老外眼里的中式英语

老外眼里的中式英语

在各个英语学习论坛上，经常可以看到有关Chinglish（中式英语）的文章，但一般都是中国人写的。不过我看到一篇长文，也是有关
Chinglish的，但却是美国人写的，很有意思。这篇长文的标题是Chinglish 2
English（从中式英语到标准英语），作者是浙江大学的美国外教Chuck
Allanson，内容则是Chuck在中国五年任教期间所听到、所看到的各种Chinglish说法。
比如Chuck第一次来中国，下飞机后，负责接待他的东北某大学英语系陈老师说：您刚到，我们吃点饭吧。我们要点Chinese
dumpling（饺子）和Chinese
beancurd（豆腐），您看可以吗？Chuck以前从未听说过这两种东西，但出于好奇，就说可以，结果饭菜端上来一看，原来就是ravioli（饺子，来自意大利语）和tofu（豆腐，来自日语）。Chuck当时心里暗想，这两种东西，国际上早已经有通用的说法（ravioli和tofu），他们中国人为什么还要用那种生僻的说法呢？以后Chuck跟陈先生混熟了，就问他，当初你为什么不说ravioli和tofu呢？陈先生听了大吃一惊，连忙解释说，我真的不知道这两个词，而且我们的《英汉词典》上也没有这两个词。

于是Chuck开始意识到，中国的英语教师、英语课本、甚至英语词典肯定存在问题，否则不可能发生这种事情。在中国五年的任教期间，Chuck收集了大量的Chinglish说法，从中挑选出一组最常见的，编写了上面提到的那篇长文。下面就是这些Chinglish说法，其中每行第一部分是汉语说法，第二部分是Chinglish说法，第三部分则是英语的标准说法。
① 欢迎你到... ② welcome you to ... ③ welcome to ...
① 永远记住你 ② remember you forever ③ always remember you（没有人能活到forever）
① 祝你有个... ② wish you have a ... ③ I wish you a ...
① 给你 ② give you ③ here you are
① 很喜欢... ② very like ... ③ like ... very much
① 黄头发 ② yellow hair ③ blond/blonde（西方人没有yellow hair的说法）
① 厕所 ② WC ③ men's room/women's room/restroom
① 真遗憾 ② it's a pity ③ that's too bad/it's a shame（it's a pity说法太老）
① 裤子 ② trousers ③ pants/slacks/jeans
① 修理 ② mend ③ fix/repair
① 入口 ② way in ③ entrance
① 出口 ② way out ③ exit（way out在口语中是crazy的意思）
① 勤奋 ② diligent ③ hardworking/studious/conscientious
① 应该 ② should ③ must/shall
① 火锅 ② chafing dish ③ hot pot
① 大厦 ② mansion ③ center/plaza
① 马马虎虎 ② so-so ③ average/fair/all right/not too bad/OK（西方人很少使用so-so）

① 好吃 ② delicious ③ good/nice/tasty/appetizing（delicious在中国被滥用）
① 尽我最大努力 ② try my best ③ try/strive（try的本意就是try my best）
① 有名 ② famous ③ well-known/renowned/legendary/popular（famous在中国被滥用）
① 滑稽 ② humorous ③ funny/witty/amusing/entertaining
① 欺骗 ② to cheat ③ to trick/to play a joke on/to con/to deceive/to rip off
① 车门 ② the door of the car ③ the car's door
① 怎么拼? ② how to spell? ③ how do you spell?
① 再见 ② bye-bye ③ bye/see you/see you later/later（bye-bye有些孩子气）
① 玩 ② play ③ go to/do（play在中国被滥用）
① 面条 ② noodles ③ pasta（noodles有些孩子气）
① 据说 ② it is said ③ I heard/I read/I was told
① 等等 ② and so on ③ etc.
① 直到现在 ② till now ③ recently/lately/thus far
① 农民 ② peasant ③ farmer
① 宣传 ② propaganda ③ information
以下是部分读者对上述内容的一些看法：
质疑美国外教中式英语Chinglish清单
最近在网上看到一篇大约2年前发布的文章，说是浙江大学有个来自美国的外教，名叫Chuck
Allanson。他根据自己在中国五年任教期间所见所闻的中式英语Chinglish，写了一篇据说叫“Chinglish 2
English”（从中式英语到标准英语）的文章。文章中列出了一个清单，其中每行第一部分是汉语说法，第二部分是Chinglish说法，第三部分则是英语的标准说法。

