Jeff
Suspended in Time - Finer Points In Translation
I would like to thank Laila Yang for the impetus to this discussion. After correction my Chinese version, many had written privately, asking questions such as why we chose the way we translate. Better to answer as a group discussion. The caption was based on my notebook entry, https://www.italki.com/notebook/718609/entry/956265
Two major differences -- The easiest one first: I am using a poetic style while Laila's is prose.The difficulty is translating "suspended in time" and not merely the word itself. "Suspend" has many meanings but we are interested in the definition of small pieces of denser material hanging or floating in fluids. Hence, 懸掛, 懸吊, 懸浮, 漂浮 are appropriate.
Oil droplets are suspended in the saline solution: 油滴懸浮在生理鹽水中
A cloud of smoke was suspended in the still air: 靜氣中懸掛着一團烟
Which is more appropriate - 懸掛 or 懸浮? A good translator must not blindly pick a random definition. Context is most important. "Suspended in time" means that time had stopped so that nothing moves or changes. Except in discussion of buoyancy, "float" implies movement. The decor is static with hints of kinetic motion.
Some other definitions of "suspend",
1. to stop something from being active, temporarily or permanently. 停止, 暫止, 中止
The ferry service has been suspended due to bad weather: 天氣惡劣, 輪渡就此暫止
The President suspended the Constitution and assumed total power: 憲法被總統廢除而獨攬大權
When going to a movie, you are willing to suspend disbelief: 去看戲時, 個人願疑惑暫停
I'm suspending judgment until I am done with the book: 未讀完本書前,我不會作任何偏見
As a first time offender, he was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years: 是因首次犯罪, 他被判禁六個月, 緩期兩年執行.
2. Temporarily not allowed an activity due to having done something wrong.
Fighting is a cause from being suspended from school: 校中打架是被停学的原因
3. To hang
Workers are working on bamboo platforms, suspended by ropes from the ceiling of the building 工人在天花板吊下的竹製的平台上工作.
It was very uncomfortable lying with legs suspended in the air: 躺着時而雙脚懸吊是非常不舒服的
P.S. Upon finishing, I received a comment from Lara. Her suggestion of 時間凝固了雨滴 is OK from direct meaning translation - back translates to "Time freezing of raindrops". It does not convey "midair" stoppage. All are good if context is not taken. However, this is about translation and the original meaning and nuance must be preserved.
5 de dez de 2018 21:43
Comentários · 2
Yes, you are correct and this is what I am saying. You need to see that photo that I had included my post at https://www.italki.com/notebook/718609/entry/956265 to see the hanging sculpture from the ceiling. I would like to include that photo here for easy reference but italki does not allow me to do so.
<a name="_GoBack"><o:p>
</o:p></a>
<a name="_GoBack"><o:p>
</o:p></a>
6 de dezembro de 2018
Hello Jeff,
懸掛 and 懸浮 are similar, with slight difference. I think both words are fine, depending on your context. 掛 literally means "the state of being hung", it sounds like the object is tied to a rope or chain. For instance, I could say 吊燈懸掛在大廳的正中央. 浮 on the other hand sounds more mystical. It is usually used in magic tricks or something mysterious.
6 de dezembro de 2018
Jeff
Habilidades linguísticas
Chinês (Mandarim), Chinês (Cantonês), Chinês (outro), Inglês
Idioma de aprendizado
Chinês (Mandarim), Chinês (Cantonês), Chinês (outro)
Artigos que Você Pode Gostar Também
English for Awkward Moments: What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say
13 votados positivos · 7 Comentários
Understanding Business Jargon and Idioms
2 votados positivos · 0 Comentários
Conflict at Work: How to Handle Disagreements in English
15 votados positivos · 9 Comentários
Mais artigos
