I recently worked on some renovation translations and below is a list of some vocabulary that I have collected. (Updated: 3 Oct 2018) English 中文 acrylic strip 亚克力垫条 Adapter 适配器 additive 助剂精 adhesive 胶水 Air Conditioning 空调 aluminum composite panel 铝塑板 Aluminum Extrusions 铝型材 Aluminum heat dissipating profile 铝质散热型材 Aluminum-Plastic […]
Yearly Archives: 2017
Unlike English, where we separate each word with a space (like what you see here), spaces are used sparingly in Asian languages like Chinese and Japanese. This sometimes pose an issue when it comes to interpretation. Like this Chinese idiom 船到桥头自然直 (chuán dào qiáo tóu zìrán zhí) Where 船 refers […]
船到桥头自然直
From time to time, I’ll get a scanned pdf/image of a document to translate, in order to translate quickly, I will often try to convert all the text contents to editable text or .doc, .docx formats. This helps a lot in researching the term, especially for Chinese to English, as […]
OCR Tools
Not sure if it is visible here but if you look at point 4, it said “gas permeable 透气”. Wonder what that means. This is a paint product so does that mean that whenever someone in my house farts, the paint will adsorb the smell, or “let it through” somehow? […]
PuHua Eco- Gas Permeable
I was reviewing classical chinese text and this phrase is very common. Again, it is challenging to keep the original rhythm but nonetheless here is my proposed English translation with the word “order”. Source: 修身、齐家、治国、平天下。 Translate: Discipline yourself to conduct your life orderly, so that you may then put your house in […]
Order and discipline – 修身、齐家、治国、平天下
More emerging terms that were popular among the Chinese Internet digerati in 2014. I added my comments and proposed translations. 且行且珍惜 As you journey through life, cherish what you have The above phrase was probably first quoted by Lin Yutang, a famous Chinese writer and later used in a Taiwanese […]
Emerging Terms 2
Some Chinese terms that emerged in 2014, still trending and my proposed translations. Note that many of these may have alternative meanings as the language evolves. 顶层设计 High-level design/Top tier design In its usual engineering concept, 《顶层设计》refers to a “top-tier design” but when transplanted to politics and economics in China, it […]
Emerging Terms
A lot of my work involves translating Chinese documents from China to English and many official documents refer to standards, rules, procedures or governance published by the different state agencies. I have compiled a list of these agencies and their English equivalents. Information is dated 23rd August 2015 and is […]
Chinese Government Organizations
If you are lost, like me, among the many levels the Chinese describe one’s educational level or “cultural level”, this list may be useful. Classification is based on this document, GB/T4658－1984《文化程度代码》, literally “Code for Different Cultural Levels”. Note: Some of these are my own proposed translations, they may not be correct […]
Education (Cultural) Levels in China
Did you know that the word “supersede” is the ONLY word in the entire English language that ends in -sede? There is truly no other word that supersedes “supersede” in its unique ending:)