① 欢迎你到... ② welcome you to ... ③ welcome to ...
① 永远记住你 ② remember you forever ③ always remember you（没有人能活到forever）
① 祝你有个... ② wish you have a ... ③ I wish you a ...
① 给你 ② give you ③ here you are
① 很喜欢... ② very like ... ③ like ... very much
① 黄头发 ② yellow hair ③ blond/blonde（西方人没有yellow hair的说法）
① 厕所 ② WC ③ men's room/women's room/restroom
① 真遗憾 ② it's a pity ③ that's too bad/it's a shame（it's a pity说法太老）
① 裤子 ② trousers ③ pants/slacks/jeans
① 修理 ② mend ③ fix/repair
① 入口 ② way in ③ entrance
① 出口 ② way out ③ exit（way out在口语中是crazy的意思）
① 勤奋 ② diligent ③ hardworking/studious/conscientious
① 应该 ② should ③ must/shall
① 火锅 ② chafing dish ③ hot pot
① 大厦 ② mansion ③ center/plaza
① 马马虎虎 ② so-so ③ average/fair/all right/not too bad/OK（西方人很少使用so-so）
① 好吃 ② delicious ③ good/nice/tasty/appetizing（delicious在中国被滥用）
① 尽我最大努力 ② try my best ③ try/strive（try的本意就是try my best）

① 有名 ② famous ③ well-known/renowned/legendary/popular（famous在中国被滥用）
① 滑稽 ② humorous ③ funny/witty/amusing/entertaining[amusing用于褒义词偏多]
① 欺骗 ② to cheat ③ to trick/to play a joke on/to con/to deceive/to rip off
① 车门 ② the door of the car ③ the car's door
① 怎么拼? ② how to spell? ③ how do you spell?
① 再见 ② bye-bye ③ bye/see you/see you later/later（bye-bye有些孩子气）
① 玩 ② play ③ go to/do（play在中国被滥用）
① 面条 ② noodles ③ pasta（noodles有些孩子气）
① 据说 ② it is said ③ I heard/I read/I was told
① 等等 ② and so on ③ etc.
① 直到现在 ② till now ③ recently/lately/thus far
① 农民 ② peasant ③ farmer
① 宣传 ② propaganda ③ information[第一个单词是贬义词，比如对人民或者敌人进行洗脑式教育。]
由于那篇文章阅读量比较高，而本人对有些说法却不敢苟同，于是特地咨询了一些英文人士(非美国人)，他们基本同意这个美国教授的看法，以上蓝色字体部分。而红色字体部分，是他们认为更好的说法，或者至少与所谓的“标准英语”一样使用。在此需要注意是，“标准英语”应该不等于“美国英语”，也许那位美国教授说的“标准”就是指“美国英语”吧。
来源：[青格里希英语娱乐网Chinglish]
以下观点及内容来源：Chinadaily BBS，仅供参考
applezy:
But i have some questions and would like to communicate with friends here.

① 永远记住你 ② remember you forever ③ always remember you（没有人能活到forever）
后者是客观一些，可是在表达强列的情感时FOREVER更能达意吧？比如VITAIMIN C的歌曲里“We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever”
（/show.php?lyric=202）

① 真遗憾 ② it's a pity ③ that's too bad/it's a shame（it's a pity说法太老）
IT IS A PITY，是从学校里学来的，印象很深，也常用，只是不知何时过时了：）有个问题：如何知道一个词是否过时呢？有标准吗？

① 裤子 ② trousers ③ pants/slacks/jeans
PANTS在英式英语里有着和美语里不同的意思, 这里是不是有些以偏盖全？

① 好吃 ② delicious ③ good/nice/tasty/appetizing（delicious在中国被滥用）
词汇贫乏时就容易滥用了，学习^_^！

① 尽我最大努力 ② try my best ③ try/strive（try的本意就是try my best）
Try my best是不是程度更强一些？存在即合理，这个词组不是CHINA-MADE吧？

① 怎么拼? ② how to spell? ③ how do you spell?
What

’s wrong? I can’t get it.

① 面条 ② noodles ③ pasta（noodles有些孩子气）
Pasta refers to Italian noodles, different from Chinese ones. I am right?

① 据说 ② it is said ③ I heard/I read/I was told
In my opinion, the former is objective without definite person involved
and the latter is with more details.

① 等等 ② and so on ③ etc.
What’s the difference between them? Confused.

① 农民 ② peasant ③ farmer
If it refers to the “农民” in the old times, peasant may be more accurate.

