BLUE SUN ROOM

Help- I don't speak Chinese!

POSTED BY: STORMWIND
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 14:48
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 4166
PAGE 1 of 1

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 12:59 PM

STORMWIND


Ok this is going to be really pedantic and bug everyone but I want to put Mandarin into my Blue Sun Fic's and I have three problems.

1)I don't speak Mandarin and can't tranlate of the top of my head. (unlike everybody else)

2)I can't find a free internat tranlator that does anything but charcters- which I can't read!

3) I can't just put the characters in because it reads them as a line of question marks.

Ok- so should I do like I am sure many other people have done and just make up stuff that looks like Mandarin. It's just that I'm kinda a perfectionist and that sounds- I don't know?-cheap (in the nicest way possible to anyone whose done that)
Anyway's help me out and then I can post the next few pieces of my fic.

I like the way the walls go out...

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:47 PM

LVS2READ


Stormwind,

On the front page, under message boards, is a link to Firefly Chinese translations. That's the best place to start. Inside that is a link to "Good Places for Chinese Transalations" wherein I listed the various sites I use, all of which show the 'pinyin' for the Chinese--not the symbols.

Best of luck!

"I love my captain."

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:49 PM

STINKINGROSE


Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary. Online from this site. It's where I get my stuff, which is why you'll never see anything in my fics that you probably don't recognise.
Dong ma?

What would Jayne do?

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:51 PM

MAL4PREZ


Also - try http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html

There's a few of the funky characters that don't work on FFF. I can tell which if you're interested...

-----------------------------------------------
I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 2:04 PM

ATIGDNG



Go to China! live there for say, 4 years come back, and you should be fluent! Worked for me anyhow...

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 2:23 PM

JAMESTHEDARK


Two websites I recommend, in order of use:

www.babelfish.altavista.com
I like this one, because it lets you check if you're Mandarin is close to what you want it to say in English. Most translaters don't allow that. Once you have something that works, you Copy the symbols, and you paste them at:

http://www.pingasianimports.com/Chinesepinyin/Translate.asp

This site takes pinyin and turns it into English phonetics.
Zhe shi ji shang rong yi.
Point your cursor at the above, and you'll see what it means.

--------------
I ain't lookin' for help from on high. That's a damn long wait for a train don't come.

98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 3:13 PM

SISTER


...and if all else fails...library...books...slower than internet sites but very reliable and free.

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 5:20 PM

ASORTAFAIRYTALE


This site has all the translations for Chinese that's in Firefly and Serenity if you were interested in using those.
http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/index.html

---------
Love keeps her in the air when she outta fall down, tells you she's hurting before she keels. Makes her a home.


NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 5:51 PM

STEAMER


What I always use for original phrases is the MDBG Chinese-English dictionary, at http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php . Very useful and versatile. You just enter one word you're looking for, and it'll give you the translation - plus a couple dozen other translations depending on context. That way, you might actually find the very phrase you're looking for in its entirety. For instance, I was trying to find out how to say "Long time no see", and when I entered "time", one of the phrases it gave me was "Hao jiu bu jian," which most accurately means "haven't seen you for a long time". Give it a shot - it's yet to let me down!


Serenity flies
At a hundred per
Is Wash nervous?
Tsai-bu-shr!
FIREFLY

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 2:48 PM

STORMWIND


Thanks for everything you guys! Always nice to kow that people are there to help.

Also-embarrasing story-about thirty seconds after I started this thread I discovered the chinese translations on this site-man did I feel stoopid!

Still it didn't have everything I wanted and you guys have still been a big help.

Read The Temptress And The Hunter in the Blue Sun room for where I used your advice.

_________________________________________________
I like the way the walls go out...

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 2:48 PM

STORMWIND


Thanks for everything you guys! Always nice to kow that people are there to help.

Also-embarrasing story-about thirty seconds after I started this thread I discovered the chinese translations on this site-man did I feel stoopid!

Still it didn't have everything I wanted and you guys have still been a big help.

Read The Temptress And The Hunter in the Blue Sun room for where I used your advice.

_________________________________________________
I like the way the walls go out...

NOTIFY: Y   |  REPLY  |  REPLY WITH QUOTE  |  TOP  |  HOME  

YOUR OPTIONS

NEW POSTS TODAY

USERPOST DATE

OTHER TOPICS

DISCUSSIONS
The Guild, Serenity, Mal, and Inara
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:21 - 74 posts
Ballad of Serenity (re-expanded)
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:17 - 6 posts
The Expanding Verse
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:10 - 79 posts

Mon, February 17, 2020 15:36 - 30 posts
Appreciating the Feedback All-Stars
Sun, February 3, 2019 10:27 - 4 posts
The Writer's Resource Package
Sat, May 26, 2018 00:24 - 32 posts
Bookmarks
Sun, April 29, 2018 13:19 - 2 posts
The crow?
Sun, March 12, 2017 13:03 - 1 posts
Eager student looking for patient fanvid teacher!
Wed, November 30, 2016 19:11 - 14 posts
Tall Card Deck
Wed, September 21, 2016 21:30 - 6 posts
Any good fics on this site?
Tue, February 16, 2016 19:42 - 4 posts
My Fanfic Plans
Thu, August 6, 2015 11:38 - 1 posts

FFF.NET SOCIAL