問我anything with Lu

[Angelina]

Interesting. I like Chinese men, but I thought it was because I am in China and most men here are Chinese. 

 

Another question:

 

When did you realize you have a Chinese life? 

[Lu]

- Would you ever think of moving towards interpreting (for Chinese-Dutch and/or English) ever?

I already do that. Not as much as I'd like, but I interpret whenever I have the opportunity, both Chinese-Dutch and Chinese-English. I quite like it too: you get access to all kinds of interesting places and people. I'd like to do more of it, also to get better at it.

- Do you primarily focus on literary translation, and do you also handle technical translation?

I spend most of my time on literary translation, partly because one assignment keeps me busy for months. But I also do non-literary translation. I don't have experience doing very specialised technical translation.

- How do you keep your Chinese level up when back in Leiden?

With difficulty. I have a few native Chinese-speaking friends whom I try to speak Chinese with as much as possible; I read (mostly novels); and I keep learning 生词. My reading is steadily improving, but my speaking has declined quite a bit since I left Asia, unfortunately.

[Lu]

Did you use a Chinese name while in China and Taiwan? If so, which one and how did you choose it?

Yes, it makes things easier I think. My real name is rather long and spelling it is 麻烦 even in my own country, let alone in China or Taiwan. I'm not putting my Chinese name here, sorry, makes me a bit too easy to find.

My teacher picked a name for me, a given name that sounded a bit like my real given name, and the surname 司马. I liked it at first but then thought 司马 was too long and sounded old-fashioned. I had read a short story in translation in which one of the characters had a name that sounded vaguely like my surname, so I went to another teacher and asked if I could have that one. Sure, she said, but this surname can be written with two different characters: A and B. I liked the meaning of A. She thought for a bit and said, B is actually better with your given name. So then I picked B.

I later found the short story in Chinese. The character's surname was actually C.

[Lu]

when you came back home from abroad, what questions did your family and friends ask about what your "Chinese life" was like?

I'm not sure what to answer... I kept in touch with friends & family of course, so there was a lot they already knew. My family came to visit both in Beijing and in Taipei and met a bunch of my friends (the ones that did speak English). And at the same time there was a lot of everyday things that you can't really tell. I didn't get many of the obvious questions (did you eat with chopsticks? do they eat dog there?), although apparently my mom got them on my behalf (So, can she... talk to Chinese people? Did she learn sentences by heart, is that how?).

[Lu]

Interesting. I like Chinese men, but I thought it was because I am in China and most men here are Chinese.

That's no doubt a part of it. I think it helps to meet a number of men from a group to develop a 'taste' for men of that group, so to speak. If you only ever meet one Chinese guy, it's likely he'll be so different to all other men you've liked that you won't have a way of liking him. Of course, there is also the attraction of the exotic and he could equally be more attractive because he's unlike all other men.

When did you realize you have a Chinese life?

I'm not sure. I think it accumulated over time. First you know a few characters, then you know words you can't use in your own language, then you know stories that your friends don't know... it slowly adds up.