Chinese and Chinese Foreign Languages ??with Loanwords

1 Transliteration: directly convert the words into Chinese words according to the pronunciation of the original language words. For example, Chinese translation rules stipulate that geographical names and personal names of countries that do not have traditional Chinese characters should be translated directly according to free translation: such as Sri Lanka, the United States, New York, the former Soviet leader Stalin, and Sofa. (Sofa).

2 Transliteration + category name: ballet, truck, Jeep.

3 Transliteration + free translation: Marxism (Marxism), "card" (card)

4. Free translation using the "literal meaning" feature of Chinese characters: Such foreign words are divided into two Types: The first type is a purely free translation of Chinese words, that is, a Chinese free translation word, such as "television"; the second type is a word borrowed from Japanese, that is, Japanese-made Chinese, such as "telephone". There doesn't seem to be much difference between them, and they are not much different from the Chinese free translations.

5. Use the abbreviations directly in English letters, such as CPI, WTO, ECFA. Over the past thirty years of reform and opening up, with the increasingly frequent economic and cultural exchanges at home and abroad, and with the in-depth development of international economic integration, Chinese loanwords have continued to develop forward, and new loanwords have continued to emerge, such as cloning, Internet, IELTS, Blog, WTO, CPI (Consumer Price Index). The most significant feature of the development of Chinese loanwords during this period is the large number and rapid development of loanwords, such as karaoke and GRE that appeared in the 1980s, BP machines and BBS that appeared in the 1990s, and ATM machines that appeared after 2000. PK.

Chinese loanwords usually refer to transliterated words originating from foreign languages. There are two main forms of their composition, one is pure transliteration, such as coffee, and the other is transliteration + free translation, such as beer. (beer). Japanese loanwords that directly borrow written forms are usually regarded as Chinese loanwords, such as photo and monogatari. Since the reform and opening up, Chinese words with foreign letters have appeared in large numbers. Such words that borrow shapes and sounds have become new members of Chinese loanwords and have developed rapidly.

In the past thirty years of reform and opening up, foreign words have clearly reflected the tremendous changes in Chinese society from different aspects. "Karaoke" appeared in the early 1980s. Karaoke is a type of audio equipment invented in Japan in the mid-1970s. The Japanese meaning is an unmanned band. It was later introduced to the mainland from Hong Kong and Taiwan, became popular, and then developed. It became a form of "KTV" and is still a popular form of leisure and entertainment among the public. "Disco", a dance form that originated from black American dance, also entered people's lives in the early days of reform and opening up. Later, words such as disco, disco, and disco were derived, which are still popular today. In the late 1980s, break dance ( Break Dance) was short-lived. In the 1980s, the impact of AIDS, the plague of the century, began to appear around the world. Its name was initially transliterated as "AIDS". After 1986, the name was changed to "AIDS" in mainland China to avoid misunderstandings. Hong Kong and Taiwan still use the name "AIDS". The translated name in Singapore is transliterated as "love disease". The alphabetical word form of AIDS is also used, along with HIV, AIDS orphans, etc. "Bikini" swimsuits also began to appear in mainland China during this period, showing that social concepts were changing from conservative to open. PCs began to appear and began to change people's lives. The hot tests of TOEFL and GRE reflect the emergence of a new wave of study abroad craze in China and show that cultural exchanges between China and the West are becoming increasingly active after being stagnant for a time.

In the early 1990s, the Internet emerged around the world, which greatly promoted the advancement of science and technology and profoundly changed people's lifestyles. During this period, due to the inability to find a suitable translation for the time being, the Chinese language first directly introduced the loanwords in the form of internet and Internet. Later, translations such as Internet, International Internet, and Internet appeared. The National Committee for the Approval of Scientific and Technological Terms in 1997 It was officially recommended to be named "Internet". After several years of chaos, the unified translation of "Internet" was finally accepted by the public. Along with the Internet, there are a large number of foreign transliterated words and alphabetical words, such as Yimeier, BBS, FTP, P2P software, hackers, Trojan horses, ICQ, and MSN. With the development of Internet culture, the rise of "blog" in 2005 has made Internet culture develop more deeply, and many related words have been derived, such as blog, blogger, and blogger. Communication technology also made great progress during this period. In the early 1990s, BP phones became popular. In 1994, GSM mobile phones appeared in the mainland. Mobile phones entered the digital era from the analog era. In 2002, CDMA mobile phones appeared in the mainland. After that, 3G mobile phones began to appear in the mainland. people's vision.

