aren’t actually having a fighting match here. It’s a situation where the “fight” refers to seeing who can bring the other down first (in terms of reputation) in the pugilist world. At least, that’s how I interpret it.

Also, I can’t thank you enough for always going through the translations I post here. I had started this thread with the aim to share interesting phrases / sentences for myself to keep track of and for others to discuss / learn from, but it somehow ended up being you giving me suggestions for most of my translations. Not complaining; just very, very grateful. You didn’t have to, but you did it anyway, and I have learnt so much from you in this short period.

Can I ask which drama it is? Is it a modern one?

Here is the drama. Do you need the specific episode for where that line appears, or did you just want to check the drama out?

琴声伴游远方 (qín shēng bàn yóu yuǎn fāng)

I swear, 琴声 is in almost every historical drama OST. There is a drama which I watched where this phrase appeared twice, in the opening and ending songs, even when it had nothing to do with the storyline.

I have helped a friend check over some OSTs before for her YouTube channel, and I’m always in a dilemma over translating the lyrics literally or interpreting it as best as I can. However, there are times when the lines themselves are vague, and I’d rather the viewers interpret them themselves than I do it for them. The problem though, is that some of such lines just sound so awkward in English.

For example, 光阴错踏 (guāng yīn cuò tà). It literally translates to “time has taken a misstep”, but I ended going with “time is not on my side” instead.

A song that is way too difficult for me and that I have given up on is Royal Nirvana’s ending song. It’s such a beautiful song though. It’s a pity that nobody has translated it yet.

[pandali_666]

THANK YOU for starting the thread and being so open to discussion. I have met people who refuse to even look at my suggestion and I even provided credible reference links to them. Haha.

I have been formally educated in Chinese and English side-by-side for 15+ years. I also know that not many people have the fortune of having that experience - sometimes because of time issues, money issues, limits in resources, location, etc. So I want to share my knowledge with others when possible. But I would like to clarify, I am not an expert in either, there is still so much to learn! It is just easier for me to switch between the two languages. If you ever come across my subs or for my translations here and you feel like it could be improved upon or even just worded differently, please free feel to tell me!!! I love learning thus I am super open to discussion.

For 大不了，your interpretation/translation is perfectly fine! That is basically what Baidu said too. Haha. I was just throwing an extra option out there for you. And for your reference, Wiktionary seems to make a difference for when it is used as adjective versus adverb. Please use whatever you are comfortable with. As I mentioned before, every subber has their own style of translating, wording, formatting, etc.

I’m always in a dilemma over translating the lyrics literally or interpreting it as best as I can

Yes, yes, yes! Same! I try my best to do something in between. Haha. At times, there are legends or idioms or metaphors attached to the words, then I would definitely need to do an interpretation.

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

I didn’t translate today, but I encountered a phrase that I thought was interesting and thought to share. It’s from a drama I’m currently addicted to, 《半是蜜糖半是伤 Love Is Sweet》. Such a pity that Viki hasn’t license it yet.

• 你可拉倒吧 (nǐ kě lā dǎo ba)
  It’s a Dong Bei dialect. It’s similar to “forget it”, but carries the tone of looking down on someone. The male character was saying something along the lines of “I’m so handsome. When your mother sees me later, she’ll definitely love me.” and the female character replied with this sentence. If I were translating this, I think I would translate it as “don’t flatter yourself”.
  There is actually a popular song by Jay Chou titled 《不爱我就拉倒》. I have seen the title being translated as “if you don’t love me, it’s fine”, but I personally feel that it is more of a “if you don’t love me, you’re losing out” instead. Do check out the song if you haven’t heard it before; I love it!

[pandali_666]

Hi，I love this thread so I am always replying.

I love Dong Bei dialect! Hehe. Another one I hear often is 碰瓷儿 （pèng cí er). It means being scammed or blackmailed.

Oh! Oh! I have been watching that show too! It is so good! But I am not used to seeing the ML in a modern drama. I am so used to seeing him in historical ones.

Jay Chou I listened to his songs growing up. They are so good! But I don’t like a lot of his newer songs like I do his old ones.

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

Thank you for helping me keep this thread alive! I love your replies!

I love Dong Bei dialect!

I’m actually not too familiar with the Dong Bei dialect. Thank you for sharing that phrase; I’ve actually never heard it before (or maybe I did but didn’t realise). I will keep a lookout for it!

Have you watched 《我才不要和你做朋友呢 I Don’t Want To Be Friends With You》? If my memory doesn’t fail me, I’m pretty sure the drama is set in Dong Bei, and the Dong Bei accent is everywhere. I think Viki just recently licensed it too? It started off really slow, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

Oh! Oh! I have been watching that show too! It is so good! But I am not used to seeing the ML in a modern drama. I am so used to seeing him in historical ones.

I have actually never watched his dramas before. I can’t handle angst, and the legendary Ashes of Love seems to be filled with angst, angst and more angst. I’m more of a modern drama watcher, with the occasional Wuxia drama because I’m a huge fan of Wuxia novels (especially Jin Yong’s).

