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Showing posts with label Mandarin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mandarin. Show all posts

Friday, September 2, 2016

Lost in Papua: Excerpt Transcript in Indonesian, English, German, and Mandarin

I'm practicing my listening comprehension and translation skills by transcribing dialogue from movies or video clips. Here's a two-minute section from the Indonesian movie "Lost in Papua". Dialogue in Indonesian without subtitles. First I transcribed the dialogue and then translated it into English, German, and Mandarin. 

=====
Lost in Papua
[around 34:00]

Papuan man:
Apa benar kalian akan pergi ke sana?
[Is it true that all of you are going there?]
{Ist es wahr, dass ihr dort fahren werdet?}
你們要去那裡,真的嗎?

Ebie:
Betul, bapa. Saya sendiri yang akan dampingi Nadia, Meri dan Zabo untuk pergi ke hutan itu.
[Yes, "father". I myself will accompany Nadia, Meri and Zabo to go to the jungle.]
{Ja, "Vater". Ich werde Nadia, Meri und Zabo in den Dschungel begleiten.}
對,叔叔。我會陪 Nadia, Meri Zabo 進去森林。

Papuan man:
Saya mengajari kamu tentang etnografi Papua. Juga tentang bahasa dari suku-suku yang ada di pedalaman sana. Tetapi itu tidak berarti bahawa saya juga, yang menyuruh kamu harus pergi ke sana.
[I taught you about Papuan ethnography. Also about the languages of the tribes that exist in the interior. But that doesn't mean that I, am saying that you have to go there.]
{Ich habe dich die Papua-Ethnographie beigebracht. Gleichfalls über die Sprachen der Stämme, dass im Innern wohnen. Aber dann sage ich nicht, dass du dort fahren musst.}
我教過你 Papua 的民族志。還有住在內部的民族語言。但是我沒有說你須要去那裡。

Ebie:
Saya tahu itu, bapa. Tapi sekarang saya sudah cukup dewasa. Saya bertanggungjawab terhadap satu keluarga. Dan kali ini, saya sudah putuskan bahawa saya harus pergi ke sana untuk cari tahu khabar tentang saya punya "Omjohn". Apa lagi sekarang Meri juga ingin pergi ke sana. Saya tidak mungkin biarkan Meri pergi sendiri.
[I know that, "father". But now I'm already an adult. I'm responsible for a family. And this time, I've decided that I must go there to find out news about my "Omjohn". What more now Meri also wants to go there. I can't possibly let Meri go alone.]
{Es weiß ich, "Vater". Aber jetzt bin ich genug erwachsen. Ich bin für eine Familie verantwortlich. Und diesmal habe ich entschieden, dass ich dort fahren muss. Weil ich die Nachrichten über mein "Omjohn" herausfinden will. Außerdem Meri auch dort hinfahren will. Ich kann nicht sie alleine fahren lassen.}
叔叔,我知道。不過現在我夠大了。我對家庭有責任。這一次,我決定要去那裡找我的 Omjohn 的消息。還有 Meri 也要去。我不甘心給她自己去。

Papuan man:
Di dalam hutan Boven Digul itu masih ada mitos. Ada perkampungan yang seluruh penghuninya itu terdiri daripada kaum perempuan. Dan sampai saat ini tidak seorang pun yang pernah lihat mereka. Seperti apa aktivitas hidup mereka, tidak ada yang pernah tahu. Tapi yang pasti, bahawa mereka itu masih hidup sangat primtif. Jadi kalian harus hati-hati apabila kalian pergi ke sana dan bertemu dengan mereka. Sebab, saya tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi. Sebaiknya kalian tinggal di perkampungan suku Korowai. Kerana di sana kalian akan lebih aman daripada kalian harus hidup di hutan yang masih liar dan misteri ini. Saya pun tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi. [Pauses, shakes head, stands up and leaves.]
 
[In the Boven Digul jungle there are still myths. There are villages where all the inhabitants are women. And until now (until this second in time) nobody has ever seen them. Such as what their life activities are, nobody has ever known. But for sure, they still live a very primitive life. So all of you must be very careful when you go there and meet them. Because, I don't know what will happen. Best if you stay at the Korowai tribal village. Because there you will be safer (more peaceful) than if you have to live in the wild and mysterious forest. I also don't know what's going to happen.]

