Many foreigners complain that they are often puzzled and even
startled by the menu when they dine in Chinese restaurants, saying
the awful translations of the names of the dishes often give them
no small culture shock.
The names of many Chinese dishes are translated literally into
English, though these English words might not make any sense at
all. For example, "Lu Da Gun" (a Beijing-style dessert), is
translated into "rolling donkey," and "Ma Po Dou Fu" (one of the
most famous
Sichuan dishes)
is translated into "beancurd made by a pockmarked woman."
A young Australian said he was really startled by a "tiger dish"
on the menu of a restaurant. Actually it is only a cold dish made
of tomatoes, green peppers and onions, and of course has nothing to
do with tigers at all. The Chinese name of the dish comes from its
hot and spicy flavor.
The translation of "Tong Zi Ji" (broiler) is perhaps the
funniest of all, as it is translated into "chicken without sexual
life" on the menu of some restaurants. "Why don't they just put
'virgin chicks' on the menu?" a customer joked.
The names of Chinese dishes are mostly imbued with some kind of
artistic flavor, as they usually describe the appearance of the
dishes. In the opinion of the Chinese, "Se" (good appearance) is
even more important than "Xiang" (fragrance) and "Wei" (taste). No
wonder the Chinese give such beautiful and rhythmic names to their
dishes.
However, the names of Western-style dishes are usually simple
descriptions of the material and the cooking methods of the dishes,
like pot roast. Thus it is natural for Westerners to guess the
materials and the cooking methods of the Chinese dishes through
their names, which in many cases just do not work.
As a matter of fact, the Chinese restaurants in New York choose
a more "practical" way of translation, by describing the dishes
briefly in English. For example, "Yu Xiang Rou Si" is "shredded
pork in garlic sauce," and "Gu Lao Rou" is "sweet and sour
pork/chicken" on their menus.
Nevertheless, Zhou, a translator in Beijing, insists on
translating the names of Chinese dishes word for word, in order to
"keep their unique cultural and artistic flavor." "It's part of our
culture, and perhaps a better part, thus we can't afford losing it
via translating them into Western style," said Zhou.
(Chinanews January 8, 2007)