In the 21st century, many foreign words have become active in the economic field, such as WTO, CEPA, QFII (qualified foreign institutional investors), QDII (qualified domestic institutional investors), green GDP. In recent years CPI and PPI (factory price index for industrial products) began to appear frequently in media reports and became economic indicators that people are quite familiar with and pay attention to. During this period, DC (digital cameras) and DV players (digital video cameras) also entered the lives of ordinary people.

GPS technology is becoming increasingly mature and widely used. It has applications in car navigation, outdoor sports, mobile phone positioning, etc. The "IC card" that began to appear in the 1990s was widely used during this period, such as second-generation ID cards, transportation IC cards, etc. Old-fashioned CRT TVs and monitors are beginning to be replaced by LCDs. The concept of HDTV emerged in the 1980s. By 2008, mainland cable TV viewers could watch four sets of HDTV programs and began to experience high-quality audio-visual enjoyment.

From a quantitative perspective, the number of new Chinese loanwords in the past thirty years of reform and opening up is about several thousand. Among them, there are about hundreds of transliterated words, dozens of Japanese borrowed words, and about 1,000-2,000 words with foreign letters. In addition, there are also many foreign words for proper nouns, such as Ferrari and Google. The number is estimated to be hundreds. , but these words are generally not included in ordinary Chinese dictionaries, and vocabulary researchers generally do not study them specifically, but their impact on social life is not small.

From the perspective of sources, loanwords from English still account for the largest proportion of new loanwords in Chinese, accounting for the vast majority. There are also a certain proportion of Japanese loanwords, but the number is relatively small, such as karaoke, Shinkansen, popularity, bento, golden week, death by overwork, home delivery, mass merchandiser, convenience store. Some of them were indirectly introduced to the mainland through Hong Kong and Taiwan, and some were Directly absorbed by the mainland. The number of foreign words from French, Russian and other sources is smaller, such as FIFA (International Football Federation) and Duma.

Some foreign words were introduced to the mainland via Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as karaoke, shopping, and SNG.

From the perspective of the fields involved, it covers a wide range of areas, with the largest number in the fields of network, computer, and communication technology. There are also many fields of economics, sports, biology, and medicine. In the economic field, such as Gini coefficient, Engel coefficient, and ATM machines; in the sports field, such as bungee jumping, Sherbin, rally, go-kart, derby, and NBA; in the biological field, such as cloning and genetic modification; In the medical field, such as B-ultrasound, MRI, and ICU. It is also distributed in other fields, such as hula hoop, sauna, SPA (spa), and hip-hop in the entertainment and leisure field; such as wire and talk show in the film and television field; such as POS machines in the commercial field; and in the catering field. For example, tiramisu; in the meteorological field, such as El Ni?o and La Nina phenomena; in the clothing field, such as Lycra. There are also everyday expressions such as "cool", "show" and "PK".

In the past thirty years of reform and opening up, the most distinctive feature of the development of Chinese loanwords is the rapid growth of words with foreign letters. At the end of the 19th century, Chinese loanwords began to appear, such as "X-ray" and "X-ray" that appeared in 1898 and 1899 and are still in use today. Before the reform and opening up, there were approximately hundreds of words with foreign letters in Chinese, of which only a few dozen were commonly used, such as alpha ray, X chromosome, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Since the reform and opening up, foreign letter words have increased rapidly, and there are about 800 commonly used words. For example, in the 1980s, dozens of foreign words such as CPU, GDP, GNP, GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), AIDS, CEO, CD, and MBA appeared. Alphabet words. In the early 1990s, with the rapid development of network and communication technology, foreign alphabetic words also entered a period of rapid growth. Alphabet words that appeared on the Internet such as HTML, E-mail, DNS, IT, IP address, ICQ, ISDN, ADSL, communication Alphabet words appearing in this field include GSM, CDMA, GPRS, WAP, and 3G. Alphabet words are also appearing in other fields, such as economic ones such as WTO, CEPA, and CPI; electronic ones such as CCD; military ones such as TMD and NMD; pharmaceutical ones such as OTC; and management ones such as EMBA and MPA.

There is also a type of words in Chinese that clearly imitate the formation of foreign words, such as horsepower. These words are called imitation words by lexicon researchers. Although they are not typical loanwords, they are often concerned by loanword researchers. Over the past thirty years of reform and opening up, some imitated translation words have been added to Chinese, such as supermarket, blue tooth, road show, and head hunting. In the past thirty years, many loanwords that existed in Chinese before the reform and opening up have become active again after several years of silence, such as cartoons, which were replaced by "animation" before the reform and opening up. With the development of society and the influence of Hong Kong and Taiwan, The use of cartoons began to become more frequent again. With the increase in Japanese restaurants, terms such as sashimi and sushi in Japanese cuisine have become familiar to Chinese people again.

