Thoughts

My thoughts on translation and working as a freelance translator/proofreader in an expensive city.


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



This is yet another challenging Chinese phrase, often used in the Internet to describe a person’s style or persona.  This is how Baidu Zhidao interpret this phrase(http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/222462624.html), that it is actually of two parts. The first half is “邪魅(xié mèi)”, which can be used to 1. describe someone who is […]

邪魅狷狂



“带你装逼带你飞(Dài nǐ zhuāng bī dài nǐ fēi)” is another interesting phrase I came across recently.  It originates from the Internet.  Its alternate version is “带你装B带你飞”.  If you googled this phrase, you can see some interesting images. Of all the references I have checked, this one from baidu.com offers a clearer […]

带你装逼带你飞


Working on translation of any living languages that continuously evolve like English and Chinese often offers interesting, sometimes challenging, phrases.  One of these is “当红炸子鸡(Dānghóng zhà zǐjī)“. If you googled this phrase, you will receive many results on a popular dish otherwise known as “fried chicken”.  Only a few results […]

当红炸子鸡 Fried Chicken?