① 宣传 ② propaganda ③ information
I am always confused at the translation of “宣传”. It is said “propaganda”
has negative indication, but information is at large. Who would be kind
enough to help me out? Thanks very much.


BTW, there may be some mistakes in my expression, please don't hesitate to
point them out! Appreciating
laoxianggg :
这位美国朋友的见解比较片面 and good comments by Applezy

Calling dumpling ravioli is inappropriate. If anything, Ukrainian perogy
looks a lot more like Chinese dumpling than ravioli does. Ukrainians don’t
call perogy ravioli, why should Chinese call dumpling ravioli?

Beancurd/tofu are both well accepted terms, so either name is OK.

①厕所 ② WC ③ men's room/women's room/restroom
WC (water closet) is a British term.

①真遗憾 ② it's a pity ③ that's too bad/it's a shame（it's a pity说法太老）
Pity is very British.

①裤子 ② trousers ③ pants/slacks/jeans
Trousers is more British and pants is more American.
一位美国妇女在英国吃饭时不小心把水倒洒在裤子上后大叫：“My pants are all wet！”，引起英国人大笑。原来在英国 pants
指底裤。

①应该 ② should ③ must/shall
Should/must/shall have different meanings:
You should go 你应该去
You must go 你必须去 （中性语气）
You shall go 你必须去 （强制性语气）
Shall we start? 我们开始吧 (比如主人请客人吃饭）
Shall 在法律文件理又是必需的意思 - Party A shall provide Party B with ...

① 尽我最大努力 ② try my best ③ try/strive（try的本意就是try my best）
Try 与 try my best 有量的差别

①面条 ② noodles ③ pasta（noodles有些孩子气）
noodles 没错。英文也有chicken noodle soup， 但是没有chicken pasta soup.

①等等 ② and so on ③ etc.
and so on 比较口语化，etc. 在文章里多见。

①直到现在 ② till now ③ recently/lately/thus far
till now and thus far have the same meaning, they are very different from
recently/lately

①农民 ② peasant ③ farmer
中国的农

民基本上还是属于peasant
rovi297:
不要老外一讲什么，holy-moly, 不得了了，我们是一无是处。。。。

I agree with laoxianggg's and apple's opinions. Please bear it on your
mind ---- there are so many different versions of English in the world.


Chinglish is one of them.

Please don’t forget it -----老外are very interested in Deng XiaoPing's
well-known remarks --"It doesn't matter whether the cat is white or black,
so long as it can catch a mouse, it is a good cat。"

This is a typical Chinese idiom with strong Chinese characteristics and
philosophical way of thinking but expressed in a perfect way of English
speaking.

When I first introduced it to our foreign guests, some of them had no clue
of what I was talking about, as it didn’t exist in their language at all,
however some very well-educated ones managed to have a grasp of the
connotation or implication, they didn’t give it a fussy comment as such
----“oh, that is crappie, this is bloody Chinglish, as we don’t express
things in that way, blah blah ….” Big BS….

Well, even if they say so, who will give a rap?

By the way, with regard to the issue of --- 好吃 ② delicious ③
good/nice/tasty/appetizing（delicious在中国被滥用）......

When I invited my foreign friends to a Chinese dinner, after trying a few
dishes, they all unanimously put thumb up and kept saying ---“Mmmmm, that
is wonderful, it is so beautiful, very delicious indeed, it is so yummy
and it tastes marvelous” and then sucking their fingers dripping with
delicious and succulent roast duck’s juice.

I am wondering how a word like “delicious” can be greatly abused in
China…..I don’t know what “在中国被滥用” mean to me at all. Please clarify
it!!!!
Again regarding Chinglish…..sometimes they are just a kind of metaphor
expressing with Chinese philosophy spoken in English…..
I wonder how you can regard them as under-standard language ------

----- 在俞大姻教授主编的《英语》书中的第一课 ----lesson one “Reminiscences of an interview
with Chair-man M’ao Tse-Tung on the paper tiger”

It says like this……”M’ao’s direct speech, wide range of knowledge, sharp
analysis and poetic imagery made his conversation the most stimulating I
have ever known. In speaking of American weapons captured from Chiang’s
troops he called them ---a blood transfusion,

….the metaphor of the “paper tiger” was used during this talk and I was
especially impressed, not only by the metaphor but by the way in which
Chair-man M’ao, without knowing English, was able to correct the inexact
translation of his words….w

hen he first said that reactionary rulers are
paper tigers, the expression was translated “scarecrow”, Chair-man M’ao
immediately stopped the talk and asked me to tell him just what a
“scarecrow” was. When I replied that it is a figure like a man which
peasants put up in a field to scare away crows, he at once expressed
dissatisfaction, and said that this was not his meaning. A paper tiger, he
said, is not something dead to scare crows with. It scares children. It
looks like a terrible tiger but actually, being made of pressed paper; it
softens when damp and is washed away in a heavy rain.

