Comments on: 他媽的 http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/ The China History Group Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:35:30 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: robin d gill http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/comment-page-1/#comment-110835 robin d gill Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:23:59 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/#comment-110835 I don't really read chinese, but a glance at your egs show fart-crotches (Chinese did to farts what germans did to shit) and ungrateful nephews (who come in from the country and eat a relative to death) -- China, or rather parts of it, may well be one of the world's greatest cussing cultures. I recall D. Hoffstadter and others upset w/ the translation of interviews with blue collar chinese containing rough and dirty language as it made it seem too English. It is very nice to credit our tongue w/ such and feel it is artificial to grant the same to the chinese, but . . . if you cannot put color into the language to reflect that of the original, where are you? Of course, some more creativity on the part of the translator might be good, but too many newly made phrases will require explanation as to why it is not odd and publishers will not permit it, right? There is a great autobiography by a missionary who grew up in a south china seaport c 1920? 1930? about how even chinese children could outcuss an english sailor (unfortunately i forget the name of the man or the bk.) None of this deals directly w/ the book/movie mentioned which i have not seen -- just some general thoughts for your perusal. I don’t really read chinese, but a glance at your egs show fart-crotches (Chinese did to farts what germans did to shit) and ungrateful nephews (who come in from the country and eat a relative to death) — China, or rather parts of it, may well be one of the world’s greatest cussing cultures. I recall D. Hoffstadter and others upset w/ the translation of interviews with blue collar chinese containing rough and dirty language as it made it seem too English. It is very nice to credit our tongue w/ such and feel it is artificial to grant the same to the chinese, but . . . if you cannot put color into the language to reflect that of the original, where are you? Of course, some more creativity on the part of the translator might be good, but too many newly made phrases will require explanation as to why it is not odd and publishers will not permit it, right? There is a great autobiography by a missionary who grew up in a south china seaport c 1920? 1930? about how even chinese children could outcuss an english sailor (unfortunately i forget the name of the man or the bk.)

None of this deals directly w/ the book/movie mentioned which i have not seen — just some general thoughts for your perusal.

]]> By: Jonathan Dresner http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/comment-page-1/#comment-4578 Jonathan Dresner Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:55:04 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/#comment-4578 There have been other, more successful, polyglot futures in the SF literature, several of them (<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780440613862&itm=45" rel="nofollow">like this</a>)centered on China as a dominant future culture. It's hard, of course, because you have the same problem of maintaining an audience, but you have a little more time and attention to work with. There have been other, more successful, polyglot futures in the SF literature, several of them (like this)centered on China as a dominant future culture. It’s hard, of course, because you have the same problem of maintaining an audience, but you have a little more time and attention to work with.

]]> By: Lisa http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/comment-page-1/#comment-4568 Lisa Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:17:49 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/#comment-4568 It was a good concept, according to interviews on the DVDs the idea was that, after Earth was destroyed, American and Chinese are the cominant surviving cultures. Only their language consultant for the show was an ABC, interviewed on the DVD, who spoke equivalent of first-year Mandarin. That's why it sounds so silly: it was literally translated verbatum from a dictionary. It was a good concept, according to interviews on the DVDs the idea was that, after Earth was destroyed, American and Chinese are the cominant surviving cultures. Only their language consultant for the show was an ABC, interviewed on the DVD, who spoke equivalent of first-year Mandarin. That’s why it sounds so silly: it was literally translated verbatum from a dictionary.

]]> By: K. M. Lawson http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/comment-page-1/#comment-3941 K. M. Lawson Wed, 16 Aug 2006 11:10:27 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/2006/08/%e4%bb%96%e5%aa%bd%e7%9a%84/#comment-3941 I was disappointed by the language mixing in Firefly (and the often bizarre half-Chinese half-who-knows-what characters displayed in various backdrops) though I'm very interested in SF which tries to confront the possibility of language hybridity etc. in the future, including Blade Runner. Another good example I think is the Japanese SF movie Swallowtail Butterfly (I posted some thoughts on the movie here: http://muninn.net/blog/2004/02/swallowtail-butterfly.html). I was disappointed by the language mixing in Firefly (and the often bizarre half-Chinese half-who-knows-what characters displayed in various backdrops) though I’m very interested in SF which tries to confront the possibility of language hybridity etc. in the future, including Blade Runner. Another good example I think is the Japanese SF movie Swallowtail Butterfly (I posted some thoughts on the movie here: http://muninn.net/blog/2004/02/swallowtail-butterfly.html).

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