Very Google Translate

These days it’s not uncommon for an English word to get thrown into a Chinese sentence, sometimes with a disregard for the original part of speech. A typical example is “fashion” (“very fashion,” meaning, “very fashionable“).

One of things things we sometimes do with AllSet Learning clients is give them translation exercises where they have some English sentences, and they have to translate them into Chinese. We make sure that the sentences are practical and not random, so the exercise can be quite fruitful.

Google Translate icon

Occasionally, though, unwanted technology creeps into the “learning process,” and the teacher notices. This was a comment from one of our teachers on a client’s translation exercises:

> 有几句非常google translate。

“There were a few sentences that were very Google Translate.” Well said.

Share

John Pasden

John is a Shanghai-based linguist and entrepreneur, founder of AllSet Learning.

Comments

  1. Google translate is such fashion.. baidu tai out le.

  2. I’ve heard that “很fashion” one a few times before!

Leave a Reply