Guess these literal Chinese translations

[:) Smiley]

Those who know the language, don't spoil it, make it better! Post some more for people to guess.

While nowadays it is common for English words to be translated literally into Chinese or simply phoneticized, up until the 1950's or so, words for new inventions were given new descriptive names. This practice still continues today but is fairly rare now.

The following are all common Chinese phrases that have been literally translated. Try to guess what they mean in plain English.

Hand device
Fire cart
Bat ball
Iron road
Ground iron
Gas cart
Machine field
Atom pen
Gas water
Hundred products company
Powder pen
Sound recieving machine

And now some having to do with electricity:

Electric platform
Electric mail
Electric voice
Electric pressure
Electric cart
Electric stair
Electric pool

and here's something that wasnt a translation, simply a case of different names.

Guess what these planets are:
Fire planet
Gold planet
Water planet
Earth planet
Wood planet

[FrustratedPoet]

Electric mail

Isn't this one exactly the same as the english term?

[Q Classic]

Fire planet
Gold planet
Water planet
Earth planet
Wood planet

i don't remember all of these. it's not just a chinese thing; the days of the week also (in chinese) were once named for the elements. because of china's influence, you now see those names for planets and days of the week (the names have since changed, as i understand in red china) in korea and japan.

[Maniac]

Re: Guess these literal Chinese translations

Originally posted by Smiley
Fire cart

A car (with combustion engine)?

Iron road

Railroad seems logical.

Ground iron

Steel?

Gas cart

Something with a stean engine?

Machine field

Factory?

Gas water

Spuitwater? Eau pétillante? Spruddelwasser? (No idea what it's called in English)

Hundred products company

Supermarket?

Sound recieving machine

Telephone?

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Guess these literal Chinese translations

Originally posted by Smiley
Those who know the language, don't spoil it, make it better! Post some more for people to guess.

Could have put the answers in a "spoilers" field

[:) Smiley]

So far, Maniac has gotten one correct.

Iron road = Railroad.

[Soul Survivor]

fire cart = firetruck

iron road = railroad

gas cart = gas truck?

atom pen = ball point pen

powder pen = pencil?

not even going to attempt the other ones

[Soul Survivor]

gas water = seltzer?

powder pen = pencil?

sound recieving machine = recorder? answering machine?

[Bosh]

Hand device = cell phone
Fire cart = fire engine
Bat ball = baseball
Iron road = railroad
Ground iron = pavement
Gas cart = gas station
Machine field = factory
Atom pen = ballpoint
Gas water = petroleum
Hundred products company = comglomerate
Powder pen = pencil
Sound recieving machine = radio

here's some konglish, while we're at it:

oil banku
handu poon
pishi
ladiyo
pahlidu chikunu
cider (not what you think it is)
stahru claptu
golden pants
pierrot (had thise one as p on an english alphabet teaching aid, which really confused me)
pop song (not what you think it is, Anarchy in the UK is officially a pop song )
pama
pija
golden ball
hacking (not what you think it is)


(some written as pronounced some as written because I'm lazy)

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Boshko
Ground iron = pavement
Machine field = factory
Gas water = petroleum
Hundred products company = comglomerate

These are not right

[Nubclear]

UR, put the answers in a spoiler tag!!!

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Guess these literal Chinese translations

Okay, as per Tass' request, the answers are

Hand device

Spoiler:

mobile phone

Fire cart

Spoiler:

fire engine

Bat ball

Spoiler:

baseball

Iron road

Spoiler:

railway

Ground iron

Spoiler:

subway, undeground

Gas cart

Spoiler:

automobile

Machine field

Spoiler:

airport

Atom pen

Spoiler:

ball-point pen

Gas water

Spoiler:

soda pop

Hundred products company

Spoiler:

emporium

Powder pen

Spoiler:

chalk

Sound recieving machine

Spoiler:

radio

[Nubclear]

Gas water...

[Kuciwalker]

some people have come very close

[:) Smiley]

UR, you're not entirely correct on two of them:

Fire cart

Spoiler:

train

Hundred products company

Spoiler:

department store

now let's see some guesses at the electrical categories:

Electric platform
Electric mail
Electric voice
Electric pressure
Electric cart
Electric stair
Electric pool