translate simple sentence please

[neurosport]

i swim in a pool in Queens, NY in an area that is Chinese. i'm in the top ~ 5% by speed and the pool has 2 out of 10 lanes designated as "fast" lanes, but slow swimmers keep going there anyway. i was tolerating this until today, when a slow Chinese woman doing frog kicks kicked me in the spine so hard that i had to leave the pool ( she did not apologize ).

 

next time i see somebody like her in my lane who clearly doesn't belong in the fast lane i want to tell her "you are too slow, this is a fast lane, move to the slow lane" ... that's it. i just need a translation of this. technically it is the job of lifeguards to tell them this, but the lifeguards are too lazy.

 

"you are too slow"  seems easy enough. 你是太慢 is that right ?

 

however when i try to translate "lane" google gives me what appears to be traffic lane with reference to a car, and we're talking about pool lanes.

 

once again, i didn't want to tell these people that they are slow but i was kicked twice the past month people who are doing these kicks because they don't know how to swim properly and yet they are in the fast lane.  the Chinese man who kicked me a few weeks ago at least apologized to me, and he didn't kick me in the spine.  The woman did not apologize and i'm not having any more of this.

 

if it makes any difference for translation purposes i'm a male in my 30s and the people i'm having problems with are both men and women primarily over 40 years old.  the man who kicked me was about 55, the woman about 40.  the young kids tend to be fast enough, and they tend to speak English as well.

 

also, i don't want to be so polite that they ignore what i'm telling them. i want them to understand that it is not a suggestion, but something they *have to* do.

[skylee]

Consider -

這是快線 (this is a fast lane)

你游得太慢 (you swim too slowly)

過去慢線 (move to the slow lanes)

[Shelley]

If these lanes are designated fast lanes, are there any signs to say so and should the pool consider making sure there are signs in more than one language i.e. Chinese both Mandarin and Cantonese.

 

Then you could just point to the signs ( which make it clear it is the policy of the pool, not just you wanting more space)  this would also be good for other swimmers to inform people to stay out of the fast lanes if you are not swimming fast.

 

It may be a concept they are not familiar with so they may need educating. Perhaps a line or two in the pool brochure or posters at the check-in desk and in the changing rooms, in Chinese as well as English and any other language that might be needed.

 

If after all this they still swim in the fast then let rip with a loud  過去慢線 (move to the slow lanes) as suggested by skylee.

 

 

[Kamille]

Forgive my questioning, neurosport, but you don't seem to speak Chinese, so how can you be so sure that these people are actually Mandarin-speakers? Couldn't they be Japanese or Korean? 

I don't know your situation and the percentage of people that understand/speak English in that area of NY but if I were you I'd try plain English first, then if they look like they don't understand, try again with simplified constructions, gestures and accentuation. And then only if they still don't understand I'd ask 你會說漢語嗎? ("can you speak Mandarin?") before using the three Mandarin sentences provided by skylee.

 

I'll always remember that time when I was traveling in Japan and I wanted to ask for directions. Most of the time people hardly even understood simple English words with gestures (and I wasn't confident with my Japanese) so out of laziness I started skipping the "making complete sentences" stage and one day one of them answered me in a fluent, impeccable English. Way to look like an idiot (and even an asshole), I can tell you. Of course it's going to be the same result if you start speaking Chinese out of the blue and the person is from a non Mandarin-speaking Asian country, or worse: born and raised in NY in a bilingual environment.

Now I don't know, maybe you know exactly what you're doing but I just wanted for you to avoid finding yourself in that kind of an awkward situation

I know you're not trying to make friends but that's not a reason for you to make enemies out of what could easily be perceived as impoliteness.

[Lu]

If I were you I'd speak to the lifeguards again. They have both the authority and the responsibility to handle these things, they speak English (I assume) so they'll understand you, and they get paid to deal with both the slow and the annoyed swimmers in the pool. If they still don't respond, perhaps make an official complaint to the pool.

 

I used to swim in a pool in Beijing. The 'lifeguards' never once looked up from their mobile phone. I'm not exaggerating, I actually checked (because I was annoyed) and they never once as much as looked at the pool for my entire swimming session. (Once I complained at the desk that nobody paid attention. They didn't get my point, said there was a lifeguard - meaning the kid looking at his phone.) Got my share of kicks to the body by other swimmers, handed out a few as well. This kind of thing grates on you and in China there isn't really anything you can do, because the pool is much as the metro: each man for his own. I once wanted to complain to someone who kicked me. He stayed under water. I tapped him on the shoulder. He still stayed under water. There was just nothing to do about it.

