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Issue 2: Selected Works of “Translate_48”: Translation Competition 2022

Organisers: Dr Val Chen, Shirley Yau, & Dr John Li

Results of “Translate_48” Competition 2022:

Champion: Liu Tsz-ching

First Runners-up: Ngai Yu-on, Wong Hoi-tung

Second Runners-up: Au Wai-lun, Ng Ka-wing, Lee Siu-hin

The 2nd Translation Competition was held by the LC Division in April 2022. A total of 118 students (74 from HKCC and 44 from SPEED) participated in this competition, and they completed three translation tasks within 48 hours. The first task concerning 魁星點斗 was a Chinese Culture-orientated text. The second task was an excerpt from Winston Churchill’s Triumph and Tragedy concerning World War II. The third task was to translate an English advertisement into Chinese.

In order to challenge our student participants, we showed them the translation by Google Translate alongside the source texts. We made judgement about their translations based on their linguistic accuracy and fluency as well as the faithfulness to the source texts.

The success of this Translation Competition is attributed to our LC Division’s teamwork. This activity was organised by Dr Val Chen, and co-organised by Dr John Li and Ms Shirley Yau.  Our deep gratitude goes to those lecturers who have contributed the source texts (Mr Kelson Tsui, Dr Hongdi Ding, Dr Jing Deng, Dr John Li, Dr Melody Lu, Mr Raymond Ng, Ms Shirley Yau, and Dr Val Chen), and those who have volunteered to mark the scripts (Ms Agnes Lin, Dr Cecilia Pun, Ms Flora Mak, Ms Helen Guo, Dr Jing Deng, Dr John Li, Dr Melody Lu, Mr Raymond Ng, and Ms Shirley Yau).

The editors of Language Collage also offer some observations about students’ common struggles when translating between English and Chinese:

  1. Students sometimes struggle with correctly inserting Chinese characters into an English paragraph and get confused about the order of transliteration and translation in the text.
  2. They may forget about the subject, both in English and Chinese, and become overwhelmed by long clauses when they are used as the subject in English texts.
  3. Some translators “rewrite” rather than translate the original text, which could be an interesting choice but a challenge for the judges.

Here we present exemplary works from our contestants:

Section 1

Translate the Chinese Source Text into English.

Background: 節錄自「福祿壽喜―閒話中國祈福神」。

Source Text (Chinese)


讀書人對魁星的崇拜表現得豐富多彩。舊時,學宮裡大多奉祀魁星,供奉「魁星圖」。魁星圖中的魁星形似鬼魅(這顯然是由「魁」字中的「鬼」而來),藍面赤髮,一腳向後蹺起,就好像「鬼」字的彎鈎,一腳金雞獨立,下踩大鼇魚,表示「獨佔鰲頭」;一手捧斗,一手執筆點斗,表示「魁星點斗」。而鬼一腳向右彎起踢斗的形象,則叫「魁星踢斗」。民俗信仰認為魁星能帶來好運氣,傳說看到魁星像可以科舉高中,夢見魁星能奪錦標。

Google Translate (for your reference)


The worship of Kuixing by scholars is rich and colorful. In the old days, most of the school palaces enshrined Kuixing and enshrined the "Kuixing map". The Kuixing in the Kuixing picture is like a ghost (this is obviously from the "ghost" in the word "kui"), with blue face and red hair, one foot is raised backward, just like the hook of the word "ghost", and a golden rooster is independent. Stepping down on the big squid means "doing the best"; holding a bucket in one hand and holding a pen in the other, it means "doing a fight with the star". The image of Guiyi kicking to the right is called "Kuixing Fighting". Folk beliefs believe that Kuixing can bring good luck. Legend has it that seeing the image of Kuixing can be used for imperial examinations, and dreaming that Kuixing can win the championship.

Your Translation (English) by Liu Tsz-ching

Put your answer below:

The worship of Kuixing (魁星) by ancient Chinese scholars thrived. In the past, most academies would enshrine Kuixing and Kuixing's portrait. Kuixing looks like a ghost in his portrait (obviously inspired by the "鬼" [ghost] in the Chinese character “魁”). He has a blue face and red hair. One of his feet is raised backwards, resembling the hook in the Chinese character “鬼. He stands on one foot only and steps on a giant turtle called an “ao” (鰲). This posture is "獨佔鰲頭" (to stand alone on the ao's head,' a traditional saying signifying coming first in examinations).  He holds a “dou” (斗, a container similar to a ladle) in one hand and holds a writing brush in the other, meaning "魁星點斗"(Kuixing uses his brush to point out the name of the chosen candidate's name, who will get a good result in the examination). The image of Kuixing's raised foot bending to the right and kicking a dou is called "魁星踢斗". In folk belief, it is believed that Kuixing can bring good luck. Legend has it that people who see the image of Kuixing can succeed in imperial examinations and those who dream of Kuixing can win the championship.

