ni hao what?

April 2, 2012 9:37 AM

Help me find a Chinese-Englsih translator so I can communicate with my in-laws-to-be.

I'd really like to be able to communicate directly with my in-laws-to-be. I think it's important to establish a relationship with them that is not always mediated through my wife. I'm learning Mandarin but it's nowhere near conversational, and they don't speak any English.

Searching the internet for translators produces overwhelming results, most of them geared towards business translation. I'm willing to spend significant money on this, but I probably can't afford high-powered business translators.

So how do I find a translator for personal correspondence? Do any MeFites have experience with similar situations? What are the best practices for finding someone who is professional and discreet? Are there any certifications I should demand? I really only need written/email translation at this point.

posted by qxntpqbbbqxl to Human Relations (8 answers total)

Best answer: As qxnt mentioned, he wants to find some way of communicating to his parents without having to go through his wife.

Having been in a similar situation, and having observed a number of cross-cultural marriages, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that an interpreter is not the right solutions here.

Finding an outside intermediary who will seamless integrate into an emerging family dynamic will be tough. Good interpreters are very difficult to find, and they also usually in some way will play a role in the dynamic, and I can't see handing over such agency to a stranger can be a good thing in terms of helping the OP develop a better relationship with the in-laws.

As well, the in-laws might also like some input on who the interpreter is, right? They will probably find it strange to be communicating with a go-between who is a stranger.

When I met my future wife, I spoke little Japanese, and understood very little about Japanese culture. Luckily, though, her uncle spoke fluent English, and was able to help somewhat with conversation. I also lived with my in-laws for long periods of time, and developed a relationship with them that way... while learning Japanese.

I think in the short term, the best bet for the OP is to learn Mandarin by hook or by crook.

One thing you could do is get help writing a letter to your in-laws. The letter could explain your feelings and your intentions, and could include various questions you have about them.

Also, get some help with key communicative phrases, such as "I like this" or "thank you for X", that sort of thing. Open-ended questions are also kind of fun - "What's this? Who's that?"

It's possible to develop relationships using very basic communication.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:53 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Agreed that removing your wife as a mediator but adding... a stranger as a mediator... is odd and oddly artificial. Do you have a smartphone? Become email photo pals and build a shared visual vocabulary.

Send a lot of spontaneous little pictures of your daily life to your in-laws. You could include a very brief caption that is relatively easy for them to plug into a dictionary.
The blossoms are coming out on your street? Send a photo. You had to fix a flat tire? Send a photo of you waving in a grubbed up shirt. You tried a Chinese dish you learned about from them at your last visit? Send a photo. You and your wife are at your favorite coffee shop? Send a photo.

I think sharing the things you see and live each day will add up to a more natural connection. And when they visit - they will recognize the coffee shop when you take them there! They will giggle when you point to the tire and they are reminded that you awkwardly changed the tire in a tuxedo on the way to a formal event, etc.

Just thinking about my own in-laws, and my husband's relationship to my ESL parents - none of us particularly want or have time for a long and involved epistolary relationship. We just wanna know - whatcha up to? And quick fun photos say a lot.
posted by sestaaak at 10:09 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: KokuRyu, although the rest of the world gets confused between translators and interpreters, qxnt does make it clear he is looking for someone to translate a letter (or similar) rather than an in-person interpreter.

OP, you'd probably do well to find an individual offering English to Chinese language services, preferably someone who is very familiar with your culture as well as your in-laws'. Perhaps look at the nearest city with a large Chinese population?

ProZ is a large site for translators with a variety of quality offered. Limiting a search to translators in the US (where I assume you are) and possibly also to ATA certification (though I'm not sure how many ATA-certified Chinese to English translators there are) would help to ensure that you get someone who knows what they're doing. As you rightly assume, translation isn't easy even if you have a thorough knowledge of two languages.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:14 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

I meant to say "an individual rather than an agency or translation company" - the latter are good if you need material in many languages, but otherwise you're better off going direct to the individual.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:36 AM on April 2, 2012

Response by poster: I think in the short term, the best bet for the OP is to learn Mandarin by hook or by crook.

Oh, believe me, I'm working very diligently at it and making great progress. And I love the idea of sending little photos and such to build a rapport. Right now I can say things like, "The dumplings were delicious!" and "It rained yesterday", but there are some very high-priority, nuanced things that I need to communicate to them ASAP --- things that must not suffer from the imprecision of my own shaky understanding of Chinese or from Google Translate's hilarious mistranslations.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:46 AM on April 2, 2012

Have a look at Zhongwen.com for a great resource on characters, and the Pristine lexicon for phrases.
posted by bwonder2 at 10:38 PM on April 2, 2012

The ATA has its own website with a directory; I searched for English to Chinese translators with certification, and found 40 results. Depending on whether or not you feel it's important to meet your translator face to face, you could limit the search to a particular area.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:35 AM on April 3, 2012

Where are you, by the way? And where will you be communicating via interpreter with your in-laws?
posted by KokuRyu at 10:40 AM on April 3, 2012