 

But if you're in the US, there must be ways, so I'd advise you to use those.

 

Also, you don't mention if you speak Chinese. If you don't speak it already and have good pronunciation, the swimmer, provided she hears you, won't understand and it'll just be irritating to both of you without a solution. Best ask the lifeguards.

 

Good luck! This kind of thing can be very annoying.

[Kenny同志]

I agree with Lu. Better speak to the lifeguards and they will do something about it.

 

But for what it is worth, here you go.

 

這是快泳道 / This is a fast lane

你游得太慢 / You swim too slowly

麻煩去慢泳道 / Please go to a slow lane

 

泳道 is the term used for lane on the mainland of China.

 

PS: If you leave out '麻煩(please)', it would be like bullying. Well, at least that's how I feel.

[roddy]

Or just speak to 'em in English. You'd need to have damned fine Chinese to be able to be easily understood by someone who is in a splashy and echoing room, not expecting to be spoken to at all, and definitely not expecting to be spoken to in a language which you're not yet sure they speak. IF they don't speak English enough to understand 'Here fast. Over there slow' wave one of the younger kids over to help (assuming THEY speak the right language) or something, or ask if they speak Chinese and then attempt it. The way you're going about it is a recipe for looking like an incoherent angry man*.

 

"also, i don't want to be so polite that they ignore what i'm telling them"

Wow, politeness works differently over there...

 

*Was chatting with a foreign friend who was having neighbour problems. Asked him what he planned to do. "Oh, I'll probably stew about it until I get so mad I lose the ability to speak Chinese, then go and talk to them about it. It'll be so embarrassing I'll forget about the noise issue...'

[edelweis]

well, I thought the OP was intending to have the hanzis on a waterproof card. But swimming suits don't have pockets. Tattoo?

[neurosport]

 

If these lanes are designated fast lanes, are there any signs to say so and should the pool consider making sure there are signs in more than one language i.e. Chinese both Mandarin and Cantonese.

 

Then you could just point to the signs ( which make it clear it is the policy of the pool, not just you wanting more space)  this would also be good for other swimmers to inform people to stay out of the fast lanes if you are not swimming fast.

 

It may be a concept they are not familiar with so they may need educating. Perhaps a line or two in the pool brochure or posters at the check-in desk and in the changing rooms, in Chinese as well as English and any other language that might be needed.

on the starting blocks there are signs in both English and Chinese saying "Fast Lane" "Medium Lane" or "Slow Lane"

 

these signs are positioned such that when entering the pool it is very hard not to see them, but once you're in the pool you can't see them at all.

 

also on the lane i was in the sign was missing, but that is unlikely to be the issue because it was just as bad in the other fast lane or i would have switched.

 

the problem is 2-fold.

 

1 - the people don't look at the signs.

 

2 - everybody thinks they are fast.

 

I had a 88 year old Asian Man joke ( in English ) with me saying "i am very slow" ... my guess is he expected me to say something like "no no you are fast" but i didn't say anything, because he is, in fact, very slow ... and in fast lane.  he was very offended that i didn't contradict him.  my best guess is that something in Chinese culture is biased more towards pride whereas in western culture it is biased more towards modesty.  these people feel compelled to go to the fast lane to prove something to somebody and it is always the most crowded lane even though usually not one person in it is fast.  

 

there were also instances of Lifeguards telling somebody to move to the slow lane and the person refusing and insisting that they are fast, even going so far as calling security guards and the manager.  this is probably why lifeguards are so reluctant to say anything.  slow westerners also like to go in the fast lane, but they always comply when lifeguards ask them to move.  the Asian swimmers though, 9 times out of 10 will make a scene ( to defend their honor ? ) rather than actually moving.  

 

so i know i won't actually achieve anything by confronting them - i just want to cause them the same kind of aggravation that they have been causing me. they decided to bring their Chinese culture with them - OK - then i will bring my Russian culture.

 

/ end rant.

 

PS: actually i also need to know what "medium lane" is.  i was just angry when i said i wanted them to go to the slow lane, actually most of them should go to the medium lane.

