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Selected reader questions from the past week.
1. FM asks:
In this passage - "On Wednesday, the prime minister also said
India would not make any commitment that goes beyond a unilateral moratorium
on future nuclear tests. If required by circumstances, he said, India
would have the sovereign right to make a decision on atomic tests in its
national interest, PTI reported" - should I translate "atomic test" into
Chinese as 原子弹试爆?
My comments:
If you try to translate 原子弹试爆 back into English, FM,
you will be able to see that the two do not exactly match.
原子弹试爆 is literally an atomic bomb explosion test. In the English text,
the idea of a "bomb" is not explicit while the idea of an "explosion" is
altogether absent.
Hence it's safe (and correct) to put 'atomic test" into Chinese as 原子试验,
in the same way "nuclear test" becomes 核试验 in Chinese rather than
核爆炸试验.
This makes sense because not all atomic tests involve or lead
to the bomb. Nuclear energy is also utilized for peaceful purposes.
2. Jo-Jo writes:
I've taken your advice and have begun reading news
via English. And I have many questions to ask. For instance, in this BBC
report - "Roy Keane is poised to take the massive step that has proved too
much for so many great players before him - the move from the pitch to the
dug-out" - what does dugout mean?
My comments:
A dugout is a canoe, a narrow boat made by cutting out
a hollow space in a tree trunk.
The dugout on the soccer pitch (field), however, refers to the
sheltered area not far beside the pitch for coaches and players (who are
not playing) to sit through a match.
There are actually two dugouts, one for each team, alongside the
sidelines. The dugout is semi-enclosed and sheltered to keep players and
the coaching staff from the love/hate of fantastic/fanatic fans. The
dugout is closely linked to the underground tunnel leading down to the
locker room (where players meet, shower, change clothes before and after
matches).
Keep reading, Jo-Jo, and you'll see the word "dugout" appear again and
again. Often, after you've come across a term or phrase a few times, you
realize that you'll be able to guess their meaning.
Meanwhile, let's see how the former Manchester United star handles the
pressure if he indeed takes the hot seat at floundering Sunderland. I
don't think either of us would be surprised to see a red-faced Roy Keane
hollering at his players.
3. A MSN chat with Viv:
Viv - Richard Clemons,
前面是姓后面是名。如何称呼他昵称呢？
Xin -前面是姓后面是名? Are you sure?
Viv - I'm writing a letter to (a certain) Richard Clemons. Do I address
him as Mr. Richard, or Mr. Clemons?
Xin - If you are going to call him
a mister, say Mr. Clemons. If the two of you are well acquainted, however,
say Richard. Mr. Richard is a no-no. It's laughable Chinglish.
Viv - In normal circumstances, with a name like Doug Tripp,
Doug是名，Tripp是姓，是吗？
Xin - not "in normal circumstances", but in all
circumstances if it's a Western name (British, European, American). And
Doug Tripp has got to be a Western name.
Viv - That's right. This Doug Tripp is an American. Name first, family
name last, right? Just opposite the Chinese way.
Xin - Right. But, you
know, this kind of questions make me very doubtful of the education you've
had.
Viv - There is no doubt that I am a graduate.
Xin - No doubt at all.
I don't doubt that (you are a graduate). I doubt the schools "-".
Viv -
Ha-ha "-".
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