I will resume teaching when I come back.
Hurray!
Hurray!
Wednesday 13 August 2014
Announcement 通告
Wednesday 6 August 2014
The Interpreter of The Grandmaster
Two weeks ago, an important figure in Hong Kong history 鄭仰平 Cheng Yang-ping passed away.
Who's he? He was one of the two interpreters who bridged the communication between Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping. It is said that late Mr Cheng didn't talk much when he wasn't interpreting, even though he spoke superb English, Cantonese and Mandarin. He was also a strict follower of an interpreter's professional conduct - he had never leaked a word about the historic negotiation.
The news probably has got into my head. While I was watching The Grandmaster 一代宗师 the other day, I wondered how they can possibly interpret the complex Chinese imagery uttered by Ip Man 叶问 and Gong Er 宫二. The scene below is especially perplexing. Sadly, I can't find a clip of the scene with English subtitle, but I found the official English subtitle script. I've marked four places which are worth ruminating upon. So, let's do an odd thing - play the video and read the script at the same time.
English Subtitle:
I was
lucky to meet you in my prime.
Sadly,
my time is running out.
To say there
are no regrets in life,
is just
to fool yourself.
How
boring it would be without regrets.
Mr Ip,
to tell you the truth,
I cared
about you.
I don't
mind telling you that.
It's not
a crime to love.
But
that's all it can ever be.
I never
said that to anyone before.
Seeing
you tonight,
I don't
know why, it just came out.
Let's
say we suspend this game
of chess
between us.
Take
care.
In life,
as in chess,
a move
once made stays on the board.
What we
have
is
simply fate.
Your
father once said,
never
give up the faith.
Keep the
light burning.
I hope
that one day
I'll see
the 64 Hands once more.
I hope you enjoyed the scene - I like it a lot. I want to talk about four things about the translation.
1) I cared about you.
The original Chinese is 我心里有过你, a literal translation can be "I have had you in my heart". Of course, it doesn't sound that natural. Thinking about it, to have someone in your heart allows quite a flexibility for interpretation and choice of words. I like their choice "cared about" which is subtle enough for Gong Er as a woman in that era, but it also contains ample meaning just like the Chinese original.
2) Let's say we suspend this game of chess between us.
The original Chinese is 就让你我的恩怨像盘棋一样保留在那儿, a literal translation can be "let's keep the resentment between us there like a game of chess". Having said that, ”resentment“ can be replaced by "scores", meaning all those wrongs one has done to the other. At this point, it becomes obvious that "a game of chess" actually can symbolise tension, fights, resentment and scores. That's how smart this translation is - why to repeat two similar things when you can use one to embed the other.
3) What we have is simply fate.
In Chinese, the line is 我们之间本来就没恩怨，有的只是一段缘分。Well, this is indeed a big challenge for the translator. Again, a literal translation can be "We have never had any scores between us even from the start. What we have is just fate." I don't see why the first line is omitted in this case. I find it a pity not to have it, as if something has gone missing in the rhythm. Another thing is about the word "fate" which seems to be the only English counterpart for 缘分 but never quite fits. Simply put it, while the pair means the same thing, "fate" sounds heavy but “缘分” has a softness in it. Can't blame anybody I guess.
4) Never give up the faith. Keep the light burning.
Lastly, 念念不忘必有回响，有灯就有人。These two are very poetic lines, a superficial meaning is "If you hold on to your thought, it will resonate. When there is light, there are people". I think Ip Man's interpreter has captured the gist of the lines precisely, though I kind of like the second line more literal.
It's not easy to be an interpreter indeed. You rack your brain just to get messages across, and they are not even about you. Poor souls :)
I hope you enjoyed the scene - I like it a lot. I want to talk about four things about the translation.
1) I cared about you.
The original Chinese is 我心里有过你, a literal translation can be "I have had you in my heart". Of course, it doesn't sound that natural. Thinking about it, to have someone in your heart allows quite a flexibility for interpretation and choice of words. I like their choice "cared about" which is subtle enough for Gong Er as a woman in that era, but it also contains ample meaning just like the Chinese original.
2) Let's say we suspend this game of chess between us.
The original Chinese is 就让你我的恩怨像盘棋一样保留在那儿, a literal translation can be "let's keep the resentment between us there like a game of chess". Having said that, ”resentment“ can be replaced by "scores", meaning all those wrongs one has done to the other. At this point, it becomes obvious that "a game of chess" actually can symbolise tension, fights, resentment and scores. That's how smart this translation is - why to repeat two similar things when you can use one to embed the other.
3) What we have is simply fate.
In Chinese, the line is 我们之间本来就没恩怨，有的只是一段缘分。Well, this is indeed a big challenge for the translator. Again, a literal translation can be "We have never had any scores between us even from the start. What we have is just fate." I don't see why the first line is omitted in this case. I find it a pity not to have it, as if something has gone missing in the rhythm. Another thing is about the word "fate" which seems to be the only English counterpart for 缘分 but never quite fits. Simply put it, while the pair means the same thing, "fate" sounds heavy but “缘分” has a softness in it. Can't blame anybody I guess.
4) Never give up the faith. Keep the light burning.
Lastly, 念念不忘必有回响，有灯就有人。These two are very poetic lines, a superficial meaning is "If you hold on to your thought, it will resonate. When there is light, there are people". I think Ip Man's interpreter has captured the gist of the lines precisely, though I kind of like the second line more literal.
It's not easy to be an interpreter indeed. You rack your brain just to get messages across, and they are not even about you. Poor souls :)
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