But I don’t like a lot of his newer songs like I do his old ones.

I feel like that’s the case for many older singers? Do you listen to JJ Lin? I’m not a fan of his newer releases too, especially the most recent one.

Now, for the phrases / sentences of the day:

• 我碍这你了？(wǒ ài zhè nǐ le)
  I was actually thinking about this ever since I saw it when the episode first aired. I understood this phrase as “我阻碍你了？(wǒ zǔ 'ài nǐ le)”, meaning “Am I obstructing / hindering you?” However, I wasn’t completely sure if I was correct. This is also one of those phrases where Baidu-ing didn’t help; instead, I ended up learning that 我碍你 (wǒ ài nǐ) means 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ), since they’re both homophones (谐音). I’m not sure how this came about though; if anyone has any idea, please do share!
  Was re-watching this today, and finally had my answer thanks to the wonderful English team. The female character was going, “What’s wrong with my short height? Does that bother you?”

• 伟大 (wěi dà)
  This is a very common and seemingly easy phrase. When this phrase is used to describe parents, it usually carries the meaning of the parents having done a lot / sacrificed a lot for their child. I have seen it being translated as “great” (as has also translated it as such), but I believe that this word doesn’t convey the full meaning and depth of this phrase, and is still searching for a better word to translate this phrase to.

• 刻骨铭心 (kè gǔ míng xīn)
  This literally translates to “engraved in the bones and deep in the heart”. Just like the literal translation suggests, it means to have a memory forever etched in your heart. I keep coming across this phrase recently, and was just reminded of it today after listening to 《想见你想见你想见你 Miss You 3000》. In the drama I was translating, the male character described the his sister’s relationship with her crush as such:
  你和他之间 也没有形容的那么天雷地火 刻骨铭心吧
  The relationship between both of you isn’t as you’ve described - passionate and forever remembered. Isn’t it?

[choitrio]

@angelight313_168 asked me about a phrase she heard in the new K-drama, Record of Youth. It’s 격세지감 (gyeok-se-ji-gam), 隔世之感, so I told her I would roughly translate it as “How the world has changed!” What do you think?

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

It’s 격세지감 (gyeok-se-ji-gam), 隔世之感, so I told her I would roughly translate it as “How the world has changed!”

I’m not sure what the context is so I’m not sure how I would translate it, but your translation looks great!

If we are going by the literal translation, 隔世 (gé shì) means “separate by a generation” and 之感 (zhī gǎn) means “to feel”, so together, 隔世之感 (gé shì zhī gǎn) means to feel as though an entire generation has passed because people and/or things have changed so drastically.

[choitrio]

Thank you! I didn’t want to spoil it for people who are watching the drama by giving the context which the phrase was used in. If you ever have the chance to watch Record of Youth, the phrase appears in Episode 12.

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

Have been a little busy recently and didn’t have time to keep this thread going.

I recently came across a discussion on the word 疼 (téng) on another website. For fans of 《以家人之名 Go Ahead》, this discussion was started after Ling Xiao said to his mother, “他们疼我! 你为什么不疼我? (tā men téng wǒ nǐ wèi shé me bù téng wǒ)” and the official channel on YouTube translated it as “They love me. Why don’t you love me?”

By definition, the word can either mean pain (e.g. “我伤口疼 my injury is painful”) or dote / fond of / love (e.g. “她最疼小儿子了 She dotes on her youngest son the most”). Therefore, the translation isn’t wrong.

However, for those familiar with the drama, you’d know that Ling Xiao suffers mentally, mainly because of how his mother treats him. His mother does love him, but just doesn’t express it right. Therefore, I personally interpret the 疼 here as not only expressing love / fondness, but also 心疼 (xīn téng).

心疼, literally “heart pain”, differs in meaning according to context. For example, I have translated it as such recently:

当我不肯落泪 你会心疼地抱我
dāng wǒ bù kěn luò lèi nǐ huì xīn téng de bào wǒ
When I refused to cry, you would hug me as your heart aches.

In the drama’s context, when Ling Xiao said that they 心疼 him, I believe he meant that their heart aches for him because they worry and care about him.

[oriya]

I have a question about the English translation of one song. The Chinese sentence is:

因为我太爱你所以我不该占据。 English: Because I love you too much, so I should not take over.

Is it possible to say: ‘so I should let you go’ or ‘so I should give you some time and space’?

[soyamilkbeancurdpudd]

Is it possible to say: ‘so I should let you go’ or ‘so I should give you some time and space’?

占据, by itself, means “to occupy”. I usually see it being used to describe place (e.g. “占据空间 occupying space”), though it may also be used in other contexts. Online dictionaries define it as “forcefully possessing or occupying”.

I understand this sentence as “because I love you too much, so I should not hold on to you.” Therefore, both your suggestions sound fine to me.