ATS1940/2940 - Chinese Translation 2

Week 2 Class Exercise

Translate the underlined sentence in the following passages, and analyse your
translation of the highlighted texts.

1. How Do Chinese Officials Explain Their Corruption? People’s Daily Counts

the Ways
Wall Street Journal - 22 July

An article appeared on the government's flagship newspaper, People’s Daily,

which aimed to explain government corruption by quoting the culprits
themselves. According to the People’s Daily, Liu said that he accepted bribes
because he had anxiety about old age and uncertainty about retirement. For
other officials, being corrupt was simply standard practice and rejection
“would have been seen as abnormal” and risky for future promotions.

中国政府的喉舌报纸《人民日报》刊登了一篇文章， 旨在以贪腐官员现身说法
详解政务贪污这一现象。 该文记载，一刘姓落马官员表示，其收受贿赂之由源
于其对步入老年及退休后生活的顾虑/忧虑。 至于其他官员，腐败乃是官场惯
例，拒绝腐败‘将被视为非正常现象/怪异之人’，并且会影响升迁/为提职带来
风险/影响仕途。

2. From 2014, the world will be commemorating 100 years since the start of the
First World War. For Australians this is a momentous occasion. The First
World War touched the lives of nearly every Australian, the impacts are still
prevalent today. For these reasons it is essential to commemorate, remember,
and learn from those who sacrificed their lives during those four years, 1914 –
1918.

从 2014 年起，世界各国将开始纪念第一次世界大战爆发 100 周年。对于澳大利

亚人而言，这是一个重要的活动。一战触及几乎每个澳洲人的生活， 其影响至
今仍随处可见。因此纪念和缅怀那些在 1914 到 1918 年的四年中牺牲的将士显
得尤为重要。

3. 显然“遗其体求其用”是清廷的一厢情愿。西方的教育秉持资本主义人
文精神，与中国专制落后迂腐的教育理念天壤之别。先进的思想、先进
的社会，以及丰富的物质条件，留学生们不仅是乐不思蜀，其思想观念
与朝廷的要求南辕北辙。最终召回留学生至少让中国教育上的现代化运
动半途而废。
（参考课堂讨论结果。）

1
 Translation Analysis - 译文赏析

The following article is a translation from English into Chinese. Please read the
original and its translation and discuss the following issues in groups:
 Are there mistranslations? Please list your findings and your corrections.
译文中有没有错译的地方？ 如果有， 请指出并改正。
 Are there translations that you would strongly agree with? If yes, analyse them.
有没有你认为是好的译文，请加以点评。
 Give a critical analysis of the entire translation.
总体评述该篇译文。

Sending WeChat voice messages is a 外媒：微信发语音是职场身份的象

status symbol in China 征

中国日报网 2018-07-25 09:01

WeChat has a voice message

function that allows you to press a 微信有一种发送语音信息的功能，
button and record your message. 按下按钮便可以口述记录你想发送
For the uninitiated, this is just
的信息。对于那些缺少经验的人来
another way of sending messages
that’s interchangeable with text 说，这不过是另一种可替换文字信
messages. However, sending a voice 息的方式而已。但是，在中国职
message on WeChat is considered 场，用微信发送语音信息却会令人
obnoxious in the Chinese 生厌，通常只有上级发给下级的语
professional world, and usually only 音信息才会被容忍。
tolerated if it is sent from a superior
to a subordinate.

Why is that?
为什么呢？
……

Sending someone a voice message—

instead of typing it out—tells them:
“I’m obviously busier and more 向某人发送一段语音，而不是把文
important than you.” The sender
字打出来，无异于向对方宣告：
saves time—at the recipient’s
expense. Thus it is almost always “我显然比你更忙也比你更重
used in asymmetric relationships: 要。”发送者节省了时间，却让接
when a boss is communicating a 收者付出代价。因此语音信息一般
directive to a subordinate, for 只用于不对等的关系中，比如，当
example. 老板向下属下达指令时。

So, do not send voice messages on

WeChat in a professional situation 所以，在职场中不要用微信发送语
unless you are communicating with 音信息，除非和你交流的人把你当
people who clearly consider you to
成领导。即使你发送的是一条超长

2
be their boss. Even if you are 的信息，也请打成文字，而且最好
sending a very long message, type it 是一条长信息而非多个短句。这会
out—and type it in one long 减少对方手机震动的次数，节省电
message instead of in multiple short
池电量。
sentences. This reduces the number
of times the recipient’s phone
vibrates and saves them battery life.

If you have to send voice messages

for special reasons (e.g., you are
driving and the message is urgent, 如果你出于特殊原因不得不发语音
or if your fingers are broken and 信息（比如正在开车而要说的事很
you cannot type), begin with an 紧急，或者你的手指断了无法打
apology and communicate that you 字），你得先道个歉并告诉对方你
have no other choice. 实在没办法。

While the microphone button is

tempting, stick to the keyboard. 总而言之，尽管微信上的麦克风按
钮很诱人，还是老老实实打字吧。
Excerpt from China Daily:
https://language.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201807/25/WS5b57cbd6a31031a351e
8ff1f.html