Since the reform and opening up, many new foreign words have appeared in terms of proper nouns, mainly internationally renowned brands, multinational company names, etc. In terms of internationally renowned brands, automotive brands include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, and Bentley; apparel brands include Dunhill, Givenchy, Armani, and LV. In terms of multinational company names, electronic companies such as Sony, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Intel, and AMD; retail companies such as Carrefour and Wal-Mart; catering companies such as KFC and McDonald's; and Internet companies such as Yahoo and Google. Although such foreign proper nouns are generally not included in the research scope of ordinary vocabulary researchers and are not included in ordinary Chinese dictionaries, their impact on social life cannot be ignored.

Affected by the Chinese people's novelty, admiration for foreigners, and foreign psychology as well as corporate marketing strategies, many domestic company names and brand names also adopt similar forms of foreign words, such as Haier, TCL, Robust, and Naisi. Nice), this shows the profound influence of foreign culture on Chinese society. Here are some successful translations for everyone to appreciate their subtleties.

Humor

From English Humor. Most people believe that the term was first introduced to China in 1924 by Mr. Lin Yutang, a master of Chinese studies. At that time, translator Li Qingya advocated translating it as "Yu Miao", but "Yu Miao Tian Xia" is an idiom, which means "all words but no action". Linguist Chen Wangdao planned to translate it as "slick", but felt that it was not accurate enough and seemed frivolous. Later, linguist Tang Xuhou translated it as "humor" and believed that one "harmony" and "mu" constitute the whole "humor". During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a poem by Wang Can: Liang Chen was moved by sorrowful laughter, and humorous by eager drinking. Earlier, there was Qu Yuan's "Nine Chapters Huaisha": "The weather is warm and quiet, and Kong Jing is humorous." However, the ancient "humor" means silence, and few people use it anymore. When we say "humor" in modern times, it means something completely different.

Romantic

English romantic is also called romance. The dictionary explanation is: poetic and full of fantasy.

Radar

From English radar, radio wave detection device. It is called "clairvoyance". When you see the word "Thunder", you will immediately think of thunder and lightning in the sky, highlighting the word "fast". Naturally, the "clairvoyance" effect of radar is even more impressive.

TOEFL

Translated from English TOEFL, it is an English proficiency test for foreign students in the United States. The Chinese call it "TOEFL". The word "TOEFL" is a daily colloquial term among Chinese people, and it has the meaning of auspicious words. To take the TOEFL test, you rely on the TOEFL. No matter who is the blessing, what students hope is to pass the test smoothly.

Sprite

Transliterated from English Sprite, its original meaning is monster or elf. As a drink, translating it as "Sprite" is a painstaking effort. Snow is chilly; Bi is clear and blue. In the hot summer, the name of a drink like this makes me want to drink it. Such a word is more than "a word worth a thousand pieces of gold"?

Boeing

Transliterated from the English Boeing, it refers to the aircraft produced by the American Boeing Aircraft Manufacturing Company. From the original English meaning, it cannot be seen that it is related to sound, but when translated into Chinese, "wave" and "sound" are two physical phenomena that propagate in the air and coincide with the meaning of speed. Boeing means sound waves upside down, and there are types such as ultrasonic waves in airplanes. These layers of meaning can be felt from the literal meaning of the word "Boeing". Presumably the translator at the time would not have gotten it right.

Break dance

Translated from the English breakdance, the original meaning is the dance of breaking the rhythm. It is a modern dance that originated from the African American society and breaks the rhythm of music and violates the rules. Characterized by action and improvisation. It was also popular in Chinese cities in 1987 and 1988. People who have lived through that era will have an impression of this dance. His dance movements are truly thunderous. The author always thought that the word "break dance" was a free translation, but I didn't expect it to be a transliteration. This just illustrates the success of the translation of the word "break dance".

Coca-Cola

Transliterated from English cocacola, a world-famous drink. The original English meaning does not seem to have any profound meaning. "Coca-Cola" transliterated into Chinese is so meaningful. Is this because of the skill of the translator, or is it because Chinese characters and Chinese are too magical?

Marathon

Translated from English marathon, it is a race with a distance of 42 kilometers and 195 meters. Marathon, marathon, means: "Even if a horse is running, it should be loose." What about people? As soon as people see the three words "marathon", they will immediately feel the long distance and high intensity of the event. It seems that we cannot accept the ingenuity of our ancestors in creating Chinese characters.

