Translations/zh/Empower and other wikimedia buzzwords
Whereas Translation is a craft,
Whereas
The mission of the Wikimedia Foundation is to empower and engage people around the world ...
, etc,
The buzzwords to empower and to engage bring headaches to the zh: translators. In fact we have failed to find exact terms which sufficiently match their meanings, usages and connotations. (For past discussions, see (perhaps) the translation of the resolution on licensing. ) That means each use of these terms must be translated individually, and in its own context. Often entire sentences must be rewritten.
I don't know if other languages have experienced the same problem. Here I try to consider aloud the possible solutions in zh: and in yue: that people (mostly I) have thought up. You are welcome to add your own stuff.
Or, rather, everybody may ask himself, by these words what does he mean?
to empower
[edit]| language | term | meaning | usage | connotation | match? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| en | to make somebody able to do something (c.f. Fowler's) | ||||
| en | to enable | ||||
| zh | 授權 | legalese, pre-1970's meaning = authorise |
legalese | pre-70's | partially, pre-70's but translators found it condescending |
| zh | 賦權 | direct translation | never heard of | ? | no |
| zh | 支持 | "support" | common | lost | ? |
| zh, possibly ja? |
加油 | analogous? | colloquial | similar but informal; subject may be reversed |
? |
| ja | transliteration | ||||
| zh | 放權 | devolve | ? | wrong | no |
| zh | 鼓勵 | encourage | common | wrong | no |
| zh: self-empowerment |
自力更新 | self-reinvigorate | common | yes | yes, in this limited sense |
to engage
[edit]| language | term | meaning | usage | connotation | match? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zh | 接觸 | "contact" (physically) | similar | less active | reasonable |
| zh | 聯繫 | "contact"(to link) | similar | even less active | reasonable but not satisfactory |
| zh | 締約？ | "commit to a contract" | common | partial | not quite, and too formal |
| zh | 結約? | "to join into contract" | common | ||
| zh | 結合? | combine/join | common | partial | no |
| ja | 従事 or 携わる | ||||
| ja | transliteration |
other wikimedia terms
[edit]| word | meaning | translations | rank(?) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| free | [1] | 0 | ||
| (under)represent(ed) | without a voice in the power structure | zh:被忽略、弱勢 | 3 | |
| underprivileged | euphemism for poor | yue: 窮 | 4 | |
| underprivileged | euphemism for poor | zh: 貧困 | 4 | |
| diverse | ||||
| community | ||||
| world, worldwide | ||||
| resources | knowledge, crap and anything inbetween | zh: 資源 |
see also
[edit]- Fowler's Modern English Usage: entries on empower, empowerment, and legalese