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A Phrase to Avoid Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 24, 2010
Sometimes when you’re speaking Chinese- especially when you’re at the beginning or intermediate level- it’s easy to get caught up in trying to express your meaning by directly translating your thoughts from English without fully considering what the listener understands. Here is an example of where that can go awry: I once was with a…
Spring Cleaning Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 23, 2010
Taking a break from urban transport discussion, I’d like to talk about cleaning up the apartment. If you’ve found that your 木板 (mu4ban3 – floorboards) are caked with 灰尘 (hui1chen2), it may be time to break out the 拖布 (tuo1bu4 – mop) and start to clean your abode. You’ll need your best 海绵 (hai3mian2 –…
Urban Transport in China pt. 2 Smart Cards Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 22, 2010
When you’re riding public transport in China, you may go some time without seeing people using 现金 (xian4jin1 – cash), opting instead for their 智能卡 (zhi4neng2ka3 – smart card), maybe just 刷 (shua1 – swipe) their 钱包 (qian2bao1 – wallets) without even taking the card out. Where can you get these cards? In cities that…
Urban Transport in China, pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 21, 2010
How do people get around Chinese cities, and what does it usually cost? One common method for getting around the city is 出租车 (chu1zu1che1) taxis, but depending on where you are in China, the prices and availability can vary. The 上海起价 (shang4hai3qi3jia4) Shanghai starting price is 12 RMB. While in Shenzhen it fluctuates. Formerly it…
Macau Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 30, 2010
Yesterday I went with some friends to Macau, one of China’s 特别行政区te4bie2xing2zheng4qu1 (special administrative regions). There, we saw some of the 痕迹 hen2ji4 (traces) of Macau as a 殖民地 zhi2min2di4 (colony). Macau has become a supreme tourist attraction in East Asia, attracting more tourists last year than even Hong Kong! This may have to do…
Wafer-Thin Margins, or Manufacturing in China Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 29, 2010
The US remains the largest 生产 (sheng1chan3 – manufacturing) nation, but few if any people I have asked have been able to answer correctly which country it is. Several days ago, I spoke with a trader who deals in appliances and power tools sourcing some components from the Mainland. I was particularly curious about one…
The Good and the Bad About Bad Goods Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 28, 2010
It was this time last year that I was en route to give a talk at a university in Wuhan. During the drive from the airport, I began to chat with the driver. Our focus soon shifted to trade between the US and China. As we built rapport, he asked very frankly, “是不是美国公司就把这些垃圾食品卖给我们中国人吃?” (Are American…