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Help on translating a Chinese essay | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| sab15 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4995 days ago 39 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Dutch, Portuguese | Message 1 of 7 31 August 2010 at 2:29am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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Hi,
I'm having some trouble translating one of the essays from Clavis Sinica's website. It's the one on cell phones in the classroom. The last paragraph has got me stumped with some sentences. Basically, the whole essay is about the debate on whether or not cell phones should be allowed in schools. Here's the last paragraph that I'm having trouble with. I'll write in-line which words/phrases I don't understand. 目前,國家沒有相關立法,沒有幾個學校象上海 na 個中學一樣完全不讓用手機,大多數學校都是 有心無力。[not sure exactly what 有心 means here. The dictionary has intentionally, so I think the sentence says the majority of schools are intentionally without strength/weak. 這麼說,難道沒路可走了?其實也不是。學校之w ai,家長也要做點什麼 [the parents need to also do something; is that correct?],主要有兩點:小學生,能不讓用就不讓用; [this sentence is confusing me; seems like it's saying can not allow them to use or not allow them to use] 中學生,什麼時間和什麼地方可以用。現在看la i,這些做法有些不講道理 [starting from 這些 I don't get it] ,但以後等他們長大就知道了,都是為了他們自j i好。 Thanks so much in advance whoever replies. Steven P.S. I just updated this with pinyin for some of the characters. Not sure why, but those characters do not show. There were little black diamonds in their place. Edited by sab15 on 31 August 2010 at 2:36am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| YoshiYoshi Senior Member China Joined 5313 days ago 143 posts - 205 votes  Speaks: Mandarin* | Message 2 of 7 31 August 2010 at 3:54am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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象上海 na 個中學一樣（像上海那個中學一樣）
有心無力（have the intent of doing something，but unfortunately no strength） 學校之wai（除了學校之外） 現在看lai（現在看來） 為了他們自ji好（為了他們自己好，己：not 已 yǐ） the parents need to also do something; is that correct?（yes） 能不讓用就不讓用（try to prohibit them from using phone as much as possible） 這些做法有些不講道理（it's somewhat unreasonable to do these practices） Please let me know if you have any further queries. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| lanni Senior Member China Joined 6045 days ago 102 posts - 156 votes Speaks: Mandarin* Studies: English | Message 3 of 7 31 August 2010 at 6:55am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
Under current circumstances, without nationally enforced regulations concerning cellphones on campus, most middle schools would simply leave it at that, though they would like it the other way.
Parents are supposed to do something positive about it.
Primary school students are generally not allowed to use cellphones except in case of emergency.
這些做法有些不講道理: These measures are rather unreasonable,inconsiderate. In the eyes of kids, adults are rather pushy in restricting their freedom of using cellphones on or off campus. Edited by lanni on 31 August 2010 at 7:04am 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| sab15 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4995 days ago 39 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Dutch, Portuguese | Message 4 of 7 03 September 2010 at 4:51am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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Thanks a lot to both of you. So, can you explain exactly the usage of the grammatical structure 能不讓用就不讓用? I think I remember learning this but forgot it and don't know where to look for it in my grammar books. Is the pattern "XX 就 XX"? And, can you give other examples how it's used.
Also, can you give a more literal translation of 不講道理. In my dictionary I see that 道理 means reason. So, would a more literal translation of the whole sentence be something like "these measures somewhat don't speak with reason"? I know that's not how it would be correctly translated but just want to make sure my Chinglish is correct. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6364 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 5 of 7 03 September 2010 at 6:43am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
The structure is "能xxx就xxx". If (pronoun) can xxx, (pronoun) will/should xxx. Like "能去就去": if you can go, then go. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| lanni Senior Member China Joined 6045 days ago 102 posts - 156 votes Speaks: Mandarin* Studies: English | Message 6 of 7 03 September 2010 at 7:47am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
limit children's access to cellphones as little as possible / to use cellphones as little as possible examples: 当你被疯狗追的时候，能跑多快就跑多快： When you are chased by a mad dog, run as fast as possible. 遇到乞丐时，能给多少就给多少 When you pass by a beggar, give as much money as possible.
It is pushy of the schools to apply restrictive policy on using cellphones on campus. 不讲道理 actually refers to "measure makers" instead of measures. To translate it in a strictly literal sense would make the sentence harder to understand, I'm afraid. Edited by lanni on 04 September 2010 at 4:42am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||||||||
| YoshiYoshi Senior Member China Joined 5313 days ago 143 posts - 205 votes Speaks: Mandarin* | Message 7 of 7 04 September 2010 at 4:37am | IP Logged | |||||||||||
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......不講道理：
It doesn't make sense for the schools to restrict the students' freedom to use mobile phones on campus. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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