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难翻的词 (The English words that are very difficult to translate into Chinese)
Thread poster: Zhoudan
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
屎壳郎戴花臭美 Aug 15, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

wherestip wrote:

有那么翻的吗? 那 "屎壳郎戴花臭美" 怎么办哪?



A dung beetle wears a flower - a stinky beauty!


Yeah, that's funny ... There's the saying of "putting lipstick on a pig" in English.

BTW, Obama got into a bit of trouble by using that expression during his campaign.


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
nouns Aug 16, 2009

Bin,

For nouns, the term "dandy" can also be used for a male. But even then, "dandyism", IMO, refers mostly to the mannerisms and lifestyle of a person who is real fastidious about his/her attire and outward appearance. The female equivalent of "dandy", according to this Wikipedia page, is "dandyess", "dandizette", or "quaintrelle". I don't think people use these expressions much anymore. But the most common expressions used in this sense today for the most part probably need to
... See more
Bin,

For nouns, the term "dandy" can also be used for a male. But even then, "dandyism", IMO, refers mostly to the mannerisms and lifestyle of a person who is real fastidious about his/her attire and outward appearance. The female equivalent of "dandy", according to this Wikipedia page, is "dandyess", "dandizette", or "quaintrelle". I don't think people use these expressions much anymore. But the most common expressions used in this sense today for the most part probably need to be bleeped, if you know what I mean.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandy



The female counterpart is a quaintrelle. In the 1810s, when dandy had a more immature definition of "fop" or "over-the-top fellow", the female equivalents were dandyess or dandizette. Charles Dickens, in All the Year Around (1869) comments, "The dandies and dandizettes of 1819-1820 must have been a strange race. Dandizette was a term applied to feminine devotees to dress and their absurdities were fully equal to those of the dandy." In 1819, the novel Charms of Dandyism was published "by Olivia Moreland, chief of the female dandies"; although probably written by Thomas Ashe, "Olivia Moreland" may have existed, as Ashe did write several novels about living persons. Throughout the novel, dandyism is associated with "living in style".

Later, as the word dandy evolved to denote refinement, it became applied solely to men. Popular Culture and Performance in the Victorian City (2003) notes this evolution in the latter 1800s: "...or dandizette, although the term was increasingly reserved for men." Female dandies became extinct and then went on to develop their own distinct philosophy, quaintrellism, apart from male influences.

Possible 19th century quaintrelles could be found in the demimonde, in such extravagant women as the courtesan Cora Pearl, while the Marchesa Luisa Casati lived a dandy's career in post–World War I Venice. Analogously, the artistic diva might be considered a quaintrelle.




p.s. a correction: "narcissistic" is obviously an adjective. I just did a copy and paste of the explanation for the noun "narcissism" in the previous post; that's why it came out the way it did.



[Edited at 2009-08-16 19:54 GMT]
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wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:54
欺负 Aug 20, 2009

经常听到中餐馆的厨师抱怨老板“欺负我不懂德语”。

I can't find an equivalant of this verb, neither in English nor in German. I normally say: My boss rips me off (fools me) since I don't understand German.


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
欺负 Aug 20, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

经常听到中餐馆的厨师抱怨老板“欺负我不懂德语”。

I can't find an equivalant of this verb, neither in English nor in German. I normally say: My boss rips me off (fools me) since I don't understand German.


Here's a couple of suggestions:




http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/take%20advantage%20of

10. take advantage of
b. to impose upon, esp. unfairly, as by exploiting a weakness: to take advantage of someone.



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/exploit

exploit
–verb (used with object)
2. to use selfishly for one's own ends: employers who exploit their workers.




Actually, it's a form of discrimination. So you can also say the boss discriminates based on an employee's ability to speak German fluently.


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
To pick on somebody Aug 20, 2009

Here's another way to say 欺负 ...

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/pick_1

pick on somebody/something (phrasal verb)
1 to behave in an unfair way to someone, for example by blaming them or criticizing them unfairly: Why don't you pick on someone else for a
... See more
Here's another way to say 欺负 ...

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/pick_1

pick on somebody/something (phrasal verb)
1 to behave in an unfair way to someone, for example by blaming them or criticizing them unfairly: Why don't you pick on someone else for a change?



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discriminate

discriminate
–verb (used without object)
1. to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit; show partiality: The new law discriminates against foreigners. He discriminates in favor of his relatives.
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wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:54
Thanks, Steve Aug 21, 2009

I opt for "taking advantage of", which seems to be the easiest option among all.

Which of the below 2 sentences is a better formulation:

My boss takes advantage of me because I don't know German. Or
My boss takes advantage of the fact that I don't know German.


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
You're welcome Aug 21, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

I opt for "taking advantage of", which seems to be the easiest option among all.

Which of the below 2 sentences is a better formulation:

My boss takes advantage of me because I don't know German. Or
My boss takes advantage of the fact that I don't know German.


