Quick translation request!

[Wang Yao]

Hey there folks, this is the sentence I would like to have translated:

"The history of a language is as long as the one of its country."

I have had a few stabs at it myself, but I'm not sure if I'm right or as accurate as I can be...

My best attempt: 语言的历史比国家的一样长。

[fanglu]

My best attempt: 语言的历史比国家的一样长。

Not bad, but there's a couple of issues.

The first is that 比 can only be used when comparing two things and concluding they are different, eg:

这本书比那本书好

If you want to say they are the same you need to use a different construction, eg:

这本书跟那本书一样好

Secondly, you haven't caught the relationship between the language and its country:

语言的历史跟比国家的一样长 - The history of language is as long as that of the nation

一个语言的历史跟它国家的历史一样长 - The history of a language is as long as that of its country

[Kenny同志]

Or

一个国家的历史有多长，其语言的历史就有多长。

Or

一门语言的历史与其国家的历史一样长。

[williams]

语言的历史比国家的一样长

this is not a right correct sentence.

it would be like this

语言的的历史和国家一样长

the history of the language is as long as the history of country.

or

语言的历史比国家长

the history of the language is longer than the history of country.

"比" and "一样" can't appear in the same sentence.

[Hofmann]

I'd rather say it more clearly.

一個語言的歷史和其國家的歷史一樣長。

[Glenn]

I take it 個 and 門 here are 自由變異體.

[Kenny同志]

The history of a language is as long as the one of its country.

一个语言 can be heard once in a while, but in both spoken and written Chinese this usage is not encouraged and should be avoided at all costs in the latter. I am quite sure many natives would even consider it as incorrect as in standard Mandarin. People say it anyway, however.

Here are two possible translations of the OP’s sentence:

Spoken Chinese

一个（门 more desirable）语言的历史与它的国家的历史一样长。

Written Chinese

一门语言的历史与其(or它的. Personally I prefer 其 here)国家的历史一样长。

I wouldn’t suggest anyone to use 一个语言 unless they are fully aware of its subtleties and want to appear casual or very folksy.

[fanglu]

I have a question. What is the difference, in usage or meaning, in this context between and 它 and 其?

For example, kenny2006woo writes:

它的国家的历史一样长

but

其国家的历史一样长

[889]

Aren't we turning an awkward English sentence into an awkward Chinese one?

A country can have "its language" certainly but it seems odd to say -- in English or Chinese -- that a language has "its country."

France's language is French, but French's country is France?

I'd reverse the sentence.

[fanglu]

I agree, Benedict Anderson suggests that languages created nations, but that's not what the OP asked.

[Kenny同志]

I have a question. What is the difference, in usage or meaning, in this context between and 它 and 其?

For example, kenny2006woo writes:

它的国家的历史一样长

but

其国家的历史一样长

In this case, 其 and 它的 have the same meaning

其 usually acts as a possessive case and in this case has the same meaning with that of 它的, the difference being that, due to its classical flavour, 其 is rather formal.

It can be seen in other cases that 其 functions as “his”, “her”, “your”, and “their” etc..

Aren't we turning an awkward English sentence into an awkward Chinese one?

Yes, I am afraid so.

A country can have "its language" certainly but it seems odd to say -- in English or Chinese -- that a language has "its country."

I completely agree. It sounds awkward in Chinese as well.

[fanglu]

Thanks!