Reading Notes of Chapter 7 and 8 of The Translator's Guide to Chinglish​

无敌幸运星

I. Core Concepts Summary​
(I) Chapter 7: Unnecessary Passive Voice​
Chapter 7 mainly addresses the overuse of the passive voice in Chinglish. Chinese has a more flexible attitude towards the active - passive distinction, and many sentences without clear agents in Chinese are directly translated into the passive voice in English. However, English prefers the active voice for its directness and conciseness, unless there is a specific reason to emphasize the receiver of the action or hide the doer. For example, translating “采取了一系列措施” as “A series of measures were taken” without context may be an over - application of the passive voice. In most cases, it is better to use an active - voice construction like “We/They took a series of measures” to make the sentence more vivid and easier to understand. The overuse of the passive voice often makes English sentences wordy, vague, and less engaging.​
(II) Chapter 8: Excessive Use of Abstract Nouns​
Chapter 8 focuses on the problem of piling up abstract nouns in Chinglish. Chinese often uses abstract concepts and nominalizations to express complex ideas, but direct translation into English can lead to cumbersome and obscure expressions. English, on the contrary, tends to use more concrete and dynamic language. For instance, “在环境保护方面取得了显著进展” translated as “Significant progress has been made in the area of environmental protection” is filled with abstract nouns like “progress” and “area”. A more concise and natural English version could be “We have significantly improved environmental protection,” which replaces abstract nouns with a concrete verb - object structure, making the meaning clearer and the expression more straightforward.​
II. Detailed Problem Analysis with Abundant Examples​
(I) Chapter 7: Issues of Unnecessary Passive Voice​
Context - less Passive Constructions​
Many Chinese sentences without explicit subjects are blindly translated into the passive voice in Chinglish. For example, “发现了一些新问题” is commonly translated as “Some new problems were discovered.” Without specifying who discovered these problems, this passive construction seems reasonable at first glance. However, in English, if the doer is known or can be easily inferred (such as “The research team discovered some new problems”), using the active voice is more appropriate. Another case is “建议在会议上提出” translated as “The suggestions were put forward at the meeting.” If the subject “someone” or a specific group (like “the committee members”) is clear, “Someone/The committee members put forward the suggestions at the meeting” would be a better choice.​
Passive Voice Leading to Ambiguity​
Overusing the passive voice can make the meaning of a sentence ambiguous. Consider “It is believed that this method can improve efficiency.” Without indicating who believes this, the sentence lacks clarity. A more precise expression could be “Experts believe that this method can improve efficiency” or “We believe that this method can improve efficiency,” which clarifies the source of the belief and makes the statement more accountable. Also, in “The project was completed ahead of schedule,” if the emphasis is on the team that completed the project, using the active voice “The project team completed the project ahead of schedule” can better convey the message.​
(II) Chapter 8: Problems of Abstract Noun Piling​
Nominalization - Induced Verb Shortage​
Chinglish often turns verbs into abstract nouns, resulting in a lack of dynamic verbs in sentences. For example, “对该方案的实施进行了讨论” translated as “The implementation of this plan was discussed.” Here, “implementation” is a nominalized form of the verb “implement,” making the sentence static. A more vivid translation would be “We discussed how to implement this plan,” where the verb “implement” directly conveys the action. Another instance is “关于城市交通拥堵的研究取得了成果” translated as “Research on urban traffic congestion has achieved results.” It can be rewritten as “We have achieved results in researching urban traffic congestion,” making the sentence more dynamic.​
Abstract Noun Chains​
Chinglish sometimes strings together multiple abstract nouns, making the sentence difficult to understand. For example, “在教育质量的提升方面，政府采取了措施” translated as “In the aspect of the improvement of educational quality, the government took measures.” The phrase “the aspect of the improvement of educational quality” contains a chain of abstract nouns “aspect,” “improvement,” and “quality,” which is too cumbersome. A simpler expression could be “To improve educational quality, the government took measures,” which uses a clear infinitive phrase to express the purpose and simplifies the overall structure.​
III. Personal Insights and Improvement Strategies​
(I) Insights on Passive Voice and Abstract Nouns​
Studying these two chapters has made me realize that Chinglish problems are deeply rooted in the differences between Chinese and English language habits and thinking modes. The overuse of the passive voice in Chinglish reflects the Chinese language’s tolerance for implicit agents and the lack of awareness of the active - passive distinction in English. Meanwhile, the excessive use of abstract nouns reveals the contrast between Chinese’s preference for abstract and nominalized expressions and English’s pursuit of concreteness and vividness. These differences require us to break the shackles of Chinese - language thinking during English writing and translation.​
(II) Improvement Strategies​
To address the problem of unnecessary passive voice, I will first analyze each passive - voice sentence carefully, asking whether there is a real need to emphasize the receiver or hide the doer. If not, I will rewrite it into an active - voice sentence. I will also read more native English materials to observe how native speakers use the active and passive voices in different contexts. Regarding the overuse of abstract nouns, I plan to practice transforming abstract noun - dominated sentences into more dynamic ones with concrete verbs. I will keep a record of common abstract noun phrases in Chinglish and their more natural English equivalents, and regularly review and apply them in writing. Additionally, I will seek feedback from English - speaking friends or teachers to correct my expressions containing these typical Chinglish problems.​