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I recently received a translation assignment, which consisted of only one sentence. The assignment came from a Chinese restaurant owner, who gave me a picture with the sentence in it. Many customers, including English and Spanish speakers, always asked her about the meaning of that sentence. My first reaction was, “This should be a piece of cake!” However, the assignment turned out to be a fulfilling learning experience.Because I followed the Chinese sentence structure very closely, my initial translation was a little confusing to some native English speakers. This raised a very interesting question: can Chinese be translated word for word? The answer seemed to be negative, as Chinese and English have very different syntaxes. One sensible approach is to understand the meaning first. However, even with the understanding of the Chinese text, searching for the perfect English equivalent will require time and patience.And then it all became clear to me. Only through meticulous analysis and review, a quality translation can be produced. Quality lies in every single word that I chose to use — even if it means going over the minutest details. It was an assignment with only one sentence, but it gave me a priceless lesson on the value of quality. ~ By Ringo Li
Chinese Sentence:
当然知道人生高高低低起伏不定. 但为什么总在我最最低潮时, 才愿意真正相信这句话呢？English Translation:
I know well enough that life has its ups and downs and is constantly changing, but why when I am depressed is when I truly realize this?Spanish Translation:
Sé bien que la vida tiene sus altibajos y cambia constantemente, pero ¿por qué cuando me encuentro deprimido es cuando realmente me doy cuenta de ello?
当然知道人生高高低低起伏不定. 但为什么总在我最最低潮时, 才愿意真正相信这句话呢？English Translation:
I know well enough that life has its ups and downs and is constantly changing, but why when I am depressed is when I truly realize this?Spanish Translation:
Sé bien que la vida tiene sus altibajos y cambia constantemente, pero ¿por qué cuando me encuentro deprimido es cuando realmente me doy cuenta de ello?
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