[Kenix]

"Hi, I don’t know if you’ll read my e-mail, but I still want to get the words out. It’s been two days since we’ve chatted or seen each other, I still feel like it’s a little weird. I know you won’t call me, but I’ve still been waiting for your call these past two days. Today I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. I guess you don’t want to pick up. Over these past two days I’ve started thinking you’re only playing around with me, so I will forget you. I’ve thought about many things these few days and I think we’re not right for each other. Maybe it’s the age. And we always hide when we’re together, it’s so tiring. I don’t want to say anymore, I don’t think you want to hear anymore either.

I will take the words you’ve said to me (concerning my interactions with other people)to change and improve myself. When you come back to Taiwan, remember to come see me, your older sister. Don’t forget you still have a older sister like me.

Study well when you’re in Boston, don’t waste the hope your parents have put in you. Also, see if you and Danny have time during Thanksgiving to come visit me in LA. You should also have a week’s vacation…I have a present for you if you come =^O^=

Lastly, I have a song to give you"

Pretty sure it's right. Born and raised in China

 

[rx7_fan]

Well, I will talk to my girlfriend about it. See what's going on. But to me, after like 5 people translate it, the first paragraph seems like she and this guy had a thing going. She at least owe it to me to explain this.

 

[DeusEx]

How's you get into her email in the 1st place?....She might start with that if you start questioning her...

 

[West726]

(forget it)

 

[pkshiu]

x

 

[skitlets]

If indeed she is fooling around behind your back... tough man, that sucks.

In general though, I don't think people should be going through their significant other's personal messages. Relationships are built on trust. I know not how you came across that email, OP, so I am not judging. Maybe you had good reason to not trust, or maybe it was entirely accidental. Either way, best of luck to you.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

rx7_fan, I'm sorry this is how you had to find out, and I'm glad that the Head-Fi members pulled through to help you translate it. Even if the translation is a bit skewered, I think that the overall message of it is still intact.

Best of luck to you, and stay strong.

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenix /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Hi, I don’t know if you’ll read my e-mail, but I still want to get the words out. It’s been two days since we’ve chatted or seen each other, I still feel like it’s a little weird. I know you won’t call me, but I’ve still been waiting for your call these past two days. Today I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. I guess you don’t want to pick up. Over these past two days I’ve started thinking you’re only playing around with me, so I will forget you. I’ve thought about many things these few days and I think we’re not right for each other. Maybe it’s the age. And we always hide when we’re together, it’s so tiring. I don’t want to say anymore, I don’t think you want to hear anymore either. I will take the words you’ve said to me (concerning my interactions with other people)to change and improve myself. After getting back to Taiwan, remember when I took ‘older sister’ out to play. Don’t forget you still have a ‘older sister’ like me. Study well when you’re in Boston, don’t waste the hope your parents have put in you. Also, see if you and Danny have time during Thanksgiving to come visit me in LA. You should also have a week’s vacation…I have a present for you if you come =^O^= Lastly, I have a song to give you"

The translation is pretty much spot on with the exception of the bolded section.

Given that the first sentence is a little fragmented, confusing, and I will suppose that it's being addressed to the recipient of the email, the translation should come out to this: "You have to remember me when you come back to Taiwan and take me/your little sister out. Don't forget that you still have, me, your little sister."

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The translation is pretty much spot on with the exception of the bolded section. Given that the first sentence is a little fragmented, confusing, and I will suppose that it's being addressed to the recipient of the email, the translation should come out to this: "You have to remember me when you come back to Taiwan and take me/your little sister out. Don't forget that you still have, me, your little sister."

It's the "older sister" portion in the original text that threw me off as well. Not sure about the exact meaning. Otherwise, Kenix did a great job of translating it.

Before you confront her, think it over first. Seriously.

 

[chinesekiwi]

BTW, Chinese and English are the two easiest languages to learn, particularly in grammar. Both languages' grammar structure are quite flexible, particuarly compared to other languages [e.g. 'Latin' languages such as Spanish, Portuguese and French]. The only hard bit for Chinese people learning English and English-speaking people learning Chinese is the same:

Spelling.

