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