Bostonist: Lost in Translation: Sticky Mitt and Barbarian Mud No Mind of His Own

guest

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:43:36 -0500

Must have been a slow news day, or the day the Globe let the 13 year olds develop their stories. I can hear "His name means 'sticky rice'" in my head a la Beavis & Butthead. These are pure phonetic transliterations of the candidates names. No Chinese person versed in current events would read the words as "sticky rice" or whatever concoction the Globe wants you to believe. And by the way, this has been a practice with the Chinese as long as they've had contact with foreign nations (i.e., at least hundreds of years). This same phonetic transliteration is used for countries, brands, and even products. Why all of a sudden it's funny, amusing, bombastic, or even newsworthy for that matter is beyond me.

roomwithaview

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:32:40 -0500

I think "translate" is a poor term to describe how Western names are converted into Mandarin. Transliteration would be a closer approximation of the actual process. Since Mandarin consists solely of one-syllable words, multiple words are required to represent multi-syllabic Western names. What I don't understand about the article is why it claims it's "tough" to translate the candidates' names into Mandarin. I mean, wouldn't they just use pre-existing "translation" that people are familiar with, instead of inventing totally new ones? Unless this translation business is meant to cater to those who don't read English (and can't even sound out a word -- the candidate's name in English, for instance). If that is the case, then why not just print a thumbnail picture of the candidate on the ballot? Surely, presidential candidates get enough media exposure to be recognizable. As a Chinese myself, I admire Galvin's intentions, but find the approach -- and the article -- somewhat puzzling. P.S. The "translations" in the article only apply to the candidates' last names. E.g., Oh-Bus-Horse = Obama, not Barack Obama.

jonpetitt

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:17:06 -0500

I'll vote republican if I can vote for mango sticky rice. I looooooove mango sticky rice.