This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Is translating people’s names out of date in 2022?
论题张贴者: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Jan Truper 德国 Local time: 07:45 正式会员 (自2016) English英语译成German德语
Regarding that one guy
Oct 9, 2022
I have been translating his name as "Putler" in all conversations since February.
Adieu
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
XIAO YAO ZHANG 中国大陆 Local time: 13:45 English英语译成Chinese汉语 + ...
Chinese translators' works in translating western people's name
Oct 9, 2022
Say you have this guy who is called John and who lives in German. Chinese translators would translate his name into "约翰(yuē hàn)" since the pronunciation sounds more like German somehow. But if he weren't a German, in a parallel universe, he were a British, how would we translate the name of John? Into "肖恩(xiāo ēn)". Or "乔恩(qiáo ēn)". What a about an American John? That would be "琼(qióng)". But you should always remember to use some good words. For instance, "穷(qióng)" is... See more
Say you have this guy who is called John and who lives in German. Chinese translators would translate his name into "约翰(yuē hàn)" since the pronunciation sounds more like German somehow. But if he weren't a German, in a parallel universe, he were a British, how would we translate the name of John? Into "肖恩(xiāo ēn)". Or "乔恩(qiáo ēn)". What a about an American John? That would be "琼(qióng)". But you should always remember to use some good words. For instance, "穷(qióng)" is unacceptable though the pronunciation has no difference. Speaking of 穷(poor, especially in lack of money), we translate the name Poor into "普尔(pu3er3)".
Don't be fool by some Chinese who has menace to U.S. citizens. Most users of Bilibili like to translate "Trump" to "川建国(chuān jiàn guó)". It's not good to laugh about a president of a nation. This way of translation indicates that Trump is a spy sent by socialist camp.
A better, less hostile way of translation would be "川普(chuān pu3)" if you wanna tell jokes. Because 川普 means "Standard Chinese with a little bit Sichuanese accent". This joke is acceptable because Sichuanese is a very cute accent. And the formal translation published by Chinese government should be "特朗普(tè lang3 pu3)" and nothing else, the Chinese meaning of which is "very dependable" as a sign of cordiality. ▲ Collapse
Michael Newton
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value