Hi everyone, any advice for a Chinese novel? I am trying to improve my Chinese by doing some translation but I am not sure which novel to start with. I don't actually plan to post it anywhere, so even already translated novels are OK. Any novel without obscure vocabulary and strange grammar you can recommend? I would prefer BL, but I don't mind anything except tragedy and BE. Thanks
I'd recommend choosing a short story instead of a web novel with 200+ chapters. It gives you a sense of achievement and isn't as insurmountable as a long series. At least for me it was. I'd say stick to modern day novels, but don't let ancient or xianxia terms prevent you from translating. There are plenty of websites to look them up. What kept me going was my interest in the novel itself. If you aren’t interested, translating isn't fun anymore just extra work. If you want raw recommendations I can post a few.
BG: 云山苍苍 by 蕉下士 2 chapters BL: 终年雪 by 云黛染 5 chapters 爱妻牌讨债公司 by 夜行灯花宵 15 chapters 惊雀 by 罗翘 20 chapters 浴血一世报君恩 by 季符 5 chapters 古代十大美男gay by 安辛心安 10 standalone stories Almost all of these are ancient setting, I don't read a lot of modern day novels. Maybe another user can recommend some more.
Thank you very much, I looked at them and I like them very much. Hopefully some translation practice will help me pass my exams
Find something you like, not something someone else recommended. That will kill your interest instantly. If you aren't sure which one, then find it on jjwxc. Complete at least one book in raw before attempting to translate is my advice
To be honest, I tried it. However I usually find something too complicated and I feel lost. Also if I like it too much, I tend to MTL just to read it faster. I also want to translate it for myself since I need practice for my translation class. Translating stories is much more engaging than philosophy and politics we have.
I also recommend modern novels, the historical ones usually use a lot of idioms and like olden style speak so it may throw you off (unless you are up for that challenge). You can always try for novels that were translated mid-way on novelupdates, find something you enjoy reading and just continue from where the previous translator left off. Or you can start from the beginning and compare what you done with the past translation.