Inherent Chinese translation in English Tofu - Tofu (note: no place names, pure transliteration, such as Harbin Harbin Feng Shui FengShui)

(1) Local dishes can be directly translated into Pinyin:

In Chinese restaurants in the United States and Europe, the most direct way to translate Chinese menus into English is "transliteration." Transliteration is to write the Chinese name of the dish in pinyin. This method is simple, direct and unique. For example, although tofu can be translated as "soy cheese", the word "TOFU" is more commonly used. Americans already know how to say "TOFU" correctly when ordering food, and they also know that it is good for health. There are also dishes such as "DAN DAN NOODLES" and "WONTON", which are named directly with pinyin, showing a sense of pride that "I have people but I don't have them". Anyway, there is no corresponding food abroad, so just use our name.

This method is also common in catering in other countries: Japanese sushi (SUSHI), Japanese sake (SAKE), and Korean kimchi (KIMCHI) are all directly transliterated, which has gained widespread popularity in the West. use. Nowadays, the French "champagne" and the Italian "pizza" that are called "champagne" in China are all transliterated from the original flavor. Who doesn't know what those things are now.

(2) Free translation has three major requirements:

Needless to say, this is the translation method that requires the most effort. The free translation method can be divided into three types:

Ingredients-based translation - mainly introduces the main ingredients and ingredients of the dish, first write down the name of the type of chicken, beef or seafood, and then In addition to the names of vegetables, nuts and other ingredients, things like black mushrooms (BLACK MASHROOM) and fresh bamboo shoots (BAMBOO SHOOT) are commonly used ingredients in Chinese food. Most foreigners will not make a fuss and eat them without mistake.

Taste-oriented translation - in addition to the ingredients, the emphasis is on seasonings, and the flavors such as salt and pepper, spicy, sweet and sour are marked on the menu, which will be very helpful for foreigners when ordering. Big help. You must know that foreigners give Chinese food the reputation of "food that is eaten with the tongue". In many cases, what they come to eat is the taste. The addition of green onions, sesame seeds, etc. are all special flavors, so you might as well write them down one by one. However, there is a very popular dish in North America called "Sweet and Sour Pork (Chicken)" SWEETAND SOUR PORK (CHICKEN). It is not exactly the same as the "Sweet and Sour Pork" in China. It is golden in color and tastes sweet. , has the taste of juice, and foreigners who are used to this dish may get confused when they come to China.

Translation focusing on cooking methods - translating the commonly used frying, stir-frying and frying methods into the name of the dish, which is not only in line with the tradition of Chinese cuisine, but also shows the art of making Chinese food. The rich aroma of stir-fried dishes, the crispiness of deep-fried dishes, and the lightness of steaming dishes can all be fully displayed in the text.

Overseas, teriyaki usually states clearly that it is made with soy sauce (SOY BEAN SAUCE) instead of generally saying it is BROWN SAUCE, so that foreigners who don’t like soy sauce can avoid ordering this dish.

(3) Clever use of names of people and places:

This translation method seems to have returned to the transliteration method, but in fact it adds more cultural heritage. If you look closely at foreign recipes, you will find that many French cheeses and German sausages have their place of origin and flavor indicated, and even if their place names appear on the English menu, they all use the original spelling. Therefore, our "West Lake Beef Soup", "Mongolian Barbecue" and "Shanghai Sauce Duck" can also be written with the Chinese pinyin of these special place names, or add "SHANGHAI STYLE" (Shanghai style), and by the way, they can also be given to foreign friends. Some geographical knowledge.

Similarly, by borrowing the names of people in dishes such as "Dongpo Pork", "Zuo Rooster", and "Ma Po Tofu", you can introduce to foreigners that this is the Chinese poet Su Dongpo, the famous general Zuo Dongpo. The favorite foods of Zongtang and others, as well as the specialty dishes of Sichuan Miaoshou Grandma, increase interesting topics and communication during meals.

Two points to note:

1. Use local common names and cooking methods to get twice the result with half the effort.

For example, if "barbecued pork" is written as "BBQ barbecue" (barbecued meat with thick sauce), North Americans will understand it. The "snow peas" we often call them are called "snow peas" in the United States and Canada, so you need to pay attention when translating.

2. Our Chinese nation has always been a country of etiquette, and we should try to avoid words such as violence and sex. For example, "boy chicken" can be written as "very tender chicken". Some restaurants will translate it as "chicken that has not had sex" and it will be laughed at. Come to think of it, the original intention of our ancestors when they invented this dish was just to show off the freshness and smoothness of the ingredients. No one wanted to inquire about the chicken baby's private life.

Example:

Choose one of three translations for "Kung Pao Chicken". Chinese food dish names can be translated into English in many different ways. For example, the dish "Kung Pao Chicken" has the following three translations:

■Transliteration: GONGBAO CHICKEN (Kung Pao Chicken)

■Based on the ingredients used Translation: SAUTEED CHICHEN CUBE WITH PEANUTS (fried chicken nuggets, add peanuts)

■Taste-oriented translation: DICED CHICKEN WITH PEANUTS IN CHILI SAUCE (chicken with peanuts in chili sauce)

I hope it can help you and hope to adopt...