Change of Plans Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 24, 2009
So the trip to the shooting range is postponed! My friend whose birthday it was is unable to go today because his visa is being extended. I would not say that he 放我的鸽子 (stood me up), because we have merely changed our plans to go to 雍和宫 (the Lama Temple in Beijing). In other words…
A shooting range! Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 23, 2009
Tomorrow I am going to a 射击场 (shooting range) with a friend and his friend to celebrate a belated birthday. We’re going to the international shooting range! There I hope to 开枪 (shoot guns) with great gusto! At the range they have 手枪 (pistols), 冲锋枪 (machine guns), and even 猎枪 (shotguns). I hope to 打中…
Reading the Weather Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 22, 2009
Today’s weather is pretty noteworthy here in Beijing, as it’s pretty cloudy (unusual for a dry place) and the temperature has dropped from recent comfortable levels. I sent out a request for a weather report using my cellphone (a request for 天气查询) and here’s what I got: [bolding mine] 北京23日白天： 阴天间多云有阵雨。 偏南风2， 3级， 最高15. 夜间阴有阵雨南转北风2，…
Giving a Talk, pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 20, 2009
Tomorrow night I will be giving a 演讲 (lecture) about how a 官方翻译 (official translator, in this case me) learned Chinese. I will also 顺便 (passingly) mention where I work to the 观众 (audience) who will primarily be 外商 (foreign businesspeople). One important thing to remember is to have appropriate 语气 (tone/manner) with 足够的针对性 （sufficient…
Fun around the office Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 19, 2009
Hello readers! On account of the entries bunching up near 月底 (the end of the month) I quite 遗憾 (regret). 好在 (fortunately) my day job work 负担 (burden) shall become somewhat lighter over the coming days. The reason for this is that I have hired a 助理 (assistant) who is very much on the ball. …
Parents’ Visit Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 12, 2009
Hello Everyone! I’ve been quite 忙 (busy) the past couple of days as my 父母 (parents) are here in Beijing and I want to 陪 (accompany) them while they 参观 (go sightseeing). So far we’ve seen some of the less 经典 (classic) sights, places such as the 赛艇场馆 (rowing venue), but we also saw the…
Wuhan Adventures Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 31, 2009
The other weekend I got back from 武汉 (Wuhan), where I was giving a 演讲 (speech). Some pretty memorable things happened there. I went with my host to a 偏远的农村 (very rural village), which was where he grew up before leaving to attend high school. We dined on 农家菜 (countryside food) such as meatballs and…