Chinese food in English

[Lingjian23]

Hey everyone, I'm new here. Heya!

Good news: I have landed a small translation job.

Bad news: It involves translation of many Chinese food names into English. Even some of the things I myself have eaten, I have no idea how to say in English.

I'm wondering if there is some online resources I can view that has (more or less universally accepted) English translations of various Chinese dishes. Otherwise I guess I will have to make it up and people might have no idea what I'm talking about! Directions to any online resources would be appreciated!

[Lu]

If it's for a menu, what I see in many restaurants is the name in the original language (Chinese, in this case, and then pinyin or another common spelling for that dish), with under that an explanation in English of what the dish actually is.

Good luck!

[roddy]

There's a ton of links and downloads here.

[liuzhou]

Some Chinese dishes can be translated word-for word. Some can't. They need explanation rather than translation. Think of it the other way round. How do you translate 'Waldorph Salad' or 'Welsh Rarebit' or 'Stornoway Black Pudding' into Chinese? You can't meaningfully do it.

It might help if you told us what kind of menu /food list you are contemplating.

I've spent the last few years mainly translating menus to pay for the noodles and beer and usually end up having to go into the kitchen and saying "OK. Show me. Let me taste."

My favourite: 外婆飘香骨 Maternal Grandmother's Fluttering Fragrant Bones

I'll have that with chips and brown sauce, please.

[anonymoose]

The other thing is, as learners of Chinese we often assume the Chinese names of these things are readily understood by native speakers, but from my experience of going to restaurants with Chinese people, they often have no idea either what a particular dish is just from its name. One example I can remember is 蚂蚁上树.

[liuzhou]

蚂蚁上树 is a good example. "Ants Climbing Trees". (Although I think most Chinese people know what it is - it's a well known dish.)

Actually, just noodles with minced pork. But it at least describes the appearance of the dish.The noodles are the branches and the minced pork the ants. Hunan has a soupy version which translates as Ants Swimming the Lake.

But there are dishes where the names are neither informative or descriptive. But native / fluent speakers can ask what it is. Learners often can't.

A local (Nanning) favourite is 老友面 or Old Friends' Noodles. What does that mean?

Edited January 8, 2009 at 07:22 AM by liuzhou

[Lu]

My favorites in that category are 听说菜, ordered because we were intrigued by the name; turned out to be pig ears in soy sauce, delicious. Also 傻瓜面, after ordering it turned out to be just plain noodles, that you could put 傻瓜 sauce over to give it a little bit of taste. I figured they were named idiot noodles because you have to be an idiot to order something that tasteless.

Generally my approach is that if I don't know what it is, I order it, and then either like it or not really like it, but always promptly forget the name, so next time I order it again, etc.

[jbradfor]

Many years ago in Taiwan I ordered a dish I think called 下水. I ordered it as it was about the only dish for which I knew all the characters so I could pronounce it.

It turned out to be, as far as I could tell, a bowl of internal organs in broth.

That is one dish that I will never never never forget the name!

Slightly back on topic, in addition to the links roddy provided, maybe you could find some Chinese restaurants with their menus online that can help you?

[abcdefg]

Lingjian,

Here's a huge list of English names for Chinese dishes that was compiled last spring by a nationwide committee in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. It goes from appetizers to desert and is 28 pages long.

http://www.for68.com/new/2008/6/li8655365544181680024816-0.htm