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Some of you have seen this before.
Yeah, long time no write. But hopefully this'll make up for it =)
Here's the story: shuku is a Chinese website with a fairly large collection of book texts, some copyrighted, some not ^^;; as is par for Chinese websites. A long time ago, when my mom first introduced me to it, I browsed it casually and came upon a few copies of Lord of the Rings.
Not just LotR, mind you. LotR in Chinese. LotR badly translated in Chinese.
I rather suspect the authenticity of these texts, especially since a while ago my mom found a copy of The Two Towers in Chinese at the library, and the translation seemed quite professionally adequate. But a great number of books on this website are scanned/transcribed/whatever from real books, like the Chinese version of Goblet of Fire also on there. So, who knows? All I know is that it is great cause for hilarity. XD
There are three LotR texts I've found on the website: the full "Fellowship of the Ring" in traditional Chinese, the first seven chapters of "Fellowship of the Ring" in simplified Chinese, and the first half of "Two Towers" in traditional Chinese. Each has its own share of silly goofs, which I've recorded thoroughly in a Word document, and shall post here in sections. For simplicity's sake, I refer to the simplified Chinese version of FotR as the "Mainland" [China] version, and the traditional version as the "Taiwan" version. Overall, the Mainland version is better at translating English idioms and expressions but trips up on more common, tricky grammar; while the Taiwan version is better at adapting the language into fluent Chinese prose but sometimes just plain misses the point.
To start, a few general oddball terminologies:
* Being that there is no concept of "Elf" in Chinese culture, the closest approximation is the unfortunate translated term of "Little Sprite". Yes, it sounds just as stupid in Chinese.
* Nazgûl = "Naz-bird" (why???)
* Lembas = "Little Sprite crackers". Not all the time, but the fact that it was used at all is cause for facepalming, especially seeing how the Chinese food 饼 would be perfect for describing the substance.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Chapter 1: A Long-Expected Party
Fun with the Shire calendar
English: "I hope so. Anyway I mean to enjoy myself on Thursday, and have my little joke."
Mainland: "I hope so too. At any rate I plan to have some fun on Tuesday, then begin my little joke."
Bad postal service!
English: "Before long the invitations began pouring out,"
Mainland: "The invitations began to be sent long ago,"
That's one hellova table.
English: "[The tree] stood proudly near one end, at the head of the chief table."
Mainland: "The tree stood proudly at one end of the tent; standing on top of the chief table."
Taiwan: "It stood proudly at one end of the tent, right on top of the chief table."
Mmm, procrastinatory
English: "Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work in his garden."
Mainland: "Old 'Gaffer' Gamgee even remained in his garden, pretending to work."
Uh-oh, trouble...
English: "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Mainland: "I don't know if among you there's half I should only like half as much; and the liking I have for half of you is less than half the liking you deserve."
Taiwan: "I only know less than half of you, and even these I don't know half as well as I would like; I only like less than half of you, and even these I don't like half as much as they deserve."
Huh?
English: "A little addition of your own, I suppose?"
Mainland: "But you were saying, 'I guess'?"
Sarcasm is lost on Taiwan. Meaning is lost on China.
English: "...Well-preserved indeed!' he snorted. 'Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread."
Mainland: "...Well-preserved, right!" he snorted. "How come, I feel empty, this is like some [criminal] sentence, if you know what I mean: like bread with too much butter spread on it."
Taiwan: "Really I'm just 'well-preserved' that's all," he laughed. "Yeah, I feel everything's thin, like being flattened and stretched, if you know what I mean--like too much bread spread with only a bit of butter."
The true test of a translation's quality.
English: "Then you shall see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked."
Taiwan: "You will see what old Gandalf looks like with his cloak removed."
* The Japanese version of FotR I bought is splendidly translated, EXCEPT for this line - "At that time, I shall show you the form of Gandalf the Grey with his clothing removed." Aiyee... /)_(\
Dumbass.
English: "If you mean, inventing all that about a "present", well, I thought the true story much more likely, and I couldn't see the point of altering it at all."
Mainland: "If you mean, whether he made up all that about the "present", er, I thought it seemed pretty realistic, I can't tell which part he changed."
Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past
Whatever you say...
English: "The lesser rings were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown, and to the Elven-smiths they were but trifles--yet still to my mind dangerous for mortals."
Mainland: "The ones without much power will only try some small plots before fully maturing, not very frightening to the Elven-smiths--they are not to the fatally dangerous extent that I have mentioned."
Somebody was not paying attention.
English: "so I have always kept it [the ring] on its chain."
Mainland: "so I have always left it [the ring] on the ring."
Close, but no cigar.
English: "Whatever it may do, it will be slow, slow to evil, if you keep it with that purpose."
Mainland: "No matter what, it won't reach evil for a long, long time, if you keep it carefully."
Taiwan: "Whatever it may do, it will only slowly take effect, slowly turn evil, if you keep it with an evil purpose."
Barbecued Gollum!
English: "I put the fear of fire on him"
Mainland: "I put the fire of fear on his body"
Proofreading is in order.
English: "It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles."
Taiwan: "It can climb trees to find nests, enter holes to find young rabbits, it can sneak through the window to find candles."
...You do that
English: "Well, well, bless my beard!"
Mainland: "Good, good, thank my sensitive whiskers!"
Chapter 3: Three Is Company
This is called "BS-ing when you don't understand the text"
English: "I'll last for a bit now, sir."
Mainland: "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, sir."
Taiwan: "I have to stall for a while now, master."
::snort::
English: "Are you going to sleep on your legs?"
Mainland: "Are you going to sleep using your feet?"