{Im Dschungel von Boven Digul gibt es noch Mythos. Es gibt Dörfer, wo alle Einwohner weiblich sind. Niemand hat bisher schon mal gesehen. Zum Beispiel, was sind ihre Lebensaktivitäten, niemand weiß. Aber sicher leben sie immer noch ein sehr primitives Leben. Also müsst ihr vorsichtig sein, wenn ihr dort fahrt, und mit ihnen trifft. Weil ich weiß nicht, was passieren wird. Am besten bleibt ihr im Dorf von die Korowai-Stamm. Weil dort ihr mehr sicher seid als im wilden und geheimnisvollen Dschungel wohnen. Ich weiß nicht, was passieren wird.}

Boven Digul 森林還有神話。有鄉村,居民全部是女性。到現在沒有人看過她們。不過好限定,她們的生活還是很落後。所以你們去那裡認識她們一定要很小心。因為我不知道什麼會發生。最好你們住在 Korowai 族的鄉村。因為哪裡你們會比較安全過住在野蠻和秘密的森林。我不知道什麼會發生。 

Thursday, August 25, 2016

I'm just a language learner, not polyglot or multilingual

If I say "polyglot", most likely people in Malaysia will think it's a Korean pop song, the latest K-pop hit. They'd understand "multilingual" better but I'd avoid this term too. I'd just say "I'm a language learner" or "I'm learning [name(s) of language(s)]" and leave it at that. Otherwise people will have all sorts of high-level expectations as if I'm able to function flawlessly in many languages like an expert. As if I can speak like a native with no accent, no mistakes, on any topic using all the technical terms and idiomatic expressions. Come on, even a native speaker would not be able to speak smoothly on unfamiliar topics, right?

Neither do I like using the word "fluent" because it's so loaded with subjective meanings. Many equate it to high proficiency in everything. I personally think it means being able to speak without pausing too much, that's it. So in my opinion one can be fluent at beginner, elementary, intermediate, advanced levels. But to avoid confusion and subjective definitions, I'd stick to proficiency as a measurement tool. Proficiency is what you can do. A beginner can do less, an expert can do much more.

For me, I'm comfortable claiming English, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese and Mandarin as languages I'd put on my CV or résumé. That's because I can maintain conversations in these languages at an intermediate to advanced level. Two of these I can read and write at a high level of proficiency.

English is my main spoken and written language. I've used it in an academic setting up to university level and lived in an English-speaking country for four and a half years. With Bahasa Malaysia I have full working proficiency, having learnt it in eleven years of national school (Sekolah Kebangsaan + Sekolah Menengah) where it's the medium of instruction. For Cantonese, my heritage language, I can hold conversations comfortably on a variety of topics, including abstract and less common ones. However, in Mandarin my range of spoken expression is limited to concrete, straightforward matters.

I prefer the term "main language" because that's what it means. "Mother tongue" or "first language" can be misleading especially in my case. People look at me, see that I'm Chinese and assume my main language must be Mandarin and that I'm able to speak it like a native. No, no, no. Take it easy, man. Assumptions, ass-ump-tions can kill. I'm lost if you speak rapid-fire Mandarin and use all those idioms and alliterations that a high-level speaker would know. I'm just intermediate, for goodness sake. Keep it simple and straightforward.

I've also learnt some other languages to varying extents, such as Hakka, Penang Hokkien, Vietnamese, Thai, Tamil, Japanese, Portugese, Russian and French, but can't maintain a conversation so I wouldn't say I speak them. My mileage varies though, as I'm able to read French and Portuguese to some extent and speak enough Hakka to surprise people for a couple of minutes.

Other languages that I can speak at an elementary level (CEFR A2) are Spanish and German. For German I took a placement test (Einstufungsprüfung) for A2 at the Goethe-Institut Kuala Lumpur, so it validated my estimation of my speaking ability (although I'm sure my reading comprehension is better than A2). I wouldn't put them on my resume until I can speak them at the same level as my Mandarin which I reckon to be at intermediate level (B1 on the CEFR for those who know what the heck it is).

Spanish I haven't spoken for years so it's quite rusty, but can be revived quickly with some practice. I do have problems understanding Spain Spanish because my exposure has been primarily to American Spanish. I'm surprised that I remember so much vocabulary, so I must have done something right when learning the language thirteen years ago.

Yet I can read German and Spanish much better than Mandarin. I understand books and newspapers in German and Spanish, and can speed-read in both. But I read very slowly and struggle with deciphering the language of Chinese newspapers. Any book written in Chinese makes me fall asleep. Give me anything in the Roman alphabet and I'll digest it fast. Give me a non-alphabetic or complex writing system and I'll dump it into the slow cooker.

