#English to Chinese Translation

[morningstartranslation]

Professional English-Mandarin Chinese Translation Service

Learning alone without exchanges with others will lead to ignorance. 独学而无友，则孤陋而寡闻. For more information, visit https://www.morningstartranslation.com

[unforth]

As I deepen my study with Chinese, the more I'm struck by how word meanings work. The monolingual USAdians I know or encounter online, who studied only as much as needed to get through school, really do seem to think languages are plug and play: know the word in both languages, and swap.

But that couldn't be further from the truth. There's on Chinese word, 稳当 (wĕn dang), that's really struck me for that. Because my flashcards give three translations for 稳当: reliable, secure, and stable. And in English these words are all fairly different! Clearly related but very much do not mean the same thing. How can one Chinese word mean these three different concepts? Well, of course, it doesn't. 稳当 means 稳当, some fusion of those three concepts we have words for in English but not quite any of them, that makes it appropriate to use in places where English would use any of those three. There are surely shades of meaning, and which interpretation of the meaning is most appropriate to a given context will be understood upon reading.

Now, expand this understanding - that a word doesn't mean (exact direct swap in English) but rather the word means the word, and we approximate it to the closest English equivalent we can - to *every single word in every single sentence in an entire book.*

Then translate that book.

Translation is an art, not a science, requiring tremendous verisimilitude in *both* languages, and an understanding of the story, and a deep familiarity with the culture (social, historical, linguistic, etc.) of the original work, and often knowledge of the authors intent (if possible to ascertain), and a range of other skills. Translation will always be interpretive and transformative, because (word in one language) doesn't precisely mean (word in another language). They're not "the same." If I present you a sentence with 稳当 in it, does it mean stable, reliable, or secure? Well that depends. On what? How it's being used, the surrounding context, other factors, and of course... the reader or translators interpretation.

It drives me insane when I see people present alternate translations as some kind of "gotcha" that one translator got things wrong. And don't get me wrong - of course some translations ARE just wrong, obviously if I translate 稳当 to mean "goldfish" I'm not interpreting I'm just incorrect. But beyond obvious mistakes, a world of nuance exists, and different translators can in good faith reach different conclusions on the most appropriate translation. This is WHY famous books not in English get translated repeatedly by different people, and why a reader would want to read multiple translations of the same work - to see, in different translations, some shadow of the wonderful nuance embodied by the original words that do not, and cannot, simply be swapped 1 to 1 for a perfect English translation. And this is *especially* true of a language like Chinese, which is ancient and beautiful and deeply steeped in understandings of Chinese history and literature.

Why do you think I and many others are studying Chinese for years? For me, it's all so I can read the actual books myself and get that much closer to the story, that much closer to my own interpretation. I'll never have the skills of a knowledgeable translator - this isn't my profession, it's my hobby - but I'll gleen things nonetheless and it's important to me to try.

Too many of yall disrespect those skills so much that you'll throw a sentence of a language you know nothing about into Google translate and then declare the translator Wrong (and sometimes Bad and Malicious) based on that.

稳当 means 稳当. It doesn't mean "reliable." It doesn't mean "the exact translation of 稳" plus "the exact translation of 当". It's a Chinese word with a Chinese definition that we retrofit English on to.

And the hardest part? Look, I'm still a Chinese novice. For all I fucking know, 稳当 actually MIGHT have three distinct definitions. Everything I said about it above might be wrong. I don't know enough Chinese yet to know for sure, and that's a level of nuance and understanding I'll only reach by reading more.

Multiply that by *every single word in both the original language and the language it's being translated into.*

That's what translation is.

Good luck.

[aahsoka]

one thing i think is very funny about severance is them redoing famous paintings to fit into their whole founder cult thing.

like them stealing the pose from “Wanderer Above a Sea Of Mist” . Also Irving and the O&D guy having an almost…… obvious reaction to the ‘sublime’ (as in they found it beautiful but terrifying) which was a big theme of Caspar David Friedrich’s art and especiqlly evident in this piece. but also it is unlike Friedrich’s work because it turns his rükenfigur (a figure facing away from the viewer which is also a recurring theme in his works) into a figure that Does indeed look back at you.

German Romanticism was also very focused on finding God in nature (it was a kind of attempt at reigniting christian religious fervor) so its apt to include it in the way that Lumon’s whole deal seems to draw very heavily from christianity.

No idea if the background is taken from somewhere else (they look like the great lakes to me?) I just really love Caspar David Friedrich.

also the mussolini facade vs that big relief sculpture. maybe theres a better analogue but this was my first thought.

anyways I think its fun in the way that the symbolism is kinda heavy handed lol. Or maybe I only feel that way as an art history student idk. But I do enjoy when a show can give me a little of that kind of reference …… IF they do it well.

also disclaimer: I am only on season 1 episode episode 5 as of this post! Please do not discuss beyond that episode with me until I catch up thanks <3

[terrumdurak]

continuing mlp theme.. i'm very impressed by lbh abilities to affect other people dreams and find it a really useful skill - he can share any media without using the internet, that's so freaking awesome!

i think his world will enjoy this little gift

[mirror-and-mind]

Hey, sorry, I have a question about mononoke, and, well. You seem to know a lot about it so perhaps you could find the time to answer?

I was wondering, is there any more media connected to the medicine sellers beside the bakeneko arc in Ayakashi, the Mononoke series from 2007 and the recent movie?

Because I saw people talking about another three movies too, and I was already quite confused by the two series and the movie and the internet wasn't really helpful ^^'

I have so far only watched Ayakashi and the series, but the new movie is next (and I am excited)! I really enjoy the memes and interpretations and other stuff on your blog, it's really funny, although I can't read some of it yet due to spoilers.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy to help!

