2304杨帆读书笔记

花不是向我开

Book Notes: Supplementary Examples
Summary of the Content
This section of The Translator's Guide to Chinglishserves as a practical review tool, presenting 40 uncategorized Chinglish examples drawn from real-world translations. Unlike earlier chapters that organized errors by type (e.g., redundant nouns, awkward sentence structures), these examples mimic "messy" real-life translation challenges—cluttered with intertwined issues like vague pronouns, abstract noun overuse, and illogical connections. Each example includes an original "A-version" (problematic Chinglish) and a revised "B-version" (natural English), paired with step-by-step explanations of the edits. The goal? To train readers to dissect complex sentences, identify layered errors, and refine translations through patient, systematic revision. Key takeaways: Chinglish thrives on redundancy and abstraction; fixing it demands clarity, logic, and a reader-first mindset.
Evaluation
The writing style here is hyper-practical—no theory for theory’s sake. By grounding lessons in raw, unfiltered examples, the authors turn abstract grammar rules into tangible problem-solving. The "A vs. B" format is brilliant: seeing flawed and corrected versions side-by-side makes patterns of Chinglish (e.g., "give rise to the phenomenon that" → "thus") instantly recognizable. What I love most is the transparency of the editing process—the explanations don’t just show what to change, but why (e.g., "abstract nouns obscure meaning; replace with verbs").
The theme—"Chinglish is fixable through deliberate revision"—resonates deeply. The authors emphasize that even tangled sentences can be "taken apart and reworked piece by piece," a message that demystifies translation for learners. Their focus on reader experience (e.g., avoiding dangling modifiers, clarifying pronouns) also highlights a core truth: good translation isn’t just about accuracy—it’s about making the text live for the target audience.
Reflection
This section hit close to home. As someone who’s written (and cringed at) my share of Chinglish, I recognized patterns in the examples: overusing "make efforts to" instead of "try," hiding behind abstract terms like "implementation" when a verb ("implement") works better, and assuming "longer = clearer" (spoiler: it’s not). The exercises forced me to confront a habit I didn’t even realize I had: writing for myself instead of the reader. For instance, in Example 5, the original "the better you do your work… the better the people will understand" feels clunky because it’s chained to the Chinese structure. The revision—"the better you work… the better the people will understand"—cuts the fat and flows naturally.