Your Translation (English) by Wong Hoi-tung

Put your answer below:

The worship of “Kui Xing” (The Daoist Deity of Examinations) among academics is bounteous and vibrant. In ancient times, enshrinement of the Kui Xing is prevalent practice within imperial academies, and many provided devotional offerings towards the Kui Xing diagram. In this diagram, the Kui Xing has the appearance of a ferocious goblin (which is apparently apropos, considering that “Kui” can mean “monstrous” in Chinese) with his cerulean skin only outshined by the unkempt vermillion hair on his scalp; his foot is raised behind him while hinging at the knee, akin to the shape of a “K”; he captures the essence of a lone flamingo as he stands on one leg; and rides on an andrias meaning he’s the king of the sea. With a pot in one hand and an ink pen in another, he marks on the sign of success on the pot. With his right leg kicking the urn, he solidifies in success. It is a common belief in ancient folklore that the Kui Xing brings fortune and good luck, and according to the mythology, worshipping the Kui Xing statue can bring fruitful grades in examination.

Your Translation (English) by Au Wai-lun Andy

Put your answer below:

The scholars’ worship of Kui Xing is rich and full of variety. In the old times, most of the schools enshrined Kui Xing, along with the drawing of Kui Xing. The Kui Xing in the drawings resembles a phantom (this obviously comes from the radical - "ghost" in the character “Kui”). He has a blue face and red hair, with one foot stilted backward, much like the hook of the character "ghost", while the other foot stands firmly in a martial arts stance, stepping on the mythical turtle - "ao”. The posture signifies "being the best"; one hand holds a ladle, and the other holds a pen pointing at the former, symbolizing "pointing to luck and prospect". The image of Kui Xing with one foot kicking to the right and the hand holding up the ladle, is called "Kui Xing kicks the ladle". Folklore says that Kui Xing can bring fortune, with the legend of seeing statue of Kui Xing will let one do well in imperial examinations, and dreaming about Kui Xing will make one the winner in martial examinations.

Section 2

Translate the English Source Text into Chinese.

Background: this source text was adapted from “Churchill on the Decision to Drop the Bomb”. < Source: Winston S. Churchill, Triumph and Tragedy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1953), pp. 638-639. Retrieved on 7 April 2022 at http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/history/pre-cold-war/hiroshima-nagasaki/decision-opinion-churchill_print.htm>.

Source Text (English)


The President invited me to confer with him forthwith. Up to this moment we had shaped our ideas towards an assault upon the homeland of Japan by terrific air bombing and by the invasion of very large armies. To quell the Japanese resistance man by man and conquer the country yard by yard might well require the loss of a million American lives and half that number of British --or more if we could get them there. Now all this nightmare picture had vanished. In its place was the vision --fair and bright indeed it seemed --of the end of the whole war in one or two violent shocks. I thought immediately myself of how the Japanese people, whose courage I had always admired, might find in the apparition of this almost supernatural weapon an excuse which would save their honour and release them from their obligation of being killed to the last fighting man.

Moreover, we should not need the Russians. We had no need to ask favours of them. The array of European problems could therefore be faced on their merits and according to the broad principles of the United Nations. At any rate, there never was a moment's discussion as to whether the atomic bomb should be used or not. To avert a vast, indefinite butchery, to bring the war to an end, to give peace to the world, to lay healing hands upon its tortured peoples by a manifestation of overwhelming power at the cost of a few explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, a miracle of deliverance..

Google Translate (for your reference)


總統邀請我立即與他商談。到目前為止,我們已經形成了通過可怕的空中轟炸和入侵非常大的軍隊來攻擊日本本土的想法。一個人地鎮壓日本人的抵抗,一個人地征服這個國家,很可能需要失去一百萬美國人的生命和一半的英國人——如果我們能把他們弄到那裡的話,可能會更多。現在這一切噩夢般的畫面都消失了。取而代之的是整個戰爭在一兩次猛烈衝擊中結束的景象——確實看起來很公平和光明。我立刻想到,我一直欽佩他們的勇氣的日本人,怎麼會在這種幾乎超自然的武器的幻影中找到一個藉口,這將挽救他們的榮譽,並免除他們被殺到最後一個戰士的義務。

此外,我們不應該需要俄羅斯人。我們沒有必要向他們求情。因此,歐洲的一系列問題可以根據它們的優點並根據聯合國的廣泛原則來解決。無論如何,關於是否應該使用原子彈的問題從來沒有被討論過。為了避免一場大規模的、無限期的屠殺,結束戰爭,給世界帶來和平,通過以幾次爆炸為代價展示壓倒性的力量來治愈受折磨的人民 ,畢竟我們的辛勞和危險,拯救的奇蹟。

Your Translation (Chinese) by Liu Tsz-ching

Put your answer below:

總統立即邀請我與他會談。到目前為止,我們已經決定了要用可怕的空中轟炸和大量軍隊來攻擊日本本土。要逐個鎮壓抵抗的日本人,逐寸征服這個國家的土地,很可能需要失去一百萬美國人和五十萬英國人的生命——如果把更多人送去日本,損失還會更大。現在這噩夢般的景象全都消失了,取而代之的是整埸戰爭在一兩次猛烈衝擊中結束的景象——確實看起來美好而光明。我立刻想到那些日本人,我一直欽佩他們的勇氣,也許現在他們終於可以在這幾乎超自然的武器中找到一個台階下,這能保住他們的榮譽,免除戰至最後一人的責任。