Miniskirt

Translated from English miniskirt, "mini" is the transliteration and skirt is the free translation. The original meaning is miniskirt. Translated as "miniskirt" it's truly wonderful. It not only has a taste for life, but also makes insinuations. Why wear a miniskirt? That's for the "mini" ones. Since mini is the prefix for miniature in English, a series of "mini" things later came out, such as "mini cameras" and so on. But nothing is as good as a "miniskirt". "Mini skirt" is the first translation of the "mini" family.

Querliang

Translated from English dacron in Cantonese, it is a synthetic fiber made from aldehyde compounds. Shirts made of this material were worn by almost everyone in China in the 1970s. Pure white, very bright and stiff to wear, and very thin. For middle school students at that time, having a white t-shirt was a blessing. It's really good, it's really good. Although it's a vernacular, it sounds really cool. Although it is said to be due to economic shortage, the popularity of this fabric is probably related to the word "Chen Liang".

Chlordiazepoxide

Homophonically translated from the Latin word librillm, the trade name is a sedative-hypnotic drug that can also be used as an anticonvulsant. Just these three words, can you not sleep after taking medicine?

Enemy kills

Transliterated from English deeis, an insecticidal pesticide.

The original intention seems to have no profound meaning. Translated into Chinese, it is so powerful - it can kill the opponent.

Vitamin

Transliterated from English vitamin, it is a group of chemical substances that are indispensable to the human body. Vitamins to maintain his life. It sounds like a very important life-saving medicine. A vitamin sounds more urgent than another name.

Gestapo

Transliterated from the German Gestapo, the Nazi German secret police and its organization. In some historical novels and storytelling, we can often hear how many eunuchs a certain treacherous or powerful minister in ancient China had. They were usually godsons, and most were evil people who did not do good things. The Gestapo is just such a kind of devil who kills without blinking an eye. Unparalleled also means arrogant. Using "Gestapo" to refer to the Nazi secret police is the most vivid and understandable for Chinese people who do not know much about the history of Germany during World War II.

Montage

Transliterated from the French montage, it refers to lens editing, a unique combination technique in movies. The three Chinese characters for montage have no meaning when put together. But these three words all give people a sense of mystery, and when put together they become even more mysterious. In fact, many Chinese people do not understand what movie "montage" is, but they have a certain sense of admiration for movie directors and actors, which may have something to do with the three words "montage".

The Beatles

Transliterated from the English beetle, the Beatles and their members. The original meaning is a hard-shelled insect, so they got their name because the band members have hair like a hard-shelled insect. I used to see that most of the domestic pop band musicians, regardless of gender, had long hair shawl, so I thought the word "Beatles" was a free translation, but I didn't expect it to be a transliteration. So, does the Chinese translation of "Beatles" come first, and the musicians dress themselves up according to the translated words, or does the Chinese musician "Beatou" come first, and the translator is inspired and then translates "Beatles"? unknown. However, the band members wore long hair, which seemed to have a dynamic effect.

Hippies

Transliterated from the English hippy, it refers to the decadent youth who were dissatisfied with reality and appeared in the United States in the 1960s. Hippies, hippie smiley people. A group of cynical young people appear on the page. It is amazing that the harmony between transliteration and free translation can reach such a level.

Yuppies

Transliterated from English yuppies. Yuppies and hippies are two different people in two eras. Yuppies refer to young professionals in modern American cities. They earn a lot, spend money generously, and live a fashionable life. The success of the translation of the word yuppie lies in the word "elegant". This word "elegant" vividly describes the modern urban white-collar workers. This is the magic of Chinese characters. Otherwise, how could the ancients have the finishing touch?

Grass roots

"Grass roots" is literally translated from the English grass roots. The first refers to the forces that are opposite to the government or policy makers, and the second refers to the disadvantaged classes that are corresponding to the mainstream, elite culture or elite class. The term "grass roots" originated during the gold-hunting craze in the United States in the 19th century. It was widely rumored that there was gold in the soil surface of some mountain ranges and where grass roots grew. English grass roots. The explanation of "grassroots" on the Internet and in reality can be said to be very comprehensive. Each article talks about "grassroots" and its origins. The English and Chinese explanations also admit that it was first popular in the United States, and then introduced to China in the 1980s, and was given a deeper meaning. Each field has its corresponding words. (Grassroot is not a foreign word, because it is not a transliteration, but expressed in our own language, and what is translated in our own language is not a foreign word.

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