Chinese Military Articles: Translation Thread

siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Question, Why are the Chinese languages so difficult to translate into English?

I think the primary reason is grammar. The Chinese language doesn't have tenses and doesn't differentiate between singulars and plurals. The method of thinking is also very different and there are some phrases that are almost impossible to accurately translate to English.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Thanks siege! I learn something new every day. Now I can see where some of the confusion is located.
 

advill

Junior Member
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Well done siegecrossbow. Keep up the good work.
 

siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Nice, translation really appreciated.

Can we have permission to post to other forums? You'll be cited of course

Hey Blitizo thnx for linking the article to keypub and secret projects. If anyone on that site has any questions or, better yet, suggestions regarding the translation keep me posted!
 

Blitzo

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Hey Blitizo thnx for linking the article to keypub and secret projects. If anyone on that site has any questions or, better yet, suggestions regarding the translation keep me posted!

Will do!
 

Red___Sword

Junior Member
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Question, Why are the Chinese languages so difficult to translate into English?

Siege has put it lightly. The difference between Chinese language and any latin letter orientated languages, is that letter languages are more or less linear like "codes", while Chinese language is non-linear, it do not exists if seperated from the Chinese civilization itself. You don't speak and write proper Chinese if you do not think and live like Chinese. (there's no "impose" possible, saying, the close relationship with English and French, you can somewhat understand what French people trying to express, while you don't have to be familiar with France the nation)

But, refer to more concerned "translation", you would be surprised how thin a well translated (English to Chinese) document it compares to the original one, while the codex / cortext / content being expressed throughly, if not enhanced. The catch, is what siege said, how you gonna "well translate" it. Tenses and singulars and plurals... these are means to put for the language to make it linear (you need only linear thinking to master it from now on), while Chinese trying as non-linear as possible, to express anything. ie, tenses, singulars & plurals got many ways to be addressed (hey, Chinese addresses these aspects too), while not simply "add a tense" in the phrase.


OT:

A little fry your mind: find the differences below:

田, 由, 甲, 申, 日, 口, 门 …… (hahahaha.... like an IQ test?)

Chinese character IS NOT LETTER, each having a coherent meaning of its own.


Cheers, and hats off for all those contribute to the enhance and extends of human civilization.
 
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siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

I am currently working on another article on the Chengdu J-20 and this one is quite a bit longer so it may take me around a month to complete. This one goes into more detail on both the design philosophy (starts with a bit of analysis on the Taiwan Strait crisis) and quotes many of the "technically oriented" big shrimps on Chinese military forums on aerodynamic design.

You can follow the action at this link if you are interested. Starts on post #117. It is really unpolished right now so I don't recommend anyone posting them on another forum yet:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

latenlazy

Brigadier
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Can I volunteer for parts to? This will help me practice my Chinese, and the idea of splitting the workload is very appealing.
 

siegecrossbow

General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Can I volunteer for parts to? This will help me practice my Chinese, and the idea of splitting the workload is very appealing.

That will make our lives so much easier!!! Thank you so much for volunteering!

When do you want to start?
 

latenlazy

Brigadier
Re: Translation of amateur Chinese military article, take a look!

Now would be fine (even ideal), though my last semester is about to start. It'd be good to give me things passage by passage since I don't know how busy I'll be, but I will be sure to notify you if I think I'm slowing everyone down.
 
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