At the moment I'm learning German at full speed. That's what I'm focusing on now for language learning. Somehow German appeals to me because of the things I can read in it. Their open attitude towards certain matters, their variety of topics, their cultural advancement, and a rich library of content available on the Internet provide strong motivating factors for me to dive into it. The only difficulty I have now is finding real people to talk to, but in the meantime I'm doing intensive listening and transcribing to get used to the spoken language.

I'd like to learn more languages, but there are only 24 hours in a day and I have other things to do as well. So I'm just concentrating on one to bring it up to at least an upper intermediate level. Once I reach that point, I'll start learning another one. The rest are on maintenance or storage mode.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Poem Translation: Abuse and lies ...

Came across this poem by Luz Barbosa while browsing through a friend's Facebook status update. So I thought of translating it into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and did it.

Original poem sourced from
http://thelaststraw.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/abuse-and-lies-no-more-i-am-worth-it/

[Original English version]

"Abuse and lies … no more … I am worth it"
by Luz Barbosa

he tells me not to look that way
he tells me not to dress that way
he tells me not to talk that way
he tells me not to act that way

he tells me I better shut up or else
he tells me I am worthless
he tells me my no’s are meaningless
he doesn’t care that I don’t want to or that I am crying

he tells me he loves me
he tells me I am his and I will always be, that he owns me
he tells me no one will ever love me like he does

he tells me I am stupid
he tells me I am a hoe
he tells me I am ugly

he sucks the life out of me

I finally had enough
I could not continue to live this way
I realized these were all lies
I decided this behavior was unacceptable
I finally got out

I was young
I didn’t know any better
I kept it to myself
I was ashamed
I lived in fear

I refuse to be controlled
I refuse to be abused
I refuse to be miserable
I refuse to be a battered woman

I deserve to be safe
I deserve respect
I deserve to be loved
I deserve to be happy
I deserve to be free to be me
I deserve to be treated well

I am worth it!

=====
[Mandarin Chinese version / 普通話/華語/中文]

"虐待与謊言。。。不要。。。我值得"
作者: 卢斯·巴博萨

他告訴我別望那邊
他告訴我別這樣打扮
他告訴我別這樣講話
他告訴我別這樣做事

他罵我收聲如果不。。。
他罵我沒有價值
他說我的拒絕沒有意思
他不理我講不要還是我哭的眼淚

他說他愛我
他說我是他的,我永遠是他的,他擁有我
他告訴我沒有人會像他這樣愛我

他罵我笨蛋
他罵我妓女
他罵我醜樣

他拉出我的心靈

我終於不能忍受
我不可以這樣活下去
我覺悟全部是謊言
我決定這行為不可以接受
最後我出去

那時我幼小
我不知道有其他辦法
我全部藏在自己裡面
我很慚愧
我生活在恐懼中

我不要被控制
我不要被虐待
我不要被悲慘
我不要成為一個被虐待的女人

我值得安全
我值得尊重
我值得被爱
我值得幸福
我值得有自由成為真實的我
我值得被人對我好

我值得!

=====
[Spanish version / Version español]

"Abusos y mentiras ... no más ... valgo la pena"
por Luz Barbosa

él me dice que no mires por allá 
me dice que no te vistes así
me dice que no hables así
me dice que no te comportes así

él me dice ¡Cállate! si no ...
me dice que nada valgo
me dice que mis negativas no tienen significados
no le importa que no quiero o que estoy llorando

él me dice que me ama
me dice que pertenezco a él y siempre será, que él es mi dueño
me dice que nadie me encantará como él

él me dice que soy estupida
me dice que soy puta
me dice que soy fea

él saca la vida de mi cuerpo

por fin yo no podía soportarlo más
no podía seguir viviendo de esta manera
me di cuenta de que eran todas mentiras
decidí que este conducta era inaceptable
por último salió

yo era joven
no sabía lo que hacía
me guardé para mí
me daba vergüenza
vivía en el temor

yo me niego a ser controlado
me niego a ser objeto de abuso
me niego a ser miserable
me niego a ser una mujer maltratada

merezco estar seguro
merezco respeto
merezco ser amado
merezco ser feliz
merezco ser libre para ser yo
merezco ser tratado bien

valgo la pena!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Lyrics, Romanization & Translation: Marry Me Today (Jin Tian Ni Yao Jia Gei Wo) 今天你要嫁给我

