Translation and the damage done

An article appeared today in the Liberty Times:
成年（adulthood）變通姦（adultery） 英譯太離譜
民進黨立委陳瑩昨日指出，由台灣史前文化博物館所出版的「跨越與連結－臺灣與南島文化」一書中部分英文翻譯嚴重錯誤，有侮辱原住民之嫌。（記者王敏為攝）〔記者林曉雲、黃明堂、趙靜瑜／綜合報導〕原住民的紋面是成年的標誌，有肯定、尊敬的正面意義，但由國立台灣史前文化博物館出版的「跨越與連結｜台灣與南島文化」一書，英文說明卻把成年（adulthood）錯譯成adultery（通姦），導致外國人誤認紋面是通姦的標誌；立委陳瑩、卑南族長老陳冠年及英文教授張武昌直批「太離譜」！
It is the often-told story of a translation gone bad — a poorly executed Chinese-to-English translation at that. In this case, Taiwan’s indigenous peoples are claiming damage to their cultural dignity and demanding that the offending translated book be recalled immediately.
After a bit of sleuthing (seems that [...]

Roosevelt Rd in Taipei: Hard Hats Recommended

About a month ago, I noticed that the sidewalk in front of our building, which is directly across from Tai Power on Roosevelt Rd., was blocked with planters and plastic tape.
I initially assumed it was because a new sign was being installed or some minor construction up on one of the floors above.

After a week [...]

Where have all the good technical writers gone?

In the early days of Taiwan’s booming IT industry, not a small part of Pristine’s business came in the form of writing technical documentation and localizing that documentation into the major languages of the world. But as the industry matured, and cost-cutting became the mantra for squeezing out the competition, so went the budgets for [...]

Standards, but what’s the point?

Masters of IT hardware standards Taiwan may be, but this has not translated into noteworthy capabilities in the softer side of information technology. No where is this more true than in web development in Taiwan and especially web development standards as defined and mandated by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission. The RDEC, as it [...]

Hmmm. Not all bad advice.

Beijing advice on looking good for the Olympics
[snip]
“Don’t ask foreigners their age, marital status, income, past experience, address, personal life, religious beliefs or political beliefs, it says.”
By “personal life” we assume that they mean “sex”. I wonder what people in China (or Taiwan) for that matter, think of such advice. Could be along the lines [...]

樂活 / Lohas: A case of cross-cultural morphing

Although Lohas is the consumer-friendly soft-sell version of social and environmental responsible living, the Chinese 樂活 often completely ditches the pesky environmental consciousness usually attached to the Lohas mindset. Although dedicated Chinese Lohas/樂活 sites still attach some importance to green consumption and living, when referred to by more mainstream media, especially lifestyle product advertisers, the [...]

Taichung’s Fine And It’s Not Just The Weather

Taichung is the third largest city in Taiwan and is located in the heart of the island. Many convenient forms of transportation, along with fine weather, which is pleasant and sunny throughout the year, make Taichung a highly desirable place to live. This well-known city boasts central Taiwan’s largest national science and fine arts museums, [...]

Something About Taipei

Taipei (traditional Chinese: 臺北市 or 台北市; simplified Chinese: 台北市; Hanyu Pinyin: Táiběi Shì; Tongyong Pinyin: Táiběi Shìh, Taiwanese Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak-chhī; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄊㄞˊ ㄅㄟˇ ㄕˋ) has been the capital of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan since 1949. It is situated on the Danshui River, almost at the northern tip of the country, about [...]

A Post About Taiwan

Taiwan (traditional Chinese: 臺灣 or 台灣; simplified Chinese: 台湾; Hanyu Pinyin: Táiwān; Tongyong Pinyin: Táiwan; Wade-Giles: T’ai²-wan¹; Taiwanese: 大圓, Tâi-oân) is an island in East Asia. “Taiwan” is also commonly used to refer to the territories governed by the Republic of China (ROC) and to ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island [...]

Google Earth Tour of Taitung and Dulan

This is a short video tour of the east coast of Taiwan with a focus on Dulan, which is a 30 minute drive north of Taitung City.