Glossary entry

Chinese term or phrase:

面色苍白、人瘦毛长、目光呆滞、怪僻不群的

English translation:

pale, skinny, dull eyed teenagers

Added to glossary by Bea Geenen
Jan 20, 2012 09:16
12 yrs ago
Chinese term

面色苍白、人瘦毛长、目光呆滞、怪僻不群的

Chinese to English Other Other
著名作家韩少功先生对“山里少年”是这样描述的:“凡精神爽朗、生活充实、实干能力强、人际关系好的乡村青年,大都是低学历的。”“如果你在这里看见面色苍白、人瘦毛长、目光呆滞、怪僻不群的青年,……他们衣冠楚楚从不出现在田边地头,你就大致可以猜出他们的身分,大多是大、中专毕业的乡村知识分子。”

I tried to translate this literally, but it sounds really awkward in English. I hope someone can help me make the translation sound more natural in English. Thank you!
Change log

Jan 27, 2012 07:06: Bea Geenen Created KOG entry

Proposed translations

1 day 7 hrs
Selected

pale, skinny, dull eyed teenagers

"If you see some pale, skinny, dull eyed teenagers that don’t seem to fit in with the crowds around here.. and whose neat clothing is not the typical farmer’s garb, chances are that they’re college or university graduated countryside intellectuals."
OR if you want a more natural soundig translation, you could say:
"...... chances are that they are kids born and raised in the country side but with a college or university degree in their pockets."
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thank you everybody!"
47 mins

请见下文详解

如果你在这里看见面色苍白、人瘦毛长、目光呆滞、怪僻不群的青年,……

请看是不是可这样翻译:

If you see young skinny guys around here who are with pale faces, long hair, dull and sullen eyes and who, indulged their own customary strange manners, never care to blend in with other people, …..

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Note added at 4 hrs (2012-01-20 14:11:35 GMT)
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rewriting it because the word "in" was lost earlier. SO here it is:

If you see young skinny guys around here who are with pale faces, long hair, dull and sullen eyes and who, indulged in their own customary strange manners, never care to blend in with other people, …..
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7 hrs

试译

If you ever come across a skinny- and pale-looking youth with sullen eyes, sporting long hair, and who, with his idiosyncrasies, can't care less to blend in...

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Note added at 7 hrs (2012-01-20 16:21:55 GMT)
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This was based on Lilany's version.

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Note added at 7 hrs (2012-01-20 16:32:48 GMT)
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On a second thought, 'dull' is better than 'sullen' here.

If you ever come across a skinny- and pale-looking youth with dull eyes, sporting long hair, and who, with his idiosyncrasies, can't care less to blend in...
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5 days

pale, skinny, long-haired, dull-eyed, weird, teenage loners

if you see some .......
Something went wrong...
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