Wedding Song: Marry Me Today (Jin Tian Ni Yao Jia Gei Wo)

This song is dedicated to all my friends who are going to get married. Very beautiful and meaningful lyrics, nice to listen to even for those who aren't familiar with Mandarin. English translation provided line by line. Adjust the words a bit and you could attempt an English version :)

Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21_0MI4OTRI

Marry Me Today (Jin Tian Ni Yao Jia Gei Wo) sung by David Tao and Jolin Tsai
今天你要嫁给我 (蔡依琳 - 陶喆)

chūn nuǎn de huā kāi dàizǒu dōngtiān de gǎn shāng
春 暖 的 花 开 带走 冬天 的 感伤
Flowers blossoming in spring takes away the winter's pain

wēifēng chuī lái làngmàn de qìxī
微风 吹 来 浪漫 的 气息
A light wind blows a breath of romance

měiyī shǒu qíngē hūrán chōngmǎn yìyì
每一 首 情歌 忽然 充满 意义
Every love song suddenly is filled with meaning

wó jiù zài cǐkè tūrán jiàn dào nǐ
我 就 在 此刻 突然 见 到 你
At this point you suddenly appear before me

Jolin ->
chūn nuǎn de huā xiāng dàizǒu dōngtiān de jī hán
春 暖 的 花 香 带走 冬天 的 饥 寒
Flowers blossoming in spring takes away the bitter cold of the winter

wēifēng chuī lái yìwài de àiqíng
微风 吹 来 意外 的 爱情
A light breeze blows unexpected love [our way]

niǎo ér de gāo gē lā jìn wǒmen jùlí
鸟 儿 的 高 歌 拉 近 我们 距离
Birdsong draws us closer to each other

wǒ jiù zài cǐkè tūrán àishàng nǐ
我 就 在 此刻 突然 爱上 你
At this point I suddenly fall in love with you

tīng wǒ shuō
听 我 说
Listen to me

shǒuqiānshǒu gēn wǒ yīqǐ zǒu
手牵手 跟 我 一起 走
[Let's] hold hands, walk together with me

chuàngzào xìngfú de shēnghuó
创造 幸福 的 生活
and create a happy life [together]

zuótiān nǐ láibùjí
昨天 你 来不及
Yesterday you did not arrive on time

míngtiān jiù huì kěxī
明天 就 会 可惜
it would be a shame tomorrow

jīntiān jià gěi wǒ hǎo ma
今天 嫁 给 我 好 吗
so will you marry me today?

RAP ->
Jolin in the house
D.T. in the house
Jolin in the house
D.T. in the house (Come on)
Jolin in the house
D.T. in the house
Our love in the house (Sweet sweet love)

xià rì de rèqíng dǎdòng chūntiān de lǎnsǎn
夏 日 的 热情 打动 春天 的 懒散
Summer's kindness shifts spring's idleness

yáng guāng zhàoyào měimǎn de jiātíng
阳光 照耀 美满 的 家庭
Sunshine illuminates the beauty of the family

měiyī shǒu qíngē dōu huì gōu qǐ huíyì
每一 首 情歌 都 会 勾 起 回忆
Every love song will bring up memories

xiǎng dàngnián wǒ shì zěnme rènshi nǐ
想 当年 我 是 怎么 认识 你
[I] think about how I met you that year

Jolin ->
dōngtiān de yōushāng jiéshù qiūtiān de gūdān
冬天 的 忧伤 结束 秋天 的 孤单
Grief in winter finishes autumn's loneliness

wēifēng chuī lái kǔ lè de sīniàn
微风 吹 来 苦 乐 的 思念 (I'm missin'you)
The breeze blows by withered yearning (I'm missin' you)

niǎo ér de gāo gē chàng zhe búyào biélí
鸟 儿 的 高 歌 唱 着 不要 别离
The birdsong makes me not want to leave

cǐ kè wǒ duōme xiǎngyào yōngbào nǐ
此刻 我 多么 想要 拥抱 你
I immediately desire your hug

tīng wǒ shuō
听 我 说
Listen to me

shǒuqiānshǒu gēn wǒ yīqǐ zǒu
手牵手 跟 我 一起 走
[Let's] hold hands, walk together with me