At the moment, there's no animated media for Mononoke other than the Ayakashi "Bakeneko" arc, the series, and the movie Karakasa (Chinese Umbrella), which has the alternate title Phantom in the Rain. However, there are two movies planned as sequels to Karakasa. Those three movies will be a trilogy, and that's probably what you've seen people talking about.

We don't yet know the name of the third movie. The second one will be called Hinezumi (Fire Rat), and has also been given the alternate title Ashes of Rage.

As for non-animated media, there are...

Manga adaptations for every arc of the series. I think all have been translated into English. I haven't tried to hunt them down, but I'm guessing they wouldn't be too difficult to find.

Two manga adaptations of Ayakashi "Bakeneko." They're both by the artist who also adapted the other arcs, but one version is more recent. At least one has been translated—I think both—but I haven't looked for them either.

A manga adaptation of Karakasa, created by the movie's character designer. As far as I know, only the first six chapters are available, and they've been translated into English by @naonoholics [1-2] [3-4] [5-6]

A light novel adaptation of Karakasa. I don't know if it's available in English anywhere.

Stage plays of Ayakashi "Bakeneko" and "Zashiki Warashi." I think the "Zashiki Warashi" play is or was available on DVD/Bluray, but only from Japan and in Japanese. I'm not sure if there's a recording of "Bakeneko," or if any other stories were adapted this way.

Spinoff light novels called Mononoke Shu and Mononoke Oni. @the-mononoke-facade has translated all of the stories from Shu and the first story from Oni.

I think that's it for official media. Pretty much everything is an adaptation of one kind or another, except for the spinoff novels.

There is a bunch of backstory connected to the Medicine Sellers, which isn't discussed in the media at all except for a brief mention in Karakasa. The creator flung it at us quite unceremoniously this past summer. If you're not familiar with it, the posts linked here cover most of what we know.

I'm glad you enjoy this blog, and I hope this was helpful! It's probably a ton more info than you were looking for, but you now know everything I know about the available Mononoke media. 😛

[ruanbaijie]

谢谢你，成为我长夜中的……[一轮月。] Thank you for being, in my long night, a shining moon.

SNOWFALL 冰雪谣 (2024) 1.15

[poomphuripan]

Poster of My Stand-In EP.11 - Love is Merely Madness

Producer Yuan tweeted that the English tagline took inspiration from Shakespeare's As You Like It

Love is merely a madness; and, I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and the reason why they are not so punish'd and cured is that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers are in love too.

The Chinese tagline is "有美人兮，见之不忘" which can be translated as "There is a beautiful person, I will never forget them after seeing them"

Producer Yuan explained that this Chinese tagline comes from an ancient Chinese poem and she feels that it describes the visible yearning and longing Ming has for Joe in EP.11

[zishuge]

The Spirealm 致命游戏 (2024) | Eps. 8 + 39

[morningstartranslation]

English-Chinese Translation & Localization Services

Attention to refined taste comes only after the stomach is sated. 食必常饱，然后求美（shí bì cháng bǎo，rán hòu qiú měi）For more information, visit https://www.morningstartranslation.com

[twildflower]

og if you want it. Idk. Know how to read it. Wtv.

[ejlyt]

DO YOU SPEAK CHINESE?

RB TO GET THIS TO SOMEONE WHO DOES!!!

I recently watched the below video, and found it was explained really well. I would like to get this information to my grandparents, who struggle with English.

Could someone translate this for me please? (In a RB, YT removed community captions. I can edit it onto the video to send to them) traditional is preferred, but I can convert it from simplified so that works too.

EVEN IF YOU CAN’T TRANSLATE IT, PLEASE RB TO GET THIS POST TO SOMEONE WHO CAN

[arttsuka]

Something something, holding the head of your loved ones

Bonus screenshot from that one movie no one has ever watched except from me

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

wang zuxian王祖贤Joey Wang ❤ wu yanzu吴彦祖Daniel Wu

wang zuxian王祖贤Joey Wang ❤Miyazawa Rie宮沢りえ

Cnetizens: 'Damn girl, she's so lucky to have both a hubby and a wifie, she really follows monogamy (one husband, one wife)' 'Teacher, I want to peep at Daniel's bath too'

[yea-baiyi]

i just posted but i feel INSANE hua cheng’s entire appearance in the ghost groom arc is just symbolism.

when xie lian is alone (having sent everyone away, in danger but perfectly capable of fighting his way out), hua cheng steps in front of xie lian, offers his hand, and guides xie lian through the woods to where he needs to be. monsters cower before him, magical barriers don’t stop him, he steps on the skulls of enemies and crushes them so thoroughly that xie lian behind him feels like he is walking on flat ground. he doesn’t just swoop in without asking — he offers his hand, and waits, and xie lian willingly reaches out and lets himself be guided. and his grip is featherlight, even as he steers xie lian through danger and darkness. his blood rain warns away all who would dare harm them, but xie lian doesn’t get hit by a drop. and hua cheng does this all in his true form, not in disguise, because he’s not playing a character or trying to achieve anything, this is just him. despite not being confident enough to face xie lian directly, hua cheng has already shown him exactly who he is.

(now excuse me while i gnaw through an entire wall because how was this not glaringly obvious to me all along)

[lucid9158]

I just realized that, if I ever transmigrate into any novel/manga I’ve read, I’d be doomed because they’re all from different countries with different languages…

[eaion]

Tian Bao Fuyao Lu - 天宝伏妖录 (Legend of Exorcism)