Chinese / Asking directions?

[tomadom]

Hi

I'm not sure where to post this question but I have scoured the web to find something which can tell me the translation for the below phrase. Thought this might be the best place to look.

I'm trying to do up some flash cards for an elderly traveler who will be travelling to Beijing and outbound very soon. The question is below. Would someone know the Chinese characters for this. I haven't yet started learning Chinese and it would take me a long time to figure it out. Thanks so much.

"Could you please show me where to board the train"

[coolnicholas]

请告诉我哪里上火车

[tomadom]

Thanks so much. It really cuts down on my version.

I'm wondering if I can ask for one more translation if it wouldn't be too much trouble.

I am trying to translate the below. Thanks again.

"Would you be able to tell me when we arrive at Tanggu Station. This is my destination and I am not sure where to get off the train."

[Demonic_Duck]

请问一下，我们几点会到塘沽站？那是我的目的地，我不知道在哪里应该下车。

[li3wei1]

I think 'tell me when we arrive' in this case isn't 几点, but 'when we arrive, please tell me'. 我们到塘沽站的时候，请你跟我说。If the conductor tells him (in Chinese) what time the train is going to arrive, it won't do him much good.

[tomadom]

Thanks very much both.. This will be a great help.

Have a great day.

[abcdefg]

到塘沽站时清告诉我，就是我的目的地。(Optional, but recommended, 您好 plus 请问 in front and 谢谢 at the end.)

Looks like both your English questions are kind of verbose. You really don't want such "wordy" Chinese direction questions；works best if they are succinct.

Probably should submit the rest of your list so we can help you make them more practical.

[machinarium]

http://chinesespeak.com/directions/

This site has a list of phrases for asking and giving directions. It will be useful for you I think.

[tomadom]

Thanks too 'abcdefg' . If you are keen, would you be able to translate the below. Thanks so much.

"I would like to book a tour to the Great Wall of China. How much would this cost and would you be able to write down the details for me?"

"I would like to go on the next available tour"

Thanks for this. If you're all sick of me I'll completely understand.

[li3wei1]

I think for booking tours of the Great Wall, chances are the people will speak good enough English. Ditto the terracotta warriors and many other main tourist sites. There's no point in memorising how to ask a question if you're not going to understand the answer.

[li3wei1]

To add to the above: I think it would be a wiser strategy for your friend to learn basic words and questions, like 'where', 'what time', and 'more', and either point or use English or a dictionary for the rest. Many of the people he'll be dealing with will know a lot of English, but think about the people that won't (restaurant workers, room cleaners, people in small towns) and what he might need to communicate with them.

[Ruben von Zwack]

Will your friend be staying in a hotel? Cause often the hotels help with these things.

I wonder if it shouldn't be possible to book that tour in advance and make sure it's with a nice travel agency. You hear mixed reviews about Great Wall tours from Beijing. I have no first hand knowledge unfortunately, just looking into this currently for my own holiday.

There are English-speaking communities for Beijing - I know "The Beijinger", for example. I wonder if that would be a good place to research.

It could indeed be a good idea for your friend to learn some basic words like li3wei1 suggests.

When I read your initial question, I was thinking, actually knowing how to pronounce his travel destination properly, and how to pronounce the words 上 shàng (go onboard/enter, for example, a train) and 下 xià (leave, for example a train) might get him quite far for a start.

He could ask the random person in the train next to him for reassurance, and the Chinese are quite friendly and do nonverbal communication like everyone else. It's not like they will nod their head sideways like people in India do, so you think, oh dear, now what does that mean?

And of course 请问 qǐng wèn (may I ask) and 谢谢 xiè xie (thank you). That and English and I think he'll be fine. The railway signs with town names should be bilingual Chinese and Latin Alphabet anyway, right?

[abcdefg]

Agree with @li3wei1 about there being better ways to obtain the more complex information your friend will be seeking in post # 9. Something like that has too many parts for a flash card phrase to be adequate, including such things a which section of the wall to visit.

"I would like to go on the next available tour"

This is of more general use, since it's easily adaptable to other situations, such as "I would like to take the next train" or "I would like to see the next showing" (of a movie.)

我想要走下一旅游团。

(Disclaimer, that I should have added earlier, is that I'm not a native speaker.)

[tomadom]

Hi

Thanks for this. That's good advice too.

I've traveled in China several times and it's always difficult if you try to do things yourself unless you have a template with some questions in Chinese. It helps immensely. I booked all my rail tickets at the ticket window using hand scribed chinese characters of which I copied from a book. I suppose I'm really doing this as a back-up as the person going will never get out a word in Chinese which will be understood. It's very difficult to be understood in China without some practice and that we don't have time for at this point. It's those good old highs and lows in Chinese pronunciation which, when I attempted them, always sent people into hysterics. I went to a hospital once in Kunming and my attempts to be understood resulted in twenty people gathered around me poking fun at my pronunciation. I had to go to leave the hospital in the end, the fun just never ended and I couldn't calm them down enough to be understood or heard. Thus, the flash cards on my second attempt made all the difference, they really did (at a different hospital).

English, despite most larger hotels, isn't widely spoken outside major cities. Younger people, students always saved the day though. Getting together some lines written in Chinese will help greatly.

Thanks again for the help above. I really appreciate it.

[Manuel]

My version (although you've probably got off the train by now):

请能到 塘沽站 叫我下车吗？ 那是我的目的地，我不知道应该在哪里下车。

请问一下，我们几点会到塘沽站？那是我的目的地，我不知道在哪里应该下车。

Maybe both forms are correct but 应该在哪里下车 echoes much louder in my auditive memory than 在哪里应该下车, which means the first one is probably how I've heard native speakers say it. Plus, if you do a search on Baidu for the latter enclosed in double quote marks you only get 5 matches; search for the former and you get over 10 pages of results.