Chinglish
(Chapter 4, textbook)
《中式英语之鉴》The Translator’s Guide to Chinglish，Joan Pinkham编著, 姜桂华协助, 外 语教学与研究出版社, 2000
Part A: Unnecessary Words I. Unnecessary nouns and verbs II. Unnecessary modifiers III. Saying the same thing twice IV. Redundant twins Part B: Chapter 4 (textbook)
II. Unnecessary Modifiers
Unnecessary Adjectives (look for them) 1. Singapore will bar America’s popular female pop star Madonna from staging a show in its territory. Singapore will bar America’s pop star Madonna from staging a show in its territory. 2. The Chinese government took all possible eventualities into account when it made this policy decision × possible eventuality: all possible occurrences 3. Hundreds of transnational firms have started various businesses in China × various 4. Imports of foreign automobiles have declined sharply this year × foreign
1. promoting the cause of peaceful reunification 2. this, coupled with the factor of price instability, caused.. 3. we must oppose the practice of extravagance 4. a serious mistake in the work of planning 5. to ensure a relationship of close cooperation between
Adjectives: strong and solid weak and faint upright and honest major and important
Proliferations of redundancies
Adverbs: correctly and properly wholly and completely earnestly and sincerely Category 2 (meaning contained or implied) necessary and imperative corruption and degeneration firm and advisable Category 3 (meaning vague or general) the situation and circumstances the conditions and situation advances ad developments enhance and improve healthy and sound
Proliferations of redundancies
Nouns: skills and abilities setbacks and defeats errors and mistakes practices and customs forecasts and predictions
Verbs: consider and study endorse and support following and putting into effect (advice)
1. to accelerate the pace of economic reform 2. there have been good harvests in agriculture 3. living standards for the people in both urban and rural areas continued to rise 4. it is essential to strengthen the building of national defense 5. at that time the situation in northeast China was still one where the enemy was stronger than the people’s forces
Unnecessary Category nouns (look for them)
1. promoting the cause of peaceful reunification 2. this, coupled with the factor of price instability, caused.. 3. we must oppose the practice of extravagance 4. a serious mistake in the work of planning 5. to ensure a relationship of close cooperation between
IV. Redundant twins
1. From the leaflet of a silk store in Beijing: Our store also accepts orders for blouses, shirts, pajamas … etc., the sewing work being fine and excellent. Our store also … etc., all of which is finely sewn. 2. We should strengthen and improve the system under which government at all levels are responsible for attaining given objectives for birth control. × improve 3. While deepening reform and quickening the pace of economic development, we should strengthen efforts to build a clean and honest government. × honest
Unnecessary Verbs (look for them) A. Unnec. Verb + Noun
1. it is impossible for us to accomplish the transformation of the whole society overnight it is impossible for us to transform… 2. they should conduct a careful examination of they should carefully examine… 3. they must make up their minds to implement the reform of the current system they must make up their minds to reform … 4. until China realizes industrial modernization until China modernizes its industry
Saying same thing twice
1. We must continue to strengthen basic research and increase scientific and technological strength and staying power for future development. To enhance our ability to make further advances in science and technology, we must continue to expand basic research. 2. Enterprises with exclusively foreign investment should abide by China’s laws and regulations and operate according to the law. Enterprises with exclusively foreign investment should abide by China’s laws (and regulations). 3. Friendly contacts and trade relations between the Chinese and Japanese peoples have continuously developed, instead of being interrupted. Friendly contacts and trade relations between the Chinese ad Japanese peoples have steadily developed (or: expanded).
Unnecessary Verbs (look for them) B. Unnec. Verb + unnec. Noun + third word