For people learning Chinese, it's the complexity of the characters. Chinese does have an 'alphabet' of sorts, that being 'radicals' which form elements of characters

For people learning English, it's the good old 'the spelling makes no sense!'.
The history of why this is = quite interesting. It's very much to do with the mongrel of a language English has been. Most words in English aren't derived from English at all.
Mixture of mainly Danish, French and Latin and particularly in modern English, a mixture of a lot of languages but those three are the most influential in 'basic' English.

'The Adventure of English' = a very good doco series talking about the history of the English language. Very interesting.

Example of course is this poem:

Quote:

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; But the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, But the plural of house is houses, not hice. If the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen? If I spoke of my foot and showed you my feet, When I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth? If the singular is this, and the plural is these, Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be kese? Then one may be that, and three would be those, Yet the plural of hat would never be hose. We speak of a brother and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren. So plurals in English, I think you'll agree, Are indeed very tricky--singularly.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW, Chinese and English are the two easiest languages to learn, particularly in grammar.

I find them both difficult.

Don't see how Chinese can be considered easy to learn-especially as a second lanuage. Every character is basically a little picture and you cannot tell the pronunciation by just looking at the word. The only way to learn the words is to memorize them all by heart. You need to know roughly 3000 words to read Chinese books and newspapers properly. It is part of an ancient language system that has been abandoned by a lot of Asian countries. Using simplied Chinese characters and Latin alphabet(Pīnyīn) are different changes people made to make learning Chinese easier. I remember seeing how people typed Chinese before the computer ages- there were boxes of keys they had to use and it took a long long time to type.

 

[atothex]

English and Chinese are two very difficult languages. English grammar is nothing to scoff at. Kiwi, you got it backwards: flexible grammar makes languages more difficult.

 

[DeusEx]

Hardest language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rx7_fan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's the whole letter, please translate to the best of your ability. If i'm going to break up with my girlfriend, I need to know you guys are sure what you are translating. 你好. 我不知道你會不會看你的e-mail, 但是還是想把話說出來. 兩天沒有跟你聊天和見面了, 還覺得有點怪. 我知道你不會打電話給我但還是在這兩天等你的電話. 我今天想說打個電話給你, 但是你沒有接. 我想你是不想接吧. 我在這兩天發覺你應該只是跟我玩玩而以, 所以我會把你忘了. 我在這幾天想了好多事, 我想我們還是不適合, 大概是應為年紀吧. 我們再一起的時間也是躲躲常常的, 好累哦. 不想說了, 我想你也不想聽了吧. 我會把你跟我說過的話 (關於我跟人之間的交往) 努力的去改變和improve自己. 回台灣的時候要想到我帶姊姊出去玩哦. 不要忘了還有我這個姊姊哦. 在Boston的時候要努力的讀書, 不要浪費了你爸媽的對你的期望哦. 還有, 看看你和Danny在Thanksgiving有沒有空來LA找我玩. 你應該也是放一個禮拜的假吧.....來有禮物哦 =^O^= 最後有一手歌想要送你

you have my deepest condolences.

I think it's time to upgrade one of your amps/headphones/sources to make up for the pain/suffering you have been or will be experiencing over the next 6 months.

Seriously, maybe nothing really "happened".

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenix /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Hi, I don’t know if you’ll read my e-mail, but I still want to get the words out. It’s been two days since we’ve chatted or seen each other, I still feel like it’s a little weird. I know you won’t call me, but I’ve still been waiting for your call these past two days. Today I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. I guess you don’t want to pick up. Over these past two days I’ve started thinking you’re only playing around with me, so I will forget you. I’ve thought about many things these few days and I think we’re not right for each other. Maybe it’s the age. And we always hide when we’re together, it’s so tiring. I don’t want to say anymore, I don’t think you want to hear anymore either. I will take the words you’ve said to me (concerning my interactions with other people)to change and improve myself. After getting back to Taiwan, remember when I took ‘older sister’ out to play. Don’t forget you still have a ‘older sister’ like me. Study well when you’re in Boston, don’t waste the hope your parents have put in you. Also, see if you and Danny have time during Thanksgiving to come visit me in LA. You should also have a week’s vacation…I have a present for you if you come =^O^= Lastly, I have a song to give you" Pretty sure it's right. Born and raised in China

some impreciseness, and some meanings lost in translation; but overall I think the translate is fine.

The problems with your translation, in general, stem from the fact that English is not your native language. But nevertheless decent translation.