Part 2 coming tomorrow!
Here's the story: shuku is a Chinese website with a fairly large collection of book texts, some copyrighted, some not ^^;; as is par for Chinese websites. A long time ago, when my mom first introduced me to it, I browsed it casually and came upon a few copies of Lord of the Rings.
Not just LotR, mind you. LotR in Chinese. LotR badly translated in Chinese.
I rather suspect the authenticity of these texts, especially since a while ago my mom found a copy of The Two Towers in Chinese at the library, and the translation seemed quite professionally adequate. But a great number of books on this website are scanned/transcribed/whatever from real books, like the Chinese version of Goblet of Fire also on there. So, who knows? All I know is that it is great cause for hilarity. XD
There are three LotR texts I've found on the website: the full "Fellowship of the Ring" in traditional Chinese, the first seven chapters of "Fellowship of the Ring" in simplified Chinese, and the first half of "Two Towers" in traditional Chinese. Each has its own share of silly goofs, which I've recorded thoroughly in a Word document, and shall post here in sections. For simplicity's sake, I refer to the simplified Chinese version of FotR as the "Mainland" [China] version, and the traditional version as the "Taiwan" version. Overall, the Mainland version is better at translating English idioms and expressions but trips up on more common, tricky grammar; while the Taiwan version is better at adapting the language into fluent Chinese prose but sometimes just plain misses the point.
To start, a few general oddball terminologies:
* Being that there is no concept of "Elf" in Chinese culture, the closest approximation is the unfortunate translated term of "Little Sprite". Yes, it sounds just as stupid in Chinese.
* Nazgûl = "Naz-bird" (why???)
* Lembas = "Little Sprite crackers". Not all the time, but the fact that it was used at all is cause for facepalming, especially seeing how the Chinese food 饼 would be perfect for describing the substance.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Chapter 1: A Long-Expected Party
Fun with the Shire calendar
English: "I hope so. Anyway I mean to enjoy myself on Thursday, and have my little joke."
Mainland: "I hope so too. At any rate I plan to have some fun on Tuesday, then begin my little joke."
Bad postal service!
English: "Before long the invitations began pouring out,"
Mainland: "The invitations began to be sent long ago,"
That's one hellova table.
English: "[The tree] stood proudly near one end, at the head of the chief table."
Mainland: "The tree stood proudly at one end of the tent; standing on top of the chief table."
Taiwan: "It stood proudly at one end of the tent, right on top of the chief table."
Mmm, procrastinatory
English: "Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work in his garden."
Mainland: "Old 'Gaffer' Gamgee even remained in his garden, pretending to work."
Uh-oh, trouble...
English: "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Mainland: "I don't know if among you there's half I should only like half as much; and the liking I have for half of you is less than half the liking you deserve."
Taiwan: "I only know less than half of you, and even these I don't know half as well as I would like; I only like less than half of you, and even these I don't like half as much as they deserve."
Huh?
English: "A little addition of your own, I suppose?"
Mainland: "But you were saying, 'I guess'?"
Sarcasm is lost on Taiwan. Meaning is lost on China.
English: "...Well-preserved indeed!' he snorted. 'Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread."
Mainland: "...Well-preserved, right!" he snorted. "How come, I feel empty, this is like some [criminal] sentence, if you know what I mean: like bread with too much butter spread on it."
Taiwan: "Really I'm just 'well-preserved' that's all," he laughed. "Yeah, I feel everything's thin, like being flattened and stretched, if you know what I mean--like too much bread spread with only a bit of butter."
The true test of a translation's quality.
English: "Then you shall see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked."
Taiwan: "You will see what old Gandalf looks like with his cloak removed."
* The Japanese version of FotR I bought is splendidly translated, EXCEPT for this line - "At that time, I shall show you the form of Gandalf the Grey with his clothing removed." Aiyee... /)_(\
Dumbass.
English: "If you mean, inventing all that about a "present", well, I thought the true story much more likely, and I couldn't see the point of altering it at all."
Mainland: "If you mean, whether he made up all that about the "present", er, I thought it seemed pretty realistic, I can't tell which part he changed."
Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past
Whatever you say...
English: "The lesser rings were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown, and to the Elven-smiths they were but trifles--yet still to my mind dangerous for mortals."
Mainland: "The ones without much power will only try some small plots before fully maturing, not very frightening to the Elven-smiths--they are not to the fatally dangerous extent that I have mentioned."
Somebody was not paying attention.
English: "so I have always kept it [the ring] on its chain."
Mainland: "so I have always left it [the ring] on the ring."
Close, but no cigar.
English: "Whatever it may do, it will be slow, slow to evil, if you keep it with that purpose."
Mainland: "No matter what, it won't reach evil for a long, long time, if you keep it carefully."
Taiwan: "Whatever it may do, it will only slowly take effect, slowly turn evil, if you keep it with an evil purpose."
Barbecued Gollum!
English: "I put the fear of fire on him"
Mainland: "I put the fire of fear on his body"
Proofreading is in order.
English: "It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles."
Taiwan: "It can climb trees to find nests, enter holes to find young rabbits, it can sneak through the window to find candles."
...You do that
English: "Well, well, bless my beard!"
Mainland: "Good, good, thank my sensitive whiskers!"
Chapter 3: Three Is Company
This is called "BS-ing when you don't understand the text"
English: "I'll last for a bit now, sir."
Mainland: "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, sir."
Taiwan: "I have to stall for a while now, master."
::snort::
English: "Are you going to sleep on your legs?"
Mainland: "Are you going to sleep using your feet?"
Part 2 coming tomorrow!