Translations of Chinese dish names puzzle foreigners |
文章来源： 文章作者： 发布时间：2007-01-06 01:40 字体： [ 大 中 小] 进入论坛 |
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
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| “Lu Da Gong” (a Beijing-style dessert), is translated into “rolling donkey”. |
| “Ma Po Dou Fu” (one of the most famous Sichuan dishes) is translated into “beancurd made by a pockmarked woman”. |
| Chinanews, Beijing, January 5 – Many foreigners complain that they are often puzzled and even startled by the menu when they dine in Chinese restaurants, saying the awful translations of the names of the dishes often give them no small culture shock.
The names of many Chinese dishes are translated literally1 into English, though these English words might not make any sense at all. For example, “Lu Da Gong” (a Beijing-style dessert), is translated into “rolling donkey”, and “Ma Po Dou Fu” (one of the most famous Sichuan dishes) is translated into “beancurd made by a pockmarked woman”.
A young man from Australia said he was really startled by a “tiger dish” on the menu of a restaurant. Actually it is only a cold dish made of tomatoes,green peppers and onions, and of course has nothing to do with tigers at all. The Chinese name of the dish comes from its hot and spicy2 flavor.
The translation of “Tong Zi Ji”(broiler) is perhaps the funniest of all, as it is translated into “chicken without sexual life” on the menu of some restaurants. “Why don't they just put 'virgin3 chicks' on the menu? “, a customer joked.
The names of Chinese dishes are mostly imbued4 with some kind of artistic5 flavor, as they usually describe the appearance of the dishes. In the opinion of the Chinese, “Se” (good appearance) is even more important than “Xiang” (fragrance) and “Wei” (taste). No wonder the Chinese give such beautiful and rhythmic6 names to their dishes.
However, the names ofWestern-style dishes are usually simple descriptions of the material and the cooking methods of the dishes, like pot roast. Thus it is natural for Westerners to guess the materials and the cooking methods of the Chinese dishes through their names, which in many cases do not correspond with their reality.
As a matter of fact, the Chinese restaurants in New York choose a more “practical”way of translation, by describing the dishes briefly7 in English. For example, “Yu Xiang Rou Si” is “shredded pork in garlic sauce”, and “Gu Lao Rou” is “sweet and sour pork/chicken” on their menus.
Nevertheless, Zhou, a translator in Beijing, insists on translating the names of Chinese dishes word for word, in order to “keep their unique cultural and artistic flavor”. “It's part of our culture, and perhaps a better part, thus we can't afford losing it via translating them into Western style,” said Zhou.
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点击  收听单词发音
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1
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 |
参考例句： |
- He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
- Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。
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2
spicy
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| adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的 |
参考例句： |
- The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
- Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。
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3
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 |
参考例句： |
- Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
- There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。
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4
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） |
参考例句： |
- Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
- These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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5
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 |
参考例句： |
- The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
- These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
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6
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 |
参考例句： |
- Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
- Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。
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7
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 |
参考例句： |
- I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
- He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
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