I started The Character Project as an attempt to translate the untranslatable. Those unique words and phrases in a language that cannot be translated easily or completely, perhaps. Words that got lost in translation.
The anecdotal stories you share describe the phrase are beautiful. At one point in my life I was fluent in Chinese (as a White American, I lived in Taiwan for 15 months). When I came back to the US, this was one of my phrases that I couldn’t figure out how to translate to English. I settled on “hardworking you” but there is even more to it, as you beautifully demonstrated. I cannot wait to see what other phrases you will share.
Hi Andrea, so happy to hear this resonated. Were there any other phrases you struggled putting to words in English? A long term goal for this project is to be a platform for stories and phrases beyond the ones that impacted me.
I'd love to hear about any other characters where you had a similar experience.
I love this one, beautifully written, and makes me tear up. I don't speak Mandarin but I do Cantonese, and somehow I can feel the weight of "Xin ku ni le", in my mind it's the Cantonese version. Maybe this understanding comes from our culture too. On how we normally don't express ourselves so directly, therefore this small phrase carries with it so much more, all the unspoken empathy and emotions, that only another from the same culture can understand....
Thank you so much, Rachel — I'm so glad it resonated. You hit the nail on the head with this observation: "we normally don't express ourselves so directly." The empathy and emotion truly get lost in translation.
Just like 辛苦你了 (xīnkǔ nǐle), お疲れ様でした (thank you for hard work) is not merely a thank you. It is a respectful acknowledgment of someone else’s effort, hard work, and dedication. "You are tired" is the literal translation, but it signifies much more - an acknowledgment of someone's labor and a heartfelt expression of gratitude for their unwavering dedication.
In both phrases, there is an implicit recognition of the hardships faced—the demanding hours, the strain on mind and body, and the personal compromises made. They remind us of our common human experience, acknowledging the perseverance shown in the face of challenges.
Yina, this is beautiful. I hear and use that phrase so often that it’s lost its significance, but what you wrote is so poignant. Thank you for reminding me.
Yina, this entry on 辛苦你了 really touched me. I teared up while reading the stories of how you observed and "saw into" the hard labor of your father and husband when they offered labor for the ones they love. I love your interpretations for this truly untranslatable phrase: "Together, 辛苦 is often translated to mean laborious; hard; miserable; exhausting; arduous," and "I see you." Like you, I also find the English translation lacking in intensity. I'd like to add that 辛苦 is my word of choice when I try to describe my mental and emotional agony. The best translation I can come up with is "I'm suffering immensely." Or perhaps: gut-wrenching and unbearable. But I prefer 辛苦 for its economy of words. Can't beat that! By the way, I am wondering if 辛 can mean spicy hot too? I'm thinking of the phrase 辛辣. Any idea?
The anecdotal stories you share describe the phrase are beautiful. At one point in my life I was fluent in Chinese (as a White American, I lived in Taiwan for 15 months). When I came back to the US, this was one of my phrases that I couldn’t figure out how to translate to English. I settled on “hardworking you” but there is even more to it, as you beautifully demonstrated. I cannot wait to see what other phrases you will share.
Hi Andrea, so happy to hear this resonated. Were there any other phrases you struggled putting to words in English? A long term goal for this project is to be a platform for stories and phrases beyond the ones that impacted me.
I'd love to hear about any other characters where you had a similar experience.
I love this one, beautifully written, and makes me tear up. I don't speak Mandarin but I do Cantonese, and somehow I can feel the weight of "Xin ku ni le", in my mind it's the Cantonese version. Maybe this understanding comes from our culture too. On how we normally don't express ourselves so directly, therefore this small phrase carries with it so much more, all the unspoken empathy and emotions, that only another from the same culture can understand....
Thank you so much, Rachel — I'm so glad it resonated. You hit the nail on the head with this observation: "we normally don't express ourselves so directly." The empathy and emotion truly get lost in translation.
Just like 辛苦你了 (xīnkǔ nǐle), お疲れ様でした (thank you for hard work) is not merely a thank you. It is a respectful acknowledgment of someone else’s effort, hard work, and dedication. "You are tired" is the literal translation, but it signifies much more - an acknowledgment of someone's labor and a heartfelt expression of gratitude for their unwavering dedication.
In both phrases, there is an implicit recognition of the hardships faced—the demanding hours, the strain on mind and body, and the personal compromises made. They remind us of our common human experience, acknowledging the perseverance shown in the face of challenges.
This is absolutely beautiful. So happy to know this meaning exists in other languages as well.
And so wonderfully explained. Thank you, Shea!
🥹 love this one so much
Thank you honey for being an inspiration for this piece ❤️
I see you. 🍓
Yina, this is beautiful. I hear and use that phrase so often that it’s lost its significance, but what you wrote is so poignant. Thank you for reminding me.
I’m so glad to hear. Thank you so much for sharing, and so glad it resonated, Tiffany.
Yina, this entry on 辛苦你了 really touched me. I teared up while reading the stories of how you observed and "saw into" the hard labor of your father and husband when they offered labor for the ones they love. I love your interpretations for this truly untranslatable phrase: "Together, 辛苦 is often translated to mean laborious; hard; miserable; exhausting; arduous," and "I see you." Like you, I also find the English translation lacking in intensity. I'd like to add that 辛苦 is my word of choice when I try to describe my mental and emotional agony. The best translation I can come up with is "I'm suffering immensely." Or perhaps: gut-wrenching and unbearable. But I prefer 辛苦 for its economy of words. Can't beat that! By the way, I am wondering if 辛 can mean spicy hot too? I'm thinking of the phrase 辛辣. Any idea?
Thank you again for sharing, Louisa. 辛苦 definitely is a ubiquitous word in the Chinese language — so irreplaceable in English.
❤️
This one made me tear up. So beautiful.
Thank you Amber! So glad to hear it resonated. I see you 🍓
This is so beautiful, Yina. Beautiful storytelling and I can’t wait to see more 💕
Thank you Camille! From one storyteller to another, this means a lot. I see you <3