Comments on: Mark Zuckerberg Delights Tsinghua Audience by Speaking Exclusively in Putonghua

By: pppq

pppq — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 00:53:00 +0000

Hahaha, I wish…

By: Southernortherner

Southernortherner — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 15:53:00 +0000

so…would you like to write for the nanfang?

By: Mark Zuckerberg speaks Chinese | The World of Chinese

Mark Zuckerberg speaks Chinese | The World of Chinese — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 08:37:34 +0000

[...] awkward, mega-geek Zuckerberg announced some of his plans, such as the hiring about 20 Chinese nationals to work abroad, something that he has done annually [...]

By: pppq

pppq — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 03:08:00 +0000

Too proud to admit you’re wrong…

By: charlesliu

charlesliu — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 02:50:00 +0000

“P.S. Are you now the only writer at the Nanfang?”

Only if you’re the only commentator.

By: pppq

pppq — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 02:46:00 +0000

If you don’t want to disrespect Mr. Chen, then you should use the correct translation of his title. Mr. Chen is the president of Tsinghua University; if he were a principal, he would be the head of high school attached to Tsinghua.

Chinese has a single term, 校长, for the head of a school. Any school. However, English has several terms. ‘Principal’ is used for the head of a primary or secondary school. (‘Head Master’ is more common in British English.) On the other hand, the head of a college or a university is a president. Here is the Wikipedia article on Tsinghua University, which clearly lists Mr. Chen as its president: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsinghua_University

This is a common situation in translation where the translator slavishly sets up a 1:1 correspondence between Chinese and English terms. However, if I were to call Taipei the 首都 of Taiwan, and not 省会, it would cause problems, regardless if both 首都 and 省会 translate as ‘capital’ in English!

Please consult a standard dictionary on the matter, and don’t hide behind silly pretence.

P.S. Are you now the only writer at the Nanfang?

By: charlesliu

charlesliu — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:18:00 +0000

I wouldn’t disrespect Mr Chen with anything but the proper translation of his title.

Other university heads are referred to as “director” or even “head”, but Mr Chen was referred to as a principal in the report.

By: pppq

pppq — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 07:55:00 +0000

“Zuckerberg had earlier met Chen Jining, the principal of Tsinghua, had and held talks about cultivating talent and opportunities to work together.” Universities don’t have principals, Chuck.