Miss Chen of my company once had become a travel agent " the ground is accompanied " () of this locality tourist guide. I go up in her desk once, see one is written by him travel agent " Sino-British contrast dish a famous player book " , I am taken then break up casually, as it happens sees " willow of sweet ox of lotus leaf garlic " this dish, its English translation is Steamed Flour-coated Garlic-flavoured Beef Wrapped In A Lotus Leaf. See this translated text, I cannot help bursting out laughing, miss Chen asks me: Why do you want to laugh? The edge laughs to say by the side of me: This book, where to look to the tourist guide? Look to chef clearly!

Why do I say so? See the implication of this translation please above all: pink of on beef besmear one level, tick off Gorgon euryale with starch namely, put end of on a few garlic next, let beef have the sweet smell of garlic, rise beef wrap up with a lotus leaf finally, put the evaporate on boiler, evaporate is good, namely " willow of sweet ox of lotus leaf garlic " . You can see, this is the name of a dish far from, however the making material of this dish and the introduction of the method that make, if be in,the foreign friend that have a meal is chef originally, listened to this introduction, after perhaps he goes back to the motherland, oneself can " sweet Niu Liu of lotus leaf garlic " do (laugh at) .

Of course I admit, translate Chinese dish name so, can allow the thing that foreign friend knows clearly to he eats, do with what, it is how to be done, this is its advantage. But on the other hand, it also has two drawback: It is the English translation that tourist guide personnel needs to recite name of many China dish, study strength is too great, really inhuman; 2 it is friend of majority foreign country not be chef, the family does not care the specific details of these dish, care these dish only delicious.

Translate Chinese dish name to foreign friend, I often also come up against this kind of thing, I won't use the method of Miss Chen absolutely, I am far from likely carry the content of that one manual on the back completely. How is I introduce me below done. Everybody knows, chinese dish, divide roughly for 4 kinds of taste, namely acerbity, sweet, salty, hot, when accordingly I am translating Chinese dish name, invented a fixed formula, that is:

The Flavour of taste of bases with of dish

To facilitate you understand, I cite 4 case, ask you to have a look.

① vinegar smooth potato: Bases is potato, taste slants acerbity, because this translation is Potato With Vinegar Flavour

② sweet-and-sour tenderloin: Bases is pork, taste slants sweet, because this translation is Pork With Sugar Vinegar Flavour

③ salt explodes shredded meat: Bases is pork, taste slants salty, because this translation is Pork With Salt Flavour

④ fish sweet shredded meat: Bases is pork, taste slants hot, because this translation is Pork With Chili Flavour
Previous12 Next