“Paper tiger” ---yes, Chinglish indeed, but it is very good indeed. I
can’t stop my cheering at all. We need to create more and more colorful
words or expressions like that……

Long live Chinglish!!! Long long life to Chinglish!!!!!!
risette:
1.① 永远记住你 ② remember you forever ③ always remember you（没有人能活到forever）
个人认为,remenber you
forever更好!首先,再语法上没有错误,其次,这么说不管英国人还是美国人都能听懂;再次,一般人这么说时都是表达一种强烈的愿望,尽管不能真正的活到forever.比如恋人之间说这话时谁也没去考虑倒底能活多久,而在意对方说话的坦诚度.
比如说love you forever永远爱你, 难道非得说成always love you?
2.① 厕所 ② WC ③ men's room/women's room/restroom
这一点提得非常对,如果在国外,一说WC,几乎没有人知道是什么,但是,如果能说出其全称water
closet,英语国家的人还是能明白的.可是我想在中国知道WC人的人很多,但是未必所有人都知道其全称,所以跟老外讲话最好别用WC.
厕所最标准的说法应该是toilet,这个在英联邦国家比较常见,众所周知,美语比较随意,所以对这么一个简单的东西,有很多种说法,除了men's
room/women's room/restroom,还有bath room, gentleman' room/ladies'
room.一般厕所门上标记的都是简写men's/women's, gent's/ladies'.
3.① 好吃 ② delicious ③ good/nice/tasty/appetizing（delicious在中国被滥用）
这一点儿,不敢苟同,对于一种语言表达方式,我们不能因为滥用了就抛弃它. 只是应该甚用而已,如果仅仅是一般的可口,那就用③
good/nice/tasty/appetizing,但是如果确实非常好吃,赞不绝口的话,那用delicious就更能表达出赞美的意思.
我自己曾用过两种说法对老外厨师说过,对方听着delicious明显更高兴.
4.① 给你 ② give you ③ here you are
我想一般学过英语的人是不是都不会用give you啊?因为here you are是中国的英语学习者一开始就学到的,
我想没有几个人能忘记最早学的东西.这个有点儿象那个笑话(给你点颜

色看看,give you some color to see see)^_^
5.① 尽我最大努力 ② try my best ③ try/strive（try的本意就是try my best）
我觉得说try one's best并没有什么错误,起码,谁都能听得明白,这就足够了.语言不就是为了交流么?
try one's best/do one's best这么说,没有老外会笑话你.
谁也没说try就一定是try one's best.只是我们在很多场合这么说是别人就明白而已.i'll try肯定不如i'll try my
best语气来得强烈.另外,也许可以这么说i'll make it.
6.① 农民 ② peasant ③ farmer
farmer一般指自己有较大规模农场的农场主,在美国,可能大部农民都这样,但在中国,没有几个真正意义上的farmer.所以还是peasant更为贴切.
7.① 怎么拼? ② how to spell? ③ how do you spell?
个人认为,how to spell比how do you
spell好!虽然后者更为完整.比如我们问一个单词怎么拼时,不是因为you怎么拼才那样的,绝大部分单词,不管谁去拼,真正的拼法都应该是一样的.所以没有必要强调you.
8.① 等等 ② and so on ③ etc.
如果一定要说两者有区别的话,那我只能说后者写法更为简单,除此之外,我找不处and so on有什么不对.
9.① 祝你有个... ② wish you have a ... ③ I wish you a ...
如果两个人聊天,或者面对面说话,最后表达祝愿的话,难道一定要说"I" wish you a...吗?wish you have a ...
在表达上肯定是没错的,不过既然省略了I,那么干脆省到家吧,把wish也一起省略了,have a nice trip,have a good
dream,have a wonderful weekend.....
10.① 宣传 ② propaganda ③ information
这个提法比较好,前段时间财富全球论坛在北京举行的时候,国务院新闻办公室主任专门说到这个词,他说propaganda其实带有贬义,最初更多地用于传播教义,所以正式场合非贬义的建议不用,他出了一本书,叫explain
china to the world.本意是向世界宣传中国的,但是他没有用propaganda.
详见：/viewthread.php?gid=4&tid=391372