Lost in Translation

I have traveled to a country or two and have always prided myself on learning the basics of the local language. I have found that people really appreciate it when you attempt to communicate with them in their own language. Prior to coming to China, i checked out the Pimsleur language CDs for Mandarin and began practicing. I also borrowed language books from two different friends and began learning the basics.

An average storefront.

By the time i reached China and began practicing my new language skills, it all fell apart. You see, unlike any other language i have encountered before, there are four tones in the Chinese language. This means that one word, for example “ma”, can be pronounced with a flat (ā), rising (á), falling (à), or rise then falling (ă) sound. The result is four completely different words. Now imagine a single word with multiple tones, such as “néehăo,” which means hello. Try and string several words together with multiple tones and it gets real tricky real fast.

A man write Chinese characters at night with a sponge brush and water.

Often when i think i am saying the correct word, the pronunciation is so difficult i am rarely understood. To complicate matters even more, you will often see Latin letters beneath Chinese characters to “aid” non-native speakers. This is called pinyin. However, the Latin pinyin spelling is rarely phonetic and only leads to more confusion.. and we haven’t even gotten to the Chinese characters yet!

A few things are easier to translate than others.

So i have been reduced to pointing at Chinese characters in my mandarin dictionary, jabbing at maps, or using the few words i can say that are understood to get around. For example, the word “jiga” means “this”, so by pointing in a direction and saying “jiga jiga” i can get a cab driver to go in the direction i think is correct.

A restaurant, barber shop, or laundromat? Your guess is as good as mine.

In the English language, we have 26 letters in the alphabet. Meanwhile, some Chinese dictionaries have over 100,000 characters! However, the average educated Chinese person knows only around 600-800 characters. Each character corresponds not only to a sound, but also has meanings attached to the character. It is common in China to have business cards in English on one side and in Mandarin on the other. I asked my colleagues at work to help me come up with my Chinese name. They chattered excitedly in Mandarin, debating the most appropriate fit for both my current name and my personal attributes. After a fair bit of debate, i was presented with my Chinese name.

My Chinese name is spelled “Hè Wén Qíang,” pronounced “Huh when chee-ong,” and has several meanings. In Mandarin, the last name comes first. I share my family name, hua, with a great modern general in the Chinese military. I am lucky to have such a prestigious name. I have an Australian friend here who was given a name that loosely translates to “horse sex.” Needless to say, the Chinese have a good laugh every time he presents his business card.. poor guy!