Translating the seminal document on American freedoms into Chinese is a process fraught with difficulties, as much linguistic as political.
|
||||
When lunatic Mao worshipers collide with history, wacky hilarity ensues. Sharp-eyed visitors to the Palace Museum will note the number of signs which are written in both Chinese and Manchu. Makes sense considering who actually ruled the Qing Empire and so many of the signs at the Forbidden City look something like this: But the signs on the main attractions, the big gates and halls of the outer court, the ones EVERYBODY sees (even the “In 35 minutes we have to be at Badaling” package tourist) have signs only in Chinese. By way of example, check out this picture of the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Dian), in which scholars of centuries past toiled away to pass the highest level of exam. Only Hanyu. What gives? I’ve been wondering this for awhile, and on the off-hand chance that either Freda Murck or Geremie Barmé reads this blog they could drop me a note. Until then, Joel Martinson, the translation machine behind the Danwei blog, tipped me off to this article from 163.com posted back in 2004 which claims to have the answer. I’ve translated and appended it below the fold, but I’m not entirely convinced…sounds a little too neat and clean to blame old Yuan In the recent issue of Forbes Magazine, Lee Kuan-yew writes about the continuing perception gap between East and West, citing the recent protests surrounding the torch relay and the angry response by ethnic Chinese both inside and outside the PRC. Lee argues that this is part of the developmental process and that as China becomes stronger and the Chinese middle class becomes larger, richer, and better educated (especially educated abroad) this sense of victimization at the hands of the West will diminish. Last week, Chinese blogger Xueyong wrote a response to Mr. Lee’s piece. Xueyong asserts that the recent wave of patriotic fervor runs deeper than Lee Kuan-yew suggests, and that the sense of resentment over ‘Western bullying’ and the resulting feelings of victimization also have their roots in the PRC information and educational environment. (h/t Global Voices Online) I took the liberty of translating Xueyong’s piece in full. I’m not the best translator, so I welcome any suggestions for fixes or more felicitous renderings of the original. Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan-yew in the most recent issue of Forbes Magazine, discusses the chasm of understanding between East and West. He criticizes both sides. At the the |
||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Jottings from the Granite Studio - All Rights Reserved
|
||||