They might not be right . . .
These are a number of short translations I've done out of interest. They're on a range of topics,
all chosen for no other reason than that they caught my eye. I do not vouch for the quality of accuracy of the
translations, and they are here for interest only. The more recent ones have a link to the original article. The earlier ones
don't. The articles are in varying degrees of English - it depends how lazy I was feeling. If I think a phrase is likely to lose a lot in translation or I'm not sure about it, I'm likely to leave it in Chinglish - make up your own minds.
If anyone actually knows Chinese and has time to look at the original and comment on the translation, I'd be a happy man.
Contents
The first one, classroom corruption is a short newspaper article about the practice of using 'monitors' in Chinese classrooms - students with certain amount of power over other students.
The second is an interesting examination of the image of the Chinese peasant, as portrayed in the media. This topic is likely to become ever more important over the next ten years.
The third translation is entitled Colourful Women Talk about Orgasms. As I said, I just translate what catches my eye...
Back on a more high-brow theme, the next article is on a similar topic to the second, an interview with former village secretary Li Changping, who became famous after writing a letter to Zhu Rongji (at the time Prime Minister) complaining of the conditions under which peasants live.
The article on shanghai girls looks at why women in that city are in a relatively good position compared to those elsewhere in China and Asia.
I don't usually work from magazines, as using a book dictionary is much more time-consuming than
clicking the one on my computer. However, the article on the mass poisoning
of almost
4000 elementary school students in Liaoning
was interesting enough to justify the extra time. It paints a sorry picture of local government accountability, though there may be glimmers of hope in there for press freedom and people power.
the conman city life is a short story which I found amusing, but then I was in the middle of a five hour wait for a plane at the time, so I was probably desperate for amusement. See what you think.
City Life is a portrait of . . . well, of city life. Recommended for anyone who's had trouble finding somewhere to put their bike . .