《中式英语之鉴》Part one: Unnecessary Words

Dilnar

After diving into Chapter 1 of The Translator's Guide to Chinglish, I'm truly enlightened, and also a bit shocked at how prevalent Chinglish is in my daily English use. I used to be pretty confident in my English skills, thinking I could communicate smoothly. But this chapter was like a wake - up call. It made me realize that my "seemingly - correct" English might be full of Chinglish traps.

The examples provided in the chapter were incredibly eye - opening. Take, for example, the misuse of articles. We Chinese learners often have a hard time with "the", "a", and "an". Sometimes, we add "the" where it's not needed, like saying "the people's lives" in a context where "people's lives" would be more accurate in English. Another common issue is word - combination. We might create phrases based on Chinese word - order, such as "improve the level of...", while native speakers would say "raise... level" or "improve...".

What really stood out for me was the analysis of the root causes of these Chinglish mistakes. It turns out that our tendency to directly translate from Chinese thought patterns is the main culprit. Our mother - tongue thinking is so ingrained that when we try to express ideas in English, we unconsciously follow Chinese grammar and word - usage habits. This not only affects the accuracy of our language but also makes our expressions sound unnatural.

This chapter has inspired me to be more conscious of my language use. I'm determined to break free from these Chinese - language - based habits. From now on, I'll pay closer attention to how native English speakers construct sentences, study more authentic English materials, and try to think in English as much as possible. I'm really looking forward to delving into the following chapters. I believe they will offer more practical tips and in - depth analyses to help me eliminate those embarrassing Chinglish expressions and improve my English proficiency.