Question is there an english word for 大佬

Discussion in 'Translator's Corner' started by hajiko, Jun 3, 2020.

  1. hajiko

    hajiko m(_._)m

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    just like in the Title is ther an english word for 大佬
    ist often mentioned in those chinese webnovels I can understand themeaning of the word from the text but is threre an english word for it.

    from what I understood 大佬 means someone who is stronger better than yourself.
    example:
    in game a top player
    in cultivation/ martial art
    high lv cultivator or black belt
    etc.
     
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  2. WhiteMoonlight

    WhiteMoonlight Well-Known Member

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    a big shot?
     
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  3. InvincibleDespair

    InvincibleDespair Well-Known Member

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    Isn't that same as 'senpai'?
     
  4. DiabolicGod

    DiabolicGod Well-known lazy Member

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    Expert? Superior?
    Better. Simply one's own better
     
  5. Invisalats

    Invisalats The Bearded One

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    Hmm depends on context.

    You could try "superior" if it's just relating to skills and not an address or title.

    Elite or something along those lines might work or using two words instead of one.

    Look up synonyms for words like elite and superior. Without actual context or translation ability I can only recommend things
     
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  6. hajiko

    hajiko m(_._)m

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    no it is not senpai
    most of the time it will be like hugging the leg of an 大佬
     
  7. SarahYule

    SarahYule Active Member

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    hugging the leg of a big boss?
     
  8. lnv

    lnv ✪ Well-Known Hypocrite

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    Like an Ace? or a ranker?

    big thigh?
     
  9. Bakaturq

    Bakaturq Tell me, what do you see?

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    or just use the cantonese "Dai Lou"

    "In a gang, it means the Big Brother/Boss
    In business, it means one with speaking authority, normally one whose presence in the company is very high, and whose words can shift the direction of the company
    In everyday life, it means someone to be respected or admired"
    (lifted from baidu)
     
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  10. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    Generally speaking when translating Chinese terms you can either just render the term in pinyin, find a rough equivalent, or write around it. I'd say that writing around the term is the most useful tact overall, but that's going to be hard if it's something that's going to be said quite a bit in dialogue.

    For the specific case of "大佬", "ace" as in fighter ace, ace lawyer, and so on is fairly close. However you'd still have to be careful about using it since while people will refer to others as aces, they'd usually never call someone "ace" outside of casual colloquialisms. In this case Chinese is a much more flexible language, and a direct equivalent might not work in English.
     
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  11. Invisalats

    Invisalats The Bearded One

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    Ahh so it's usually a reference to a backer, like a powerful relative/master/friend/etc. That makes much easier to understand.
     
  12. xiazixin

    xiazixin Well-Known Member

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    不愧是楼上大佬们的回答,我萌新在这里吃瓜。水。

    The world is not really chinese, your translating 贴吧chinese or so called Martian language. And it's pretty much impossible to translate to English and make sense. As it makes little sense in Chinese.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 7, 2020
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  13. Xenody

    Xenody Well-Known Member

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    I was also thinking of the cantonese one, "大佬阿" as something similar to dude.