The Thing About Character-Based Languages

This was spotted in Taiwan and then posted on FaceBook recently:  

A perfect example of someone using Google Translate without verifying the accuracy of machine translation, it caused enough of an uproar that a local newspaper took a jab at the sign as well. 

The following statements are all true:

報 = newspaper

到處 = everywhere

報到 = to report (for duty)

處 = location

報到處 = sign-in counter

The thing about character-based languages is, meanings mostly derive from phrases formed by two or more characters.  It's a game of memorization, therefore experience plays a big part in these languages.  Without enough data, a non-native speaker (or a machine, as demonstrated by the picture above) doesn't know how to parse a phrase to get the correct meaning: is it [報到]+[處] or [報]+[到處]?

As we find out, the machine guessed wrong this time.  But the sad thing is nobody caught it before it got printed out for the whole world to see.

While we're on the subject, the newspaper report mentioned above also contains errors.  This is what they said:

依據國家教育研究院機關雙語詞彙建議規定，中文的「報到處」正式英文翻譯應用「Checking Counter」、「Registration」用「Newspaper Everywhere」是錯誤的用法。

This is how it should be written:

依據國家教育研究院機關雙語詞彙建議規定，中文的「報到處」正式英文翻譯應用「Check-in Counter」、「Registration」。用「Newspaper Everywhere」是錯誤的用法。

 
Whether "Registration" applies is debatable; it depends on what kind of 報到處 the place is.



Please translate responsibly.

Image source: Liberty Times Net.

Funny Translation of the Day

I thought I'd share this image that someone sent me today:

 

An "explosive dog" is "a dog that is explosive".   Translated into Chinese, it'd be 爆发犬 (or 爆發犬 for Traditional Chinese).

The correct English for 搜爆犬 should be "explosives dog" or "explosive detection dog."

Please translate responsibly.

Image credit: Pleated Jeans.

The Skinny on the Languages in Taiwan

Quick question: what's the official language (written and spoken) in Taiwan?

If you don't know much about this island, chances are your answer would be "Taiwanese."  

And you would have guessed wrong. 

For the sake of brevity, I won't go into details about the history or politics of Taiwan vs. China.  What I'm going to attempt here is to address some general (but totally understandable) misconceptions some people may have about Taiwan, and other trivia on the languages used there.

1. Mandarin is the official language spoken in Taiwan, written in Traditional Chinese characters.
2. The "Taiwanese" language in Taiwan refers to a variant of the Fujian dialect.  It wasn't until about 10 years ago that the government in Taiwan realized the importance of revitalizing this second-most spoken language on the island.  The written form of "Taiwanese" is still in development and therefore not widely applied like the way Cantonese is.
3. The third-most spoken language in Taiwan is the Hakka language, which shares some similarities with Cantonese.
4. There are a dozen or so indigenous languages in Taiwan spoken by the Taiwanese aborigines.  Faced with the danger of extinction, quite a few of these languages are undergoing a revival similar to that of the Taiwanese language, with varying degrees of success in their progresses.
5. This has nothing to do with the languages in Taiwan, but is worth mentioning because of the confusion so many have had: Taiwan≠Thailand.

Please translate responsibly.

Traits of a Good Linguistic Professional

After I stepped into the project management side of the translation/localization industry, it came as a mild shock to find that few linguists read instructions and how few are comfortable using the various CAT tools out there. In fact, every time I talk to a project manager within the industry, I get a knowing chuckle when I tell them "this linguist is one of those that actually read all the instructions."  

As a linguist, I always want to know how a client thinks of my performance.  As a project manager, I get asked quite often by linguists who want to know how well they've done their jobs.  Having the advantage of being on both sides of the process, I've decided to share with fellow linguists what their clients look for in a linguistic professional.

1. Always read instructions - The client gives written instructions because it's the only way to ensure everyone is on the same page about what's expected.  And of course you should follow the instructions unless you need to...
2. Ask questions when instructions don't make sense - As humans, we're known to make mistakes.  If something in the instructions doesn't make sense, be sure to ask for clarification.
3. Be responsive and flexible - When a linguist is cheerful and accommodating in his/her availability, it invariably opens a lot of doors for future opportunities. 
4. Have excellent time-management skills - Like I've said before, many things often come down to the wire in this industry.  Failing to plan is planning to fail.
5. Be unafraid to use new software - A good linguist isn’t afraid to use a new CAT program, digging in on their own to learn how it works; to "boldly go where no one has gone before."  I've seen many a good linguist falter when asked to use some software for the very first time.  For this group I'd like to offer some encouraging news: CAT tools are made for translators and linguistic professionals, not for software engineers.  As such, they are actually very similar and quite user-friendly.  If you've used one of them, chances are you will be able to figure out the rest without too much difficulty.  
6. Know your limits - Most linguistic professionals are eager to please and tend to say Yes to everything.  From a growth mindset, this is definitely the way to develop yourself into a well-rounded linguist.  However, it is perfectly okay to turn down an assignment if you feel you won't be able to deliver because you don't have enough time or subject matter expertise. Be frank with your client if you have serious reservations about taking on a task.  More often than not, the client will thank you for the candor because it gives them time to place the assignment elsewhere.
7. Can out-Google the best of 'em - How is your Google-fu?  If a rush translation job about an oil transportation contract lands in your lap, do you have the research chops to get up to speed on the subject matter so you can deliver quality work?

