This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Sorry for chiming in late on this. IMHO, a Chinese does not need any serious religious knowledge or belief to know what is 佛, 神, 老天爷, 上天 and whatever other similar so-called religious words/phrases as they are being commonly used and said in daily life, whether one believes in or is familiar with them or not. The same also applies to 'saint' and other similar words in a western context. Besides, as David has mentioned, the Chinese source term is a common idiom, and so is the suggested English term. And in translation, if something in the source language does not work in the target language, we try to find an alternative equivalent. It is only when the alternative could not be found that we have no choice but to convey the meaning explicitly. Just my two cents.
It's very hard to agree with you Yi Cao that to render the word "saint" as the equivalence for the source text "buddha" could create confusion and dispute. "The patience of a saint" is such a common English idiom that it is listed in the major English dictionaries as follows:
Religious Teaching belongs to specialised group of people. it is not a part of daily life of the majority of common people.If you incorporate into your translation, it would definitely create issues of confusion or disputes.
The fact that the original term is very prevalent in Cantonese is irrelevant to our discussion. The key to our discussion is whether or not inclusion of religious figure or teaching in daily life communication would create confusion for members of public who are not familiar with religious teachings. I think the key to solve this problem is to find out the targeted readers in the first instance.
I think the definition of "saint" is not as well defined as "buddha" to be able to function in the way as David has desired. For the understanding of general public, efforts should be made to avoid any kinds of confusion or disputes of meaning. The incorporation of saint creates room for disputes as it is not as well defined as buddha. It is not everyone who is very familiar with religious teachings. Therefore , inevitably, the incorporation of religious figure in the translation will create possible confusion or disputes. Thanks
I agree that in Chinese language too, one should use a metaphor a selected target audience should be familiar with, but in translation, if the source text uses a common metaphor with a certain religious connotation, the "rule of thumb" for the good translation, I think, is for the translator to render a similar term with the same religious tone to reflect the exact meaning of the source text, unless the translator runs out of ideas (which could happen) and chooses an easy way out with a term that has no religious connotation.
Nevertheless, 佛都有火 is extremely common in the Cantonese-speaking community that even non-Buddhists know what it means without having any knowledge of Buddhism. And I can tell because I am a Cantonese speaker.
In this instance, to suggest an English term without having reference to a religious figure, while the English-speaking community does have a known and similar rendition - "saint" - in their language (and culture), is, I think, just inappropriate, if not unprofessional.
It's just for discussion on translation issues - nothing personal really.
This applies to Chinese as well. It is not true that everyone in China has background knowledge of buddhism. Therefore, the easiest way is not to use any kinds of metaphor to be able to reach the maximum number of target audience. You could use metaphor should you wish to reach selected portion of target audience. Thanks!
Because of the fact that any kinds of metaphors all require pre-existing knowledge, the answer, which is the easiest for someone without necessary background knowledge to understand, is not to use any kind of metaphor at all.
I have noticed a new problem that it would be very difficult for someone, without the background knowledge of buddhism, to understand the true meaning of this sentence, should it have been translated literally, meaning using the metaphor of buddhism. This is especially so, for that fact that those white people who speak English mostly do not have buddhism background. Therefore the metaphor of buddha could not be used from the point of understanding of the target readers.
Even the budha is losing his temper.18:50 For people who are not aware of the details of buddhism, they would not be able to appreciate the significance of this metaphor.
This has used the buddha as a metacphor, which has not focused on the buddha at all. Therefore it is not necessary to translate it literally, at least I think so
Explanation: lit: Even the budha is losing his temper.
佛都有火英文 - 查查在线翻译 www.ichacha.net › 英语翻译 Translate this page 佛都有火英文翻译:the boxer from the temple…,点击查查权威在线词典详细解释佛都有火英文怎么说,怎么用英语翻译佛都有火,佛都有火的英语例句用法和解释。 佛都有火的英文_佛都有火的英语翻译_佛都有火用英语怎么说_爱词霸 ... www.iciba.com/佛都有火 Translate this page 爱词霸在线词典,为您提供佛都有火的英文翻译,佛都有火的英语,佛都有火用英语怎么说,怎么用英语翻译佛都有火,佛都有火的英语例句用法和解释. 佛都有火英文係咩?重有可唔可以提供d英文字係關於罵人| Yahoo 知識+ https://hk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid... Translate this page Jul 21, 2008 - 最佳解答: Even the budha is losing his temper. Even the budha is angry 重有可唔可以提供d英文字係關於罵人 damn you you make me sick
pkchan United States Local time: 17:36 Specializes in field Native speaker of: Chinese PRO pts in category: 28