Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

Two young friends run into each other at a trolley stop on the west side
of

Beijing.

-   A: Hēi, Xiǎo Liu! Hǎo jiū hú jiàn.

Nǐ xiànzài zài nǎr gōngzuò ne?

-   B: Jiù zài zhèr, Beijing Túshūguǎn.

-   A: Hei, hǎo gōngzuò! Zài túshūguǎn

zuò shénme?

-   B: Fǎnyì.

-   A: Yīngwén fǎnyì?

-   B: Yǐngwén fǎnyì.

-   A: Nǐ zhēn you hànfa! Xuéle jǐ-

niande Yīngwén zhēn you yòng le. Xiànzài zài fǎnyi shénme?

-   B: Jintiǎn fǎnyide shi Huashèngdùn

Yoùbàode yìpiǎn wénzhāng, xiěde shi guǎnyú jiàoyude wèntí.

-   A: Zhēn hù jiǎndǎn°! Lian hàozhǐ

dōu néng fǎnyi le. Nī you shí-jiǎn ma? Néng hu néng gěi wo jiǎng diǎnr?

-   B: Wǎnshang wǒ hai děi xué Yīngwén, jiù néng gēn ni liáo jīfēn
    zhōng.

-   A: Nǐ hái xué Yīngwén?

-   B: Yīngwén hú gòu, hù néng hù xué

ya!

-   A: Shéi jiǎo ni?

-   B: Wǒ gēge jīnnián xiàtiǎn cong

Měiguo huilai le, tǎ jiāo wo.

Hey, Xiǎo Liú! Long time no see. Where are you working now?

Right here, at the Beijing Library.

Hey, what a great joh! What do you do there?

Translation.

English translation?

English translation.

You’re really something! Those few years you’ve spent studying English
really turned out to he useful. What are you translating now?

Today I’m translating an article from the Washington Post on the topic
of education.

That’s amazing! You can even translate newspapers now. Do you have some
time? Can you tell me a little about it?

Tonight I have to study English, so I can only chat with you for a few
minutes.

You’re still studying English?

My English isn’t good enough. I have to study!

Who teaches you?

My brother came back from the U.S. this summer. He’s teaching me.

°bù jiǎndǎn, not simple/ordinary/commonplace, in other words,
amazing, phenomenal.

-   A: Zhēn hang’. Duì le, kuài’ shuō-

shuo nèipiān wenzhāng, wǒ tǐngshuō zài Meiguo shòuguo dàxué jiàoyude rén
hěn duō.

-   B: Duì le, Měiguo shi dàxuéshēng

zuì duōde guójiā.

-   A: Zhēnde?

-   B: Zhēnde, dàjiā yìfāngmiàn gōngzuò,

yìfāngmiàn xuéxí, yōu bù shāo rén dōu’ wǔshisuì le, hái zài dàxué niàn
shū ne.

-   A: Wō xiǎng zhèi shi Měiguo Jìnbù-

de yíge yuányǐn! Zhèipiān wénzhāng nǐ fānwánle ma?

-   B: Kuài fānwán le, dàgài míngtiān

jiu fānwán le.

-   A: Néng bu néng gěi wo kànkan?

—Zhōngwénde.

-   B: Wō wen yíxià wōmende lǐngdǎo,

dàgài méiyou shenme wèntí.

-   A: Nà míngtiān wǎnshang liùdian

bàn, wō hái zài zhèr děng ni, bú jiàn bú sàn a!

-   B: Xíng, bú jiàn bú sàn!

That’s fantastic! Oh yeah, tell me about that article. I hear that there
are a lot of people with a college education in the U.S.

Yes, the U.S. is the country with the most college students (in the
world).

Really?

Really. Everyone works and studies at the same time. There are quite a
few people who even at the age of fifty are still studying at a
university.

I think that’s also a reason why America is so progressive! Have you
finished translating the article?

Almost. I’ll probably finish tomorrow.

Could you give it to me to read?

—the Chinese.

I’ll ask our leader. There probably won’t be any problem.

Then tomorrow evening at six-thirty I’ll wait for you here. And don’t
leave until we’ve met up!

Okay, we won’t leave until we’ve met up!

’kuài here should not be translated as quickly or hurry up; it
simply conveys the eagerness of the speaker to hear about the article,
something like the British, Do tell me about that article.

° °Dōu here means as much as, even, so dōu wǔshisuì le means as old
as fifty or even fifty years old.

”’Fānwán le means the same as fānyiwán le, finished translating.