guo zhe anding de shēnghuó
過 著 安定 的 生活
and live a peaceful life

zuótiān nǐ láibùjí
昨天 你 来不及
Yesterday you did not arrive on time

míngtiān jiù huì kěxī
明天 就 会 可惜
it would be a shame tomorrow

jīntiān nǐ yào jià gěi wǒ
今天 妳 要 嫁 給 我
so you shall marry me today

tīng wǒ shuō
听 我 说
Listen to me

shǒuqiānshǒu wǒmen yīqǐ zǒu
手牽手 我們 一起 走
[Let's] hold hands and walk together

ba nǐ yīsheng jiao gei wǒ
把 妳 一生 交 給 我
surrender yourself completely to me

zuótiān búyào huitou
昨天 不要 回頭
Don't look back [to yesterday]

míngtiān yào dào baishou
明天 要 到 白首
we'll grow old [in the years to come]

jīntiān nǐ yào jià gěi wǒ
今天 妳 要 嫁 給 我
marry me today

RAP ->
Hey hey, uh uh

dingdong
叮噹
Ding dong

tīng zhe lǐtáng de zhōngshēng
听 着 礼堂 的 钟声
listening to the church bells ring

wǒmen zài shàngdì he qīnyǒu miànqián jiànzhèng
我们 在 上帝 和 亲友 面前 见证
God and our friends will all be here to witness us [get married]

zhè duì nán nǚ shēng jiùyào jié wèi fūqī
这 对 男 女 生 就要 结 为 夫妻
This man and woman shall now get married as husband and wife

búyào wàng le zhè yīqiè shì duōme de shénshèng
不要 忘 了 这 一切 是 多么 的 神圣
Do not forget just how sacred [marriage] is

nǐ yuànyì shēngsǐ kǔ lè yǒngyuǎn hé tā zài yīqǐ
你 愿意 生死 苦 乐 永远 和 她 在 一起
You will for better for worse be with her together

àixī tā zūnzhòng tā ānwèi tā bǎohù zhe tā
爱惜 她 尊重 她 安慰 她 保护 着 她
Love her, respect her, comfort her and protect her

liǎng rén tóngshí jiànlì qǐ měimǎn de jiātíng
两 人 同时 建立 起 美满 的 家庭
A couple together creates a happy family

nǐ yuànyì zhèyàng zuò ma? Yes I do
你 愿意 这样 做 吗? Yes I do
Are you willing to do this? Yes I do

tīng wǒ shuō
听 我 说
Listen to me

shǒuqiānshǒu yīlu dào jintou
手牽手 一路 到 盡頭
[Let's] hold hands together to the end

ba nǐ yīsheng jiao gei wǒ
把 妳 一生 交 給 我
surrender yourself completely to me

zuótiān yi shi guoqu
昨天 已 是 過去
Yesterday was the past

míngtiān gengduo huíyì
明天 更多 回憶
tomorrow will be full of memories

jīntiān nǐ yào jià gěi wǒ
今天 妳 要 嫁 給 我
marry me today

jīntiān nǐ yào jià gěi wǒ, jīntiān nǐ yào jià gěi wǒ, ...
今天 妳 要 嫁 給 我, 今天 妳 要 嫁 給 我, ...
marry me today, marry me today, ...

Sources:

http://www.chinese-tools.com/songs/song/65/jiageiwo.html
Mandarin lyrics with hanyu pinyin romanization and English notes when you move your mouse cursor over the lyrics. It also shows you which Chinese words are one on their own or combinations of two or more characters. However, some lines have been left out.

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/david_tao/marry_me_today.html
English translations of the song lyrics.

http://geci.st020.cn/129470.htm
Traditional Chinese version of the lyrics.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Learn Chinese and English: Why Arguments Happen

Ng Jim Carl's original in Mandarin, written in Traditional Characters:
爭吵其實是希望對方更謙讓自己,但是如果雙方只站在自己的立場上不妥協,矛盾就加大

Joe's rendition in colloquial Cantonese, written in Simplified Characters and Yale romanization:
争吵其实系希望对方更谦让自己,但系如果双方只站在自己嘅立场上唔妥协,矛盾就加大

jaangchaau keisat hai heimong deuifong gang himyeung jigei, daanhai yugwo seungfong ji jaamjoi jigei ge laapcheungseung m tohip, maauteun jau ga daai

Translation by Ng Jim Carl:
Argument happens because we want the other party to be more lenient and receptive to ourselves, but if both parties stand firm on own grounds, then the conflict will only magnify.