 
This industry, which is not known for compensating its individual contributors handsomely, sure asks a lot of these same contributors.  But it does have some rewarding moments.  It is my belief, though, that good linguists will shine through and be kept busy by their appreciative clients.



Please translate responsibly.

Ham Hocks vs. Sexual Harassment

.

A reader sent me this picture and asked, "What does the Chinese say?"

Sitting at home, I burst out laughing.  For this case not only shows a lack of understanding of the languages from both the content writer and the translator, but also demonstrates the breakdown of communication between these two key players.

First, let us dissect the Chinese on the placard:

德式 = German style
咸 = salted; salty; cured
猪手 = ham hock(s)

However, in many parts of the Chinese-speaking world, 咸猪手 is slang for "grabby hands."  Therefore, whoever decided to name this dish 咸猪手 was either careless or completely unaware of its "grabby hands" annotation.  Seeing that the translator didn't raise the red flag that the use of 咸猪手 was questionable, it is very likely that most people in 长沙 (where Quan Sheng Hotel is located) are not familiar with this particular "grabby hands" slang.

It is plausible that the person tasked with translating  德式咸猪手 into English used machine translation such as Google Translate for the job, but didn't bother to check what "German type sexual harassment" actually means in Chinese.  For if they had taken the time to do a back translation of "German type sexual harassment" they would've found that this would by no means refer to a dish.

So, how does one say "Cured Ham Hocks" in Chinese?  咸猪脚 and 咸猪蹄 are both fine choices, but definitely not 咸猪手.

And the placard should've read:

德式咸猪脚

German Style Cured Ham Hocks

Or, if 猪手 absolutely has to be used because that's the way the locals say "ham hocks" in Chinese, then the placard could read:

德式猪手

German Style Ham Hocks

Please translate responsibly.  
 
Image credit: Imgur

Warning on a Remote Control Helicopter

WARNING

If blade damage,don't be fly. otherwise it will create the human body or blame damage. 

The warning above is found on an RC helicopter that our family treated ourselves to for Christmas 2013.  I don't know about you, but this is what came to mind when I saw it:

Did they use Google Translate to come up with that?

To test the theory, I used Google Translate to do a back translation of the message and got this:

如果叶片损坏，不要飞。否则会造成人体或怪的伤害。 -- Believe it or not, that's actually close to 100% accurate in terms of what the warning probably would be.  

And if we put the Chinese back translation into Google Translate to see what the English would say this time, we get:

If the blade is damaged, do not fly. Otherwise it will cause harm to humans or strange.  -- Again, it's almost 100% accurate.  So, good news -- they probably didn't use Google Translate!

I'm guessing the Chinese original is something like 如果叶片损坏，不要飞。否则会造成人身或责任伤害。

Which should be translated as: Do not fly the helicopter if a blade is damaged, otherwise bodily injury or property damage may occur.

And here's a message for the manufacturer of a nifty helicopter: 您的直升机翼上面的英文说的是：“如果叶片损坏，别当苍蝇。否则将创造出人体或责怪伤害。”


Please translate responsibly.

Online Tools for Chinese/English Linguists or Learners

There is a saying in Chinese: 工欲善其事，必先利其器。Literally translated, it means if a worker wishes to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools.

Below is a list of online dictionaries and linguistic tools that I have found useful over the years.  I'm opening my tool box in the hopes that others will benefit from these websites.  Most of them focus on Chinese/English or Simplified/Traditional Chinese, therefore general reference tools such as Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the OED are not included.

• 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 - A Traditional Chinese dictionary compiled by the Ministry of Education and maintained by National Academy for Educational Research in Taiwan, it is the most comprehensive and authoritative Chinese dictionary today.
• 汉典 - A Simplified Chinese dictionary compiled by volunteers, it is surprisingly comprehensive.  Also offers simple English definitions for a lot of words and phrases.
• 林語堂《當代漢英詞典》電子版 - Lin Yutang's Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage offers some of the most fitting and elegant English translations available.
• Yahoo奇摩字典 - One of the first English-Chinese online dictionaries, it continues to evolve and grow with time.
• 遠流字典通線上資料庫 - Owned by a well-established publisher in Taiwan, this English-Chinese dictionary is a good resource of usage examples.
• Simplified/Traditional Chinese online converter - You can convert Chinese characters in either direction.

Needless to say, these tools aren't 100% foolproof all the time.  Depending on the nature of the project one works on, one may have to look for other resources as well.  But the list is a good start, I hope, for anyone that wishes to improve on their understanding from either direction of the language pair.  


Please translate responsibly.