Resolved [CN] help with this line

Discussion in 'Translator's Corner' started by Corensi, May 1, 2018.

  1. Corensi

    Corensi Maiden of Purity

    Joined:
    May 31, 2017
    Messages:
    377
    Likes Received:
    1,156
    Reading List:
    Link
    偶尔蹦出几个儿化音都听得任宙远一愣一愣的

    The lines before that were these: 顶着一张几乎99%外国人的脸,却操着一口流利的普通话. Just to give a little context.

    Thanks in advance QwQ
     
  2. bloomsburyhouse

    bloomsburyhouse Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2015
    Messages:
    150
    Likes Received:
    75
    Reading List:
    Link
    so the lines before are - wearing a 99% foreigner face, but speaking very fluent mandarin.

    and then: occasionally uttering some 儿化音 (retroflex final) that put Ren Zhouyuan (I hope this is a name) into a daze.
     
    aoiisora likes this.
  3. Aurega

    Aurega Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    128
    Reading List:
    Link
    Pretty sure previous person just did MTL.

    Anyways.

    Occasionally sprouts some words that when heard made Ren Zhouyuan (shocked/dazed? little unsure, since 一愣一愣 means that you're surprised that you're jerking, as in it's unnatural).

    Overall meaning given context is that the guy with the almost completely foreigner looks could speak mandarin fluently, but occasionally says a few words that sounds really wrong.
     
    Corensi likes this.
  4. Corensi

    Corensi Maiden of Purity

    Joined:
    May 31, 2017
    Messages:
    377
    Likes Received:
    1,156
    Reading List:
    Link
    Ohh, thanks for the help!!
     
  5. RenarDusud1

    RenarDusud1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2017
    Messages:
    94
    Likes Received:
    37
    Reading List:
    Link
    儿化音 is not something wrong, it's Retroflex Final.
     
  6. Aurega

    Aurega Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    128
    Reading List:
    Link
    It's a direct translation, and is very difficult for non-chinese people to understand. IIRC, it's a northern thing where they add the 儿 sound (I use it myself) to round off their sentences, but it's actually just a verbal tic from a dialect. It is hilarious when foreigners try to imitate it and fail though. You could explain it in a TL note @Corensi

    EDIT: I also didn't know there was an english term for it.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2018
    Corensi likes this.
  7. Corensi

    Corensi Maiden of Purity

    Joined:
    May 31, 2017
    Messages:
    377
    Likes Received:
    1,156
    Reading List:
    Link
    Wow, I'm learning something from this! Thanks again!
     
  8. RenarDusud1

    RenarDusud1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2017
    Messages:
    94
    Likes Received:
    37
    Reading List:
    Link
    偶尔蹦出几个儿化音都听得任宙远一愣一愣的 -> occasionally coming out with some retroflex finals that stunned 任宙远.

    儿化音 here means the foreign-looking guy speaks with a perfect accent, even with retroflex finals (which is sign of good accent, not "sounds really wrong").
     
  9. Aurega

    Aurega Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    128
    Reading List:
    Link
    Have you heard people botch erhua? Weird is the only way I can describe it.

    Also if it doesn't sound weird why would it stun the listener? He speaks with a perfect accent, but occasionally botches his erhua sounds. It creates a jarring disconnect of someone who otherwise speaks fluently, but sometimes makes unexpected mistakes.

    As a sidenote, Erhua is weird, I personally use it but I can't seem to find a reason or rule for when to use it or not. It's all habitual to me. In fact, some I use on and off like 一瓶水 and 一瓶儿水, but I always use the 儿 if i'm only referring to the bottle alone. IIRC it developed to distinguish common words that would otherwise sound similar to each other.
     
  10. RenarDusud1

    RenarDusud1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2017
    Messages:
    94
    Likes Received:
    37
    Reading List:
    Link
    As a translator you shouldn't bring your personal preferrence into translation. That's not professional. In the sentence the retroflex finals (儿话音) is a sign of perfect accent which stunned him because a foreigner pronounced it well.
    It's like you may find the "r" in French or Spanish weird, but if a French/Spain author said that "the foreigner spoke with a trilling r which stunned me", they mean the foreigner spoke well with a good accent.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2018
  11. Murcott

    Murcott Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2017
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    180
    Reading List:
    Link
    I agree with RenarDusud1 after looking at the raws.

    他是从没想过要区分自己的儿子是中国人还是外国人这么一回事,但是不得不说安安被他同化得太厉害了。顶着一张几乎99%外国人的脸,却操着一口流利的普通话,偶尔蹦出几个儿化音都听得任宙远一愣一愣的,从小到大一次也没端过刀叉,倒是筷子拿得稳稳的。

    The entire paragraph is about how "he has no choice but to say that AnAn (his child) has been assimilated into Chinese culture too well by him." So it makes more sense for him to also say that his child speaks such fluent Chinese that even he himself is sometimes stunned by it. And another point is that his child is not a foreigner who is learning Chinese as their second language. Rather, he is someone who has grown up speaking Chinese while having a face that is 99% similar to a foreigner's.
     
  12. Aurega

    Aurega Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    128
    Reading List:
    Link
    Fair enough, given the context, it makes sense that they were stunned because of the perfect accent. I didn't have the entire context, and given just the two lines, I went with the best translation. Without context it made more sense that it stunned people because it was unusual rather than being perfect.
     
  13. Murcott

    Murcott Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2017
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    180
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'd like to add that I asked a native speaker about this retroflex final, and their input was that it is a Beijing accent, which is seen as more authentic (I guess when you compare it to rural accents), considering that Beijing is the capital.