User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Presentation on Trends
September 4, 2009 at 9:12 AMHi themainman,
Great question. This dialogue came out before I started at CPod. The current translation is not bad, but I would make a few adjustments. Below, please find the original phrase and my translation, with the differences highlighted.
大家请看图上列和行所代表的数据，分别是年份和消费者的耐用消费品支出，可以看到今年的支出是近五年最多的，而且同比增长也是最快的。
Everyone, please notice the data represented by the columns and rows. They show time and consumers' durable goods expenditures. We can see that this year's expenditures are the highest in almost five years, and the year-on-year (y-o-y) growth rate is the fastest [over whatever period is shown in the chart. The dialogue does not provide this bit of context.]
This is one case where a literal translation of 分别是 is confusing. The speaker is literally saying that "the difference between the columns and rows is that one shows..." But very few people would express the idea that way in English.
You are correct that 同比 literally means "same compare" but it when talking about finances it is safe to add "year," giving the meaning "compared with the same period last year (year-on-year, a.k.a. y-o-y)." When translating financial documents, I often encounter the phrase 同比增长, y-o-y increase. This is often a more useful metric to use than simple absolute increases or decreases.
Please let me know if anything is still unclear.
Posted on: Formal Introduction
September 4, 2009 at 4:18 AMHi shanemclaughlin,
As is his wont, Tal is correct about the use of 小姐. One big red flag is when a massage parlor promises 小姐服务.
And when you are calling up a company and speaking to the secretary, they will often give you their surname. When you call again, you can just ask for XYZ 小姐. That is, of course, if the secretary is a lady ;-)
Posted on: Chinese Idol
September 4, 2009 at 4:14 AMHi orangina,
我发现你还挺喜欢翻译经典英国歌曲啊！好玩儿！
Hi xiaophil,
Great point. But of course what runs through someone's mind when he or she says "老师“ is not literally "old master." It's just a respectful form of address. I assume that in a similar way, a French person would not think of "my + lord" when saying "monsieur."
Anyway, everybody claims to admire the Old Masters. But when they have to choose, most folks go for a Young Mistress ；-）
Posted on: Chinese Idol
September 4, 2009 at 2:09 AMHi all,
Please note that 老师 is a common term of respect for an expert. It may or may not mean that the person actually is a professor or teacher. You hear it often on radio shows where people call in for advice about their relationships or car maintenance or whatever.
Posted on: Grammar Lesson
September 4, 2009 at 1:58 AMHi everett,
Good point about 几点/什么时候. I will make that change.
An important point is that 什么时候 is used for time periods ranging from minutes to millennia, whereas 几点 is used only for hours. I'm not sure how many people would be confused by that point, but it bears repeating.
Posted on: Where Did You Go?
September 1, 2009 at 5:42 AMHi acsubas,
To follow up on mankiniman's comment,
"there" is 那儿/ 那里/ 那边 na4'er/na3li/na4bian1
"where" is 哪儿／哪里／哪边 na3'er / na3li/na3bian1
Think of the 口 on the left side of 哪 as a person asking a question, and it may be easier to remember.
Finally, as you mentioned, people will often add an "a" to the end of 哪儿 and 哪里 as a way of softening their tone.
Posted on: China Street Smart with John Chan
September 1, 2009 at 3:39 AMHi Jenny,
Congratulations on your new show. Here's wishing you a long, successful run.
Posted on: Love Tangle 2: A Lover Returns
September 1, 2009 at 3:19 AMHi explodingmangoes,
I admit that the intro to this tale of ribaldry is a bit over-written. But love is a journey, not a destination ;-)
Posted on: Hotels, Hostels and Restaurants
September 1, 2009 at 1:39 AMHi thinkbuddha and yingxiong
Some vegetarian food is also described as 净素, which entails not only no meat, but also no eggs and dairy.
If people are eating vegetarian food because they are Buddhist (and in East Asia, they probably are) this also means no garlic or onions, which are thought to be "stimulating." Finally, some Indian cuisine does not even permit roots such as carrots.
But in my experience, Indian restaurants in China don't explain that in great detail on the sign outside.
Posted on: Going Dutch
September 5, 2009 at 12:33 AMHi chris3
Phrases like "going Dutch," (which allegedly shows stinginess) "Dutch courage," (drinking alcohol to boost one's courage) and "Dutch uncle" (someone harsh and unforgiving in their criticism) come from the age when English speakers and Dutch speakers were contending for control of the world. It's a sort of low-level propaganda, or at least slander. But the phrases have lingered for many years after the end of colonialism and wars in (northern) Europe.
There are all kinds of funny negative words in the various European languages for problems/negative traits that got blamed on other Europeans.