[Lu]

I doubt it's about honour in these cases, more about 'I'll swim where I want to, this pool is for my swimming pleasure and all other people may or may not be in the way and I don't care'. Although I might just be extrapolating.

 

Either way, if you don't even expect them to comply with your request, I think you have nothing to win by making it. You're angry and you want to make them angry, but your expected result is not annoyance-free swimming. I think that's not going to make your pool experience better, just worse (because now you're doubly annoyed: 1) they swim slow and kick me and 2) they don't listen to me). To be honest, I think a better course of action would be to either practice some zen acceptance (water is wet, chlorine bleaches my swimming trunks, there will be slow people in the fast lane, and those are all facts of life) or to find another swimming pool. Or to keep trying to make the pool management take the issue seriously and enforce the rules.

 

I completely sympathise, it sounds extremely annoying. But if at all possible, if I were you I'd try to find a way to remove this aggravation from my life, not just make others share it.

[neurosport]

 

Forgive my questioning, neurosport, but you don't seem to speak Chinese, so how can you be so sure that these people are actually Mandarin-speakers? Couldn't they be Japanese or Korean? 

I don't know your situation and the percentage of people that understand/speak English in that area of NY but if I were you I'd try plain English first, then if they look like they don't understand, try again with simplified constructions, gestures and accentuation. And then only if they still don't understand I'd ask 你會說漢語嗎? ("can you speak Mandarin?") before using the three Mandarin sentences provided by skylee.

 

I'll always remember that time when I was traveling in Japan and I wanted to ask for directions. Most of the time people hardly even understood simple English words with gestures (and I wasn't confident with my Japanese) so out of laziness I started skipping the "making complete sentences" stage and one day one of them answered me in a fluent, impeccable English. Way to look like an idiot (and even an asshole), I can tell you. Of course it's going to be the same result if you start speaking Chinese out of the blue and the person is from a non Mandarin-speaking Asian country, or worse: born and raised in NY in a bilingual environment.

Now I don't know, maybe you know exactly what you're doing but I just wanted for you to avoid finding yourself in that kind of an awkward situation 

I know you're not trying to make friends but that's not a reason for you to make enemies out of what could easily be perceived as impoliteness.

i don't need to be fluent in Mandarin to recognize it when i hear it.

 

i can also recognize Japanese and to a lesser extent Korean.

 

unfortunately i can't recognize Cantonese or any other languages from Asia.

 

in my estimate most Asian swimmers in my pool speak Mandarin. and my guess is of the ones who don't speak it as 1st language most still understand it. 

 

that said, your advice could definitely be useful ... in some other scenario.

 

by the way, what's the difference between 普通话 and 漢語 ? 

[neurosport]

 

I doubt it's about honour in these cases, more about 'I'll swim where I want to, this pool is for my swimming pleasure and all other people may or may not be in the way and I don't care'. Although I might just be extrapolating.

 

Either way, if you don't even expect them to comply with your request, I think you have nothing to win by making it. You're angry and you want to make them angry, but your expected result is not annoyance-free swimming. I think that's not going to make your pool experience better, just worse (because now you're doubly annoyed: 1) they swim slow and kick me and 2) they don't listen to me). To be honest, I think a better course of action would be to either practice some zen acceptance (water is wet, chlorine bleaches my swimming trunks, there will be slow people in the fast lane, and those are all facts of life) or to find another swimming pool. Or to keep trying to make the pool management take the issue seriously and enforce the rules.

 

I completely sympathise, it sounds extremely annoying. But if at all possible, if I were you I'd try to find a way to remove this aggravation from my life, not just make others share it.

 

to be honest i already decided ( shortly after starting this thread ) to switch to a different pool, but it's still a good opportunity to learn some Chinese for me, as i do intend to get to conversational level eventually.

 

you learn much better when it is in the context of something you care about than just abstract lessons.

 

once i join the new pool ( i wanted to switch for years, but i couldn't justify the cost ) i will most likely retain the membership in the old one for various reasons, so all the answers are still just as useful for me.

[imron]

I doubt it's about honour in these cases

I don't think it's about particularly about honour, though I'm sure face does come in to it.

 

The other thing to realise is that Chinese culture tends to shy away from direct confrontation.  Often in a situation where both of you know who is in the wrong, giving the person a graceful way of accepting it rather than trying to force them to admit wrongness is often a more productive way to get them to do the right thing.