This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere
Aug 22, 2013 23:58
10 yrs ago
Chinese term
United Kingdom
Native in: Chinese (Variants: Cantonese, Mandarin) 
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English
~~~
Chinese to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
亲爱的，我好想你！~~~今天早上又下雪了！
来，让老公抱抱~~~~
I wonder how "~~~" should be rendered when translating the text into English?
The way it is used rather arbitrary in Chinese. http://www.zhihu.com/question/19615526
And apparently, this is how it's used in English: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tilde
Thanks for any suggestion!~~~
来，让老公抱抱~~~~
I wonder how "~~~" should be rendered when translating the text into English?
The way it is used rather arbitrary in Chinese. http://www.zhihu.com/question/19615526
And apparently, this is how it's used in English: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tilde
Thanks for any suggestion!~~~
Proposed translations
4 hrs
Just omit
Are you working on the same contract as me? I'm doing some of these as well...
Anyway, I would just omit. The tilde is used to convey some kind of overtone, and we just don't do that much in English. Sometimes an exclamation mark would be a good substitute, but if you want a general rule, I'd say leave them out.
Anyway, I would just omit. The tilde is used to convey some kind of overtone, and we just don't do that much in English. Sometimes an exclamation mark would be a good substitute, but if you want a general rule, I'd say leave them out.
Note from asker:
| I was thinking of repeating the last letter, like what a teenager would do: I miss you so muchhhhhhhhhhh! Let me hug youuuuuu! |
4 hrs
... or .... (at the end of a sentence)
FYI
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2013-08-24 01:55:31 GMT)
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Repeating the last letter has different connotation than the "~~~" marks here.
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Note added at 1 day13 hrs (2013-08-24 13:27:48 GMT)
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Yes， the repeating expresses excitement or surprise, but the tilde suggests intimacy in view of its nasal sound in inmitation of girls' coquetry voice. I think even in Chinese there's no such word for it.
Basically, it is a phonetic symbol used as a punctuation mark. That's why I suggest punctuation marks. At least, ellipses is suggestive other than pause or blank. If semantic stress is the issue, I think I will just go with "(coquety)" for the tilde.
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Note added at 1 day15 hrs (2013-08-24 15:15:38 GMT)
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The tilde is a phonetic symbol "placed over the letter n in Spanish to indicate a palatal nasal sound or over a vowel in Portuguese to indicate nasalization."
In Chinese usage here, it is onomatopoeic of 撒娇声(somewhat like "嗯").
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Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2013-08-25 14:25:05 GMT)
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I think you should still focus on English readers only. The phonetic mark of ~ used as punctuation marks will not be understood by English readers. So, the best solution that I can think of is to use parenthesized note (kind of like the "aside" in reading drama script). It's acceptable and understandable in English.
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2013-08-24 01:55:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Repeating the last letter has different connotation than the "~~~" marks here.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day13 hrs (2013-08-24 13:27:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes， the repeating expresses excitement or surprise, but the tilde suggests intimacy in view of its nasal sound in inmitation of girls' coquetry voice. I think even in Chinese there's no such word for it.
Basically, it is a phonetic symbol used as a punctuation mark. That's why I suggest punctuation marks. At least, ellipses is suggestive other than pause or blank. If semantic stress is the issue, I think I will just go with "(coquety)" for the tilde.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day15 hrs (2013-08-24 15:15:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The tilde is a phonetic symbol "placed over the letter n in Spanish to indicate a palatal nasal sound or over a vowel in Portuguese to indicate nasalization."
In Chinese usage here, it is onomatopoeic of 撒娇声(somewhat like "嗯").
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2013-08-25 14:25:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I think you should still focus on English readers only. The phonetic mark of ~ used as punctuation marks will not be understood by English readers. So, the best solution that I can think of is to use parenthesized note (kind of like the "aside" in reading drama script). It's acceptable and understandable in English.
Note from asker:
| It's exactly what I am uncertain about. What connotation does the tilde have? Repeating the last letter seems to express a kind of excitement in this context, I guess. |
| I think it's worth considering that ~ may not be known to Chinese users as a phonectic symbol, but a punctuation mark. Therefore it might be more accurate to refer it as 'swung dash' rather than 'tilde' in the above context, in which case it indicates a continuation of sound, similar to dash to some extent. |
| Yes, agree. My trouble was deciding how ~ should be understood in a colloquial context as above. Its use has become more common, and it is used to intend more different meanings than conventional uses. |
5 days
~~~
it is a non standard use of the symbol, and it doesn't mean anything, and it could mean everything.
Don't make things too complicated. leave ot the way it is and if the client asks you what's this, just tell him "you have to ask the author what he want to indicate".
Don't make things too complicated. leave ot the way it is and if the client asks you what's this, just tell him "you have to ask the author what he want to indicate".
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