Bin,

Both are good sentences. Either one will do, IMO. The first one is perhaps a bit more colloquial


 
Zhoudan
Zhoudan  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:54
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
第一感觉 Aug 22, 2009

这一句乍一读,好像有这个感觉:“因为我不懂德语,老板赚我便宜。”

Bin Tiede wrote:

My boss takes advantage of me because I don't know German.


 
clearwater
clearwater
China
Local time: 16:54
English to Chinese
欺负还是剥削? Aug 22, 2009

wherestip wrote:

Bin Tiede wrote:

经常听到中餐馆的厨师抱怨老板“欺负我不懂德语”。

I can't find an equivalant of this verb, neither in English nor in German. I normally say: My boss rips me off (fools me) since I don't understand German.


Here's a couple of suggestions:




http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/take%20advantage%20of

10. take advantage of
b. to impose upon, esp. unfairly, as by exploiting a weakness: to take advantage of someone.



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/exploit

exploit
–verb (used with object)
2. to use selfishly for one's own ends: employers who exploit their workers.




Actually, it's a form of discrimination. So you can also say the boss discriminates based on an employee's ability to speak German fluently.


Steven,小弟英文不好,写起来比较费力,所以直接用汉语发贴,见谅!
我觉得您所举的exploit来对应“欺负”似乎欠准确。因为感觉从to use selfishly for one's own ends: employers who exploit their workers. 来看,似乎译成“剥削”的可能性更大一点。而“欺负”的程度显然要比“剥削”缓和得多,毕竟后者更容易联想到两个对立阶层。而“欺负”比较缓和,用得也比较广。比如大孩子欺负小孩子,老婆欺负老公^_^
不过,从英文释义来看,exploit确实也有“欺负”的意思。


 
clearwater
clearwater
China
Local time: 16:54
English to Chinese
殊途同归 Aug 22, 2009

Zhoudan wrote:

这一句乍一读,好像有这个感觉:“因为我不懂德语,老板赚我便宜。”

Bin Tiede wrote:

My boss takes advantage of me because I don't know German.

赚某人便宜,其实就是欺负某人!欺负某人不熟悉相应情况、或者现在商家中的信息不对称,等等。
不过,更喜欢你的“赚人便宜”这样的译法!


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
谈谈我的看法 Aug 23, 2009

clearwater,

哪里. 该道歉的是我. 我这儿多年不用中文, 写中文还是不如写英文来得方便, 所以经常图省事.

我给 Bin 建议的 几种说法主要是考虑她所说的具体情况. 饭馆里的中国厨师抱怨老板欺负, 不外乎是由于上班时间长、工作累、工资低之类. Bin 自己用了 "rips me off(fools me)", 我想主要就是想表达这层意思.

你举的中文里使用 "欺负" 几个例子, 我�
... See more
clearwater,

哪里. 该道歉的是我. 我这儿多年不用中文, 写中文还是不如写英文来得方便, 所以经常图省事.

我给 Bin 建议的 几种说法主要是考虑她所说的具体情况. 饭馆里的中国厨师抱怨老板欺负, 不外乎是由于上班时间长、工作累、工资低之类. Bin 自己用了 "rips me off(fools me)", 我想主要就是想表达这层意思.

你举的中文里使用 "欺负" 几个例子, 我觉得具体情况可以用不同的英文词汇来翻. 比如大孩子欺负小孩子, 一般英文会解释为 The older kid picks on the younger ones, like a schoolyard bully. 老婆欺负老公呢, 如今一般叫作 domestic abuse or verbal abuse, 以前通常叫作 henpecking



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/henpecking

henpeck 
–verb (used with object)
to browbeat, bully, or intimidate (one's husband).

henpeck
tr.v. hen·pecked, hen·peck·ing, hen·pecks Informal
To dominate or harass (one's husband) with persistent nagging.



所以具体情况可以不同处理. Context 往往很重要.

老板欺负中国厨师不会说德文, 我想并不是虐待他 (abuse him, harass him), 也不是像大孩子对小孩子那样欺负他 (pick on him, bully him). In all likelihood, the boss basically treats the employee unfairly, which in most situations probably involve inadequate pay and long work hours.

如果厨师抱怨的不是工资和工作量的话, 那当然用 take advantage of 和 exploit 这类词就不恰当了. 具体的情况究竟是什么要看了. Mean, nasty, abusive, disrespectful ... 都可能. 但这种情况可能性很小, 否则厨师早就辞职了. Bin 所说的情况大概是厨师不会讲德文, 因此另找工作也不容易, 得过且过.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

再稍谈另一点我的看法. 你所说 "exploit" 一般翻为 "剥削", 这是一点儿没有错的. 但一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法. 比如 a person can exploit someone's kindness, exploit someone's inexperience, exploit a situation, or in a more positive sense, exploit an opportunity. In this instance, the boss exploited an employee's vulnerablility of being deficient in the native German language. BTW, of course we have to keep in mind that this is only one side of the story from the chef




http://www.thefreedictionary.com/exploit

Verb 1. exploit - use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"





http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/exploit_1

exploit (transitive)
1. to treat someone unfairly by asking them to do things for you, but giving them very little in return - used to show disapproval: Homeworkers can easily be exploited by employers.
2. to try to get as much as you can out of a situation, sometimes unfairly: The violence was blamed on thugs exploiting the situation.