此外,我們不需要俄羅斯人了。我們沒有必要向他們乞求。因此,歐洲那一連串的問題,可以就它們的利害以及聯合國的大原則來解決。無論如何,我們從來沒有討論過是否應該使用原子彈。為了避免一場大規模而沒了期的屠殺,為了結束戰爭,為了給世界帶來和平,為了治愈受折磨的人民,以幾次爆炸為代價,展示壓倒性的力量。我們經歷辛勞和危險後,這也可說是一場救贖的奇蹟。

Your Translation (Chinese) by Ngai Yu-on

總統邀請我馬上與他商議。到目前為止,攻打日本的想法已經成形,我們會使用可怕的空襲,並以龐大軍隊入侵日本的國土。如果要逐一鎮壓日軍的抵抗,逐一佔領日本的土地,我們很可能會痛失一百萬美國人和五十萬英國人,甚至更多的生命。現在一切惡夢都已經消失了,取而代之的是看起來確實明朗的前景 —— 整場戰爭將會在一兩次的重擊後落幕。我立刻就想到,我一直很欣賞日本人的勇氣,他們竟然可以從這個幾乎是超自然武器的出現中,找到挽救他們的名譽的藉口,並逃過士兵被殺光的宿命。

除此以外,我們不應依靠俄羅斯,亦沒有必要有求於他們,俄羅斯可以根據實際情況和聯合國制定的整體原則去解決歐洲的一系列問題。無論如何,在是否應該使用原子彈這件事上從來都沒有討論空間。為了避免一場大規模的、無止境的屠殺;為了結束這場戰爭;為了為世界帶來和平;為了向受到折磨的人民伸出援手,我們會以幾次爆炸作為代價,去展現壓倒性的力量。看來,歷經辛酸和苦難後,奇蹟般的解救將會降臨。

Your Translation (Chinese) by Wong Hoi-tung

Put your answer below:

先前,總統邀請我與他商談。目前為止,我們打算通過猛烈的空襲和大量軍隊的入侵來攻擊日本國土。為了逐一鎮壓日本人的抵抗,並逐漸征服這個國家,我們很可能需要犧牲一百萬美國人和五十萬的英國人,或更多人的生命。但現在,所有這些夢魘般的畫面都不見了。取而代之的是整個戰爭在一兩次劇烈震蕩中結束的景象——看起來確實公平而光明。我立即想到,勇敢的日本人民,或會在這種幾乎超自然的武器的出現中找到一個理由,保留他們的榮譽,並擺脫奮戰至死的義務。

 

此外,我們不需要俄國人,我們不需要向他們尋求幫忙。由此,一系列的歐洲問題可根據它們的具體情況和聯合國的廣泛原則來應對。無論如何,我們從未討論應否使用原子彈的問題。為了避免一場無止境的大屠殺;為了結束戰爭;為了給世界帶來和平;為了解救飽受折磨的人民,我們必須要以幾次爆炸為代價展現出壓倒性的力量。在所有的苦難和危險之後,這似乎是一個解放的奇跡。

Section 3

Translate the English Source Text into Chinese.

Background:

The following is a commercial script of a TV advertisement for a luxurious car. (豪華車電視廣告腳本)

Source Text (English)


We might say possession becomes obsession,

We might say this car brings technology to virtuosity,

We might say being ahead is the new beam above of “why should we say anything”.

Google Translate (for your reference)


我們可以說佔有變成了痴迷

我們可以說這輛車將技術帶入了精湛技藝

我們可以說領先是我們為什麼要說什麼之上的新光束

Your Translation (Chinese) by Liu Tsz-ching

Put your answer below:

不止想擁有,更想佔有。

不止是技術,更是藝術。

拋開疑問,領先新時代。

Your Translation (Chinese) by Wong Hoi-tung

Put your answer below:

一旦擁有,愛不釋手;

飛馳如風,巧奪天工。

實力勝於雄辯;馬力更勝閃電。

Your Translation (Chinese) by Lee Siu-hin

Put your answer below:

僅僅擁有,便能讓人如此癡迷,

當科技碰上精湛技藝,

沐浴於聚光燈之下,無需多言。

Organizers’ Bios:

Dr Val Chen

The true inspiration to translation lies in its infinite renderings.

Ms Shirley Yau

Shirley Yau is the Programme Leader of Associate in Translation and Interpretation, HKCC. Before joining HKCC, Shirley had worked for the Government as a translation officer, CUHK -Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Community College as a lecturer, and the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics of CityU as an instructor. She has extensive experience in coaching associate degree and undergraduate students in translation, English and cultural studies.

Dr John Li

Dr Li’s teaching and research areas cover corpus linguistics, e-lexicography, CALL, stylistics and discourse, sociolinguistics, academic English, and translation studies. He has built up a series of language databases such as The Parallel Corpus of Hong Kong Bilingual LegalizationThe Corpus of Hong Kong Political DiscourseElectronic English Frequency Dictionary of Age Groups.

 

 

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