ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Chinese translation theory

Chinese translation theory is the study of how to turn words from one language into words that people can understand in another language. It's like when you tell your friend something in English, but they speak Spanish, and you have to figure out how to say the same thing in Spanish so that they can understand you.

One important thing to remember is that every language is unique and has its own set of rules about how words are used and put together. So, when we translate, we have to think really hard about how to make sure the meaning of the original words stays the same in the new language.

Chinese translation theory specifically focuses on how to translate things into Chinese, which is a language spoken by a lot of people in China and other countries. It's a very complex language, so translators have to be really careful when working with it. They have to think about things like the sounds of words, the meanings of different characters, and the structure of sentences.

Sometimes, people can also get creative with translation, especially when it comes to things like poetry or literature. In these cases, the translator might change things around a bit to make the words sound better or to create a certain feeling or mood. But even then, they still have to make sure that the meaning of the original words stays intact.

In summary, Chinese translation theory is all about figuring out how to turn words into Chinese in a way that makes sense and captures the original meaning. It's like doing a really cool puzzle, where you have to use your brain to put all the pieces together in just the right way.
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