[Edited at 2009-08-23 21:18 GMT]
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wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:54
Some background information Aug 23, 2009

这句话出现在中餐馆厨师的证词里。那个中餐馆的老板由于长期欺压剥削中国厨师而受到警方调查。

中餐馆厨师是以劳工身份取得德国的居留,所以如果被老板解雇,失去工作合同,就得被遣返回国。那个老板时常威胁厨师:“如果你不怎么怎么样,我就解除合同,送你回国。“ 在老板的高压政策下,他一个星期得工作七天,每天工作时间长达10个小时以上,最后因为生病被老板解雇。那个厨师由于人生地不熟,再加上不会讲德语,不知道该如何保护自己的正当合法权益,所以对老板忍气吞声,逆来顺受。

所以他常说的一句话就是“欺负我不懂德语“。


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:54
Either...or... Aug 23, 2009

I have another question concerning the phrase "Either...or..."

If two sentences are connected by "Either...or...", should the first one appear in reversed order? For example:

Either you have misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed me properly.
Either have you misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed me properly.

Which one is correct?

I think sentences connected by "Neither...nor..." must be in a reversed order, like:

Neither
... See more
I have another question concerning the phrase "Either...or..."

If two sentences are connected by "Either...or...", should the first one appear in reversed order? For example:

Either you have misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed me properly.
Either have you misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed me properly.

Which one is correct?

I think sentences connected by "Neither...nor..." must be in a reversed order, like:

Neither have I understood you, nor do I want to.
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ysun
ysun  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:54
English to Chinese
+ ...
Either...or... /Neither...nor... Aug 23, 2009

In my opinion, the following two sentences are correct:

Either you have misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed myself properly.

Neither have I understood you, nor do I want to.

Either...or... 表示两者择一

Neither...nor... 表示两者皆不


 
clearwater
clearwater
China
Local time: 16:54
English to Chinese
英文单词的涵义较丰富 Aug 23, 2009

wherestip wrote:

clearwater,

哪里. 该道歉的是我. 我这儿多年不用中文, 写中文还是不如写英文来得方便, 所以经常图省事.

我给 Bin 建议的 几种说法主要是考虑她所说的具体情况. 饭馆里的中国厨师抱怨老板欺负, 不外乎是由于上班时间长、工作累、工资低之类. Bin 自己用了 "rips me off(fools me)", 我想主要就是想表达这层意思.

你举的中文里使用 "欺负" 几个例子, 我觉得具体情况可以用不同的英文词汇来翻. 比如大孩子欺负小孩子, 一般英文会解释为 The older kid picks on the younger ones, like a schoolyard bully. 老婆欺负老公呢, 如今一般叫作 domestic abuse or verbal abuse, 以前通常叫作 henpecking



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/henpecking

henpeck 
–verb (used with object)
to browbeat, bully, or intimidate (one's husband).

henpeck
tr.v. hen·pecked, hen·peck·ing, hen·pecks Informal
To dominate or harass (one's husband) with persistent nagging.



所以具体情况可以不同处理. Context 往往很重要.

老板欺负中国厨师不会说德文, 我想并不是虐待他 (abuse him, harass him), 也不是像大孩子对小孩子那样欺负他 (pick on him, bully him). In all likelihood, the boss basically treats the employee unfairly, which in most situations probably involve inadequate pay and long work hours.

如果厨师抱怨的不是工资和工作量的话, 那当然用 take advantage of 和 exploit 这类词就不恰当了. 具体的情况究竟是什么要看了. Mean, nasty, abusive, disrespectful ... 都可能. 但这种情况可能性很小, 否则厨师早就辞职了. Bin 所说的情况大概是厨师不会讲德文, 因此另找工作也不容易, 得过且过.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

再稍谈另一点我的看法. 你所说 "exploit" 一般翻为 "剥削", 这是一点儿没有错的. 但一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法. 比如 a person can exploit someone's kindness, exploit someone's inexperience, exploit a situation, or in a more positive sense, exploit an opportunity. In this instance, the boss exploited an employee's vulnerablility of being deficient in the native German language. BTW, of course we have to keep in mind that this is only one side of the story from the chef




http://www.thefreedictionary.com/exploit

Verb 1. exploit - use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"





http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/exploit_1

exploit (transitive)
1. to treat someone unfairly by asking them to do things for you, but giving them very little in return - used to show disapproval: Homeworkers can easily be exploited by employers.
2. to try to get as much as you can out of a situation, sometimes unfairly: The violence was blamed on thugs exploiting the situation.






[Edited at 2009-08-23 21:18 GMT]

Steven,
看来用进废退的道理确实很适用于语言使用上^_^
没有关系,只要双方都能明白,使用什么文字都无大碍。
您说的没错,一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法,同一个exploit可以表示“欺负”,也可以表示“揩某人的油”,还可以表示“盘剥某人”,不一而足。而从多义中找到最适合、最到位的意思,也正是翻译工作的一大难点。这既需要对源词有深入而全面的了解,又需要对目标词的运用驾驭自如。
不好意思,感觉话题有些扯远了。。。


 
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难翻的词 (The English words that are very difficult to translate into Chinese)






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