Free Republic
Browse · Search
VetsCoR
Topics · Post Article

To: Joe 6-pack
If you'd check the exchange office of a local university, I'd bet they have some Chinese or Taiwanese students or even faculty that would be willing to help.

To narrow your search, you'll want to seek out Chinese over the age of 40 (or so), or Taiwanese (or Fujianese), ie faculty! In my limited understanding, most of the younger Chinese have learned only the simplified characters (Mandarin), whereas Taiwanese are (or were) still using the more complex original characters....tho' translaters all have excellent dictionaries...with much knashing of teeth, my 1982-5 putonghua dictionaries could almost do the job (tho' simplified characters are all I've got, many are identical or similar)! The problem (even when you find a 'translator') is the polysyllabic language read from monosyllabic ideographs! The Taiwanese translator will sound much different from a Shanghaiese, who again sounds different than a Mandarin translator! G'luck!

31 posted on 05/10/2008 5:16:43 AM PDT by CRBDeuce (an armed society is a polite society)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies ]


To: CRBDeuce

Mandarin is commonly spoken and read in Vancouver’s Chinatown, as it was first settled in the mid-late 1800’s. The same may be true of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Dunno if that helps, but if you were planning a trip to either place anytime soon, your answer may be as close as the a local laundromat.


32 posted on 05/11/2008 6:16:33 AM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (Is mise an ceann-cinnidh. Cha ghéill mi do dhuine. Fàg am bealach.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
VetsCoR
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson