How to properly translate “Enjoy (Drinks) Responsibly” into Chinese

[Mark Yong]

Recently, I spotted a beer advertisement in a coffee-shop in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The bi-lingual phrase at the bottom of the poster reads:

『Enjoy Responsibly 更具責任地享用啤酒』

I was wondering if there is (or already exists) a better and more elegant way to translate the English phrase into Chinese, and one that accurately captures the meaning and seriousness of the message - rather than a literal translation from English (an example of what Hong Kong author 陳雲 refers to as 『洋化中文』).

The best that I could come up with was 『飲酒忌贅』.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

[skylee]

Please note that 贅 is not a very commonly used word, and you don't want to use words that some people might not understand in a public notice.

As to alternatives, you may consider the simple 切勿酗酒. Or something like 豪飲凶險大，淺酌樂趣多etc.

PS - or 豪飲無益，淺酌怡情 etc.

[xiaocai]

饮酒适度，宜己宜人。

Maybe not as good as skylee's but this is the best I could come up with now.

[Mark Yong]

skylee wrote:

豪飲凶險大，淺酌樂趣多

豪飲無益，淺酌怡情

xiaocai wrote:

饮酒适度，宜己宜人。

Sheer poetry, folks. Absolutely elegant. Thank you.

『切勿酗酒』 is great, too. But I would shy away from it, as it seems much more strict, like a prohibition （禁令）, rather than an admonishment/exhortation （勸誡） like the above examples and in relation to the English version.

[xiaocai]

If you are looking for a plain one, I will suggest 请适度饮酒 then.

[Mark Yong]

Hi, xiaocai,

Thanks. Maybe not so much “plain” per se, but more like “concise” and “compact” - in the spirit of the Chinese language. But my primary objective is to try and move away from literal translations from English that end up sounding totally awkward and out-of-context in Chinese - 鳥瞰 for “bird’s eye view” instead of 遠景 / 概觀 (depending on context) comes to mind.

[WestTexas]

What about this translation for "Please drink responsibly":

大家都喝得不省人事吧

Is it ok?

[Mark Yong]

WestTexas wrote:

大家都喝得不省人事吧

Umm... isn’t that the total opposite?

[xiaocai]

After reading this, I think it is actually how some people interpret it...