Week5-I Translated a Wikipedia Article(WU JIACHEN)

Recently, I took on the challenge of translating an English Wikipedia article into Chinese. It wasn’t exactly easy, but the process turned out to be surprisingly insightful. I want to share three things from this experience: a general summary, a few interesting observations, and one lingering question.

1️⃣ Summary: Translating Feels Like Redrawing a Map

The article followed a familiar structure—starting with background, moving through development and evolution, touching on its broader influence, and ending with a brief summary from a modern perspective. Nothing too complex in terms of language, but the way the information was structured was incredibly clear, like a well-labeled map.

While translating, I realized that language isn’t just a container for content—it also reflects how we organize knowledge. Translation isn’t just about converting words; it’s about re-marking the same paths on a completely new map.

2️⃣ Interesting Bits: The Details Hide Traces of Culture

Wikipedia aims to be neutral, but language never fully is. Some of the expressions in the original English had subtle tones that didn’t quite carry over into Chinese—or felt awkward if directly translated. I found myself constantly weighing “literal” versus “natural.”Also, some parts of the article assumed a level of background knowledge that might be common for English readers but not for Chinese ones. That made me realize: what we call “general knowledge” is often shaped by the cultural context we live in.

3️⃣ A Question: Can Translation Ever Be Truly Neutral?

By the end of the translation, I was left with this thought:

When we translate a Wikipedia article, are we also rewriting it—just a little?

Comments

  1. CHEN SIYUApril 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM

    You're not just a bridge between languages. You're part of the writing process.
    You leave fingerprints — not in what you say, but in how you choose to say it.

    Have you translated articles yourself? I’d love to hear what moments made you pause — the ones where a sentence felt like it needed